Ticks and You

Ticks are ugly and fearsome looking parasites that feed on the blood of your dog (or you) and other warm mammals, and they hang around looking for new restaurants to try. As soon as a warm body passes by they climb onboard. Other than being generally ugly and persistent pests, they also spread disease to your dog (and you), and you need to know how to prevent the gorging, how to remove a tick already seated at the mobile dinner table, and about the diseases that may be lurking after the feast.

Once the tick has chosen his unsuspecting host it will attach itself to that host with its mouth and begin to feed, and will not release until it is full. Unfortunately while they are chowin' down they are also engaged in acts the will result in thousands of eggs being produced and that means of lot of ticks in an environment that may include your rugs, your bed, your furniture or your yard when the female drops off and leaves her presents. See How do I identify different ticks? to get a better look at the tick.

Not all ticks carry a disease, but they also don't carry signs saying if they do or don't. So, the best bet is to stay vigilant and check your dog (and yourself) for ticks, especially after being outside. More care should be taken if the dog (and/or you) has been in area of high grasses or densely foliated areas and woods. See Types of Ticks

Having your dog live in a bubble is not conducive to a happy animal/human relationship, so a venture into ticklish areas is usually unavoidable and it would be wise to take extra precautions to fight these ticks.

Cut your grass regularly, remove brush, and trim up and weed your flower beds and gardens. Treat your yard and surrounding area with an appropriate pesticide but please make sure you read and understand the precautions listed on the pesticide container. Follow the directions for proper application and wait the advertised period of time for keeping your pets away from the application. Let the stuff kill the ticks, not make your pets sick. bioSpot for Yards and bioSpot for Homes are examples of some of the yard/home products. Read How to Get Rid of Ticks in the House for more advice.

It is also advisable to place topical products on your dog. There are several such products available. Ask your vet for a recommendation for the one will work best for your dog. These products include Advantix; Frontline; bioSpot. You can also use collars such as Preventic

WARNING: These products contain chemicals and you must follow the directions for dosing levels and applications. DO NOT GIVE DOG TICK PREVENTIVE MEDICATIONS TO CATS!!! YOU'LL MORE THAN LIKELY KILL THE CAT.

Tick Removal

Search for ticks by roughing through your dog's coat with special attention to the ears, crevices in the skin, and areas of little hair. Ticks can be very small (at first) and very large (after eating). (Again read How do I identify different ticks?.)

I have heard several "old wives tales" for removing ticks from your dog (or you) that include painting the end of the tick with nail polish (could make a male dog appear to be a big sissy to other males) or applying heat to the backend of the tick (you could end up with a scorched, hairless dog and a 911 call to the fire department to save your house). I don't recommend either method. The best way I've found (and I have several Golden Retriever companions with long hair), is to use an ordinary tweezers (they also sell special tweezers just for this task).

Part the hair and hold it out of the way. The entire tick should be visible and reachable. Firmly grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible and pull the varmint straight up and out. Don't yank it -- slowly and firmly remove it. There may be some bleeding, either from the dog or from the tick. Clean the area with water and a mild detergent. The goal is to get the entire tick but at some times the head will remain embedded. Monitor that area -- the head should eventually drop out - if it doesn't mention it to your vet.

Once the tick is removed don't throw it away. Put it into some type of container and keep it for several days in case an illness does appear. You can help the vet diagnose the type of disease by examining the tick.

Common types of ticks and the disease they spread:

The Deer Tick and Lyme Disease

The American Dog Tick and The Lone Star Tick

Brown dog tick

Disease carrying ticks can be the cause of Lyme Disease; Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever; canine ehrlichiosis; canine piroplasmosis; canine babesia; and canine anaplasmosis.

Depending on the disease, symptoms can take days or several months to manifest and can include difficulty in walking, weakness, and fever. If these symptoms are present it would be wise to have your vet give the dog a checkup.

Now, go out and enjoy life with your companion. You've taken all of precautions. Applied the right preventatives. Cleaned your house and yard. And, freed your friend of any uninvited guests. But, it's not a one time job. Stay vigilant and check yourself and your friend after hiking or playing outdoors.

Written by Ron Lueth, Pet Guardian Angels of America

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