All four seasons of the year present problems for both humans and dogs in the United States due to ticks. These bloodsucking pests pose a greater threat as the weather warms up and you and your dog spend more time outside. Ticks wait on tall grass and shrubs until your dog walks by before attaching themselves to him.
Not just because these arachnids make many people queasy, but also because ticks can transmit a number of deadly diseases, tick prevention should be taken seriously. Since some of these illnesses have no known cure, it’s crucial to thoroughly check for and get rid of ticks.
Before using any medication intended to prevent ticks, consult your veterinarian because the best course of action will depend on your dog’s age, breed, location, and habits.
The best defense is a good offense, according to veterinarians, and you should thoroughly check your dog for ticks as soon as you get home from being outside. Your dog should be thoroughly touched to check for any small lumps.
As long as you know how to safely remove the entire tick, including the head, with fine-point tweezers or a specifically made tick removal hook, you don’t need to take your dog to the vet if you discover a tick on him.
You should check your dog and yourself as soon as you enter the house because a tick can transmit a disease or an infection if it has been there for about 48 hours, according to Dr. Jerry Klein, AKC chief veterinary officer. “Do watch your dog for behavioral changes, such as changes in appetite, level of energy, or joint pain, and if the dog displays symptoms of illness, schedule an appointment with your veterinarian.” ”.
Here are seven areas on your dog where you should look for ticks because they can be hard to find:
Ticks frequently find their way onto dogs’ heads and into their ears because they are inquisitive animals that stick their heads into everything. The ears are the ideal place for a hungry tick to reside because they have so many nooks and crannies. Ticks can attach and remain undetected for a long time, so when inspecting your dog, be sure to look both outside and inside the ears. You should look if your dog is shaking his head and picking at his ears, as this is a sure sign that something is wrong.
Ticks frequently crawl between your dog’s toes and attach there because they like to hide where they won’t be seen. They are located between the toes or even on the sole of the foot close to the pads. Your dog may be bothered if you see him licking or chewing on his feet, and that something could be a tick.
The underside of the tail makes a great habitat for ticks because they prefer damp, dark places. Ticks can go unnoticed for a long time because most owners don’t frequently check the dog’s tail, especially near the base. If your dog has thick fur, be sure to carefully comb through it and look everywhere. Probably, a tick that has attached itself under the tail will be discovered by a fine comb.
The majority of dog owners don’t like to examine their dog’s genitalia. Ticks, however, adore hanging out in this area of the body because it is another dark, moist area. Ticks can attach and remain concealed by a dog’s coat and tail for a very long time.
Many ticks near the eyelids are overlooked because people mistake them for skin tags or eye discharge. Unfortunately, many dog owners discover a tick on their dog’s eyelid after it has been there for a while. This is not ideal because disease transmission is more likely to occur the longer a tick remains attached.
Many dogs rarely remove their collars, and for good reason—it’s crucial to keep your dog properly identified at all times. Ticks can attach themselves to your dog’s collar underneath it without anyone noticing, usually not until the tick is large enough to be seen, which means it has been there for some time. If a tick is simply crawling around beneath the collar, occasionally removing and inspecting the collar will stop it from attaching. In any case, it’s crucial to remove the collar and thoroughly check for ticks.
Another typical location for ticks to attach is high up, or what we would refer to as the armpit area, where the dog’s front legs meet his body. It’s a nice, dark place that’s challenging for the dog to access and difficult for you to see.
AKC participates in affiliate advertising programs that give websites a way to monetize their content by promoting and linking to akc. org. If you buy something after reading this article, we might get a cut of the sale.
What to do if Your Dog has a Tick
It can be very helpful to keep alcohol, tweezers, and cotton balls in a tiny tick-removal kit in your car or first aid kit. If you find a tick on your pet, donât panic. It sounds much grosser than it actually is to pull it out.
Tickreport.com will have you ship out your specimen, analyze it and inform you what kind of diseases it may be a carrying. There is a small fee for this service. Remember even though the tick may be carrying a disease causing organism, there are many factors that will determine if the disease can actually be transmitted to your pet.
To prevent separating the head from the body, grab the tick as close to the skin as you can with Tick Twisters or tweezers with thin, pointed tips. Then, pull or twist slowly and evenly. It is best to use rubbing alcohol to clean the area and the tools both before and after removing ticks.
The scutum, or shield, of a tick can be used to identify it. This refers to the region directly behind the head, which makes up about one-third of the body.
R. rickettsii, which causes Rocky Mountain spotted fever, can be spread by American dog ticks. Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever symptoms typically include generalized malaise, fever, and poor appetite. Blood tests can reveal low platelets and anemia. Keep in mind that the name of this tick is misleading because it feeds primarily on blood. They will readily feed on dogs, cats or people.
We strongly advise utilizing the fantastic tool TickEncounters because identifying ticks can be very challenging. You can upload a photo or video of your tick along with information about it, and they will identify it and let you know if it might be a dangerous tick. This is a free service. Please see the links below:
While most pet owners are well-versed in fleas, many are unaware of ticks, the other major external parasite that poses a risk to our pets during the warmer months. Like fleas, ticks feed on their host animal’s blood, and they prefer a variety of hosts (dogs, cats, rodents, rabbits, cattle, small mammals), in addition to humans. Ticks can easily attach to and feed off a human host, while fleas do not prefer human blood. Since dogs are the most frequent pets to come through our door carrying ticks, they will be the main subject of my discussion today. However, all outdoor pets are at risk.
It’s crucial to remove ticks from your dog as soon as you discover them. When removing a tick, you must be extremely cautious because, if you make the mistake of leaving the head inside the animal, it may abscess and spread infection, and any contact with the tick’s blood may result in the transmission of disease to your dog or you. Bringing the dog to the veterinarian and having one of the technicians remove it there is the best way to ensure its safe removal. You can pull it out with tweezers if you do decide to get rid of it at home. The skin of your dog should be as close to the tweezers as possible. Then, pull out steadily and straight. Additionally, your veterinarian’s office may sell you a small device known as a “tick twister,” which is regarded as a more secure option for tick removal.
Ticks are larger than fleas and are visible to the naked eye. They are commonly found in wooded areas or in tall grass. Their bites are not usually painful. There are a few different types of ticks in our area that we are concerned about, including the brown dog tick, the American dog tick and the deer tick. The deer tick is the tick we worry about the most, because that is the tick that can carry and potentially infect you or your pet with Lyme disease. There are multiple other parasites and diseases that ticks can carry as well, which is the biggest reason why we want them removed from our pets as soon as possible. It can take several hours for an attached tick to transmit disease, so in most cases removing a tick soon after they bite will usually prevent any disease in your pet.
Call us at 506-388-8880 to schedule an appointment if you have any questions about ticks that weren’t addressed here or if you’d like to talk about tick prevention or disease transmission.
Ticks become active in the spring once the temperature reaches 4 degrees Celsius or warmer, but it’s never too early to start tick prevention! Once we start seeing mild temperatures, your outdoor pets should start being treated with a tick preventative. This year, we had a mild winter and saw our first tick of 2016 enter the clinic on March 2nd! You should also be checking your dogs over regularly for any ticks once it starts to warm up, especially if you take your dogs in the woods or walking on trails. Ticks prefer to stay close to the head, neck, feet and ears, so focus on these areas the most.
FAQ
Should I go to the vet for a tick?
Keep an eye on the tick’s bite to see if an infection develops. Make an appointment with your veterinarian if the skin is still itchy or infected.
How much does a vet cost to remove a tick?
For a one-time treatment that may require multiple visits, the average price per treatment for eliminating ticks is between $50 and $150.
When should I worry about a tick bite on my dog?
Symptoms will start to show up between one and three weeks after your dog has been bitten by an infected tick. Keep an eye out for symptoms like fever, bruising, or nosebleeds. Low blood platelets, or cells that aid in blood clotting, may be discovered through testing.