I Found A Tick On My Dog Should I Be Worried

Ticks are easy to find as they are not as tiny as fleas and are mostly found around the head region i.e. neck, head and ears. They also stay in the feet so when looking out for ticks in your dog, these are the areas to look. Although ticks do not have painful bites, they can be infectious.

There are different types of ticks with different degrees of danger. The most dangerous of these ticks is the Deer tick. This tick is capable of infecting you or your dog with a disease called Lyme Disease, among other diseases.

I Found A Tick On My Dog Should I Be Worried

Ticks do not transmit or infect their hosts with a disease immediately they get attached; it could take some hours before any transmission occurs. For this reason, identifying and removing a tick as soon it bites your dog reduces your dog’s risk of getting infected.

How To Remove A Tick From A Dog                                

When removing a tick from off your dog’s body, it is important that you take care not to leave the tick’s head in your dog. Doing this could result in abscess in your dog.

Also, if you or your dog makes contact with the blood from the tick, it can lead to infection as the disease can be transmitted through its blood. To safely remove tick at home, you can make use of any of the following:

Tweezers:  Grab the tick with the tweezers by its mouth, twist it and pluck away from your dog’s skin. Do this carefully without squeezing the body of the tick. After you have done this, put the tick in a container and take it to your vet for examination of infections or diseases.

Tick Removal Tools: You can get any tick removal tool available in stores and check the packaging for directions on how to use it. Tick hook and Tick twister are effective tick removers.

However, to avoid any of these hassles, we advise that you take your dog to your vet doctor to help remove the tick.

Note that removing the tick does not always guarantee that your dog will be alright. There is a chance that your dog will show signs of tick paralysis after the removal.

It is therefore essential that you pay close attention and observe your dog for any development in his health. If you notice any changes that are cause for concern, immediately consult your vet doctor for medical attention.

Signs That Your Dog Has A Tick On

As we earlier mentioned, removing or killing a tick does not guarantee that your dog is okay. Your dog can begin to show signs of illness in the near future. Depending on the type of tick, these symptoms can vary from mild to severe. Here are a few symptoms that are associated with tick bites.

Symptoms of Brown Dog Tick include:

Skin irritation or anemia.

Symptoms of Paralysis Tick include:

Vomiting, Loss of appetite, Labored breathing, Lethargy, Voice change, Wobbly hind legs, which could develop into paralysis with time.

Symptoms of paralysis tick rarely shows immediately after the bite. Your dog might go up to three days after the bite before he starts showing symptoms.

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Preventing Ticks On Dogs

Ticks are parasites that feed on the blood of human and animal hosts. These parasites thrive more in warm climates so we advise tick treatments for pets as from spring season.

There are a few recommended products for preventing ticks on dogs. Products such as Bravecto, Revolution and Advantix. Of these three, Bravecto (a pork-flavored oral chew for preventing fleas and ticks on dogs) is considered to be the most effective.

Although Revolution is effective with prevention of fleas, it is not so effective for preventing ticks as it does not work for Deer ticks and cannot prevent your dog against Lyme disease. You can also use any of these preventive measures against ticks on your dog:

Preventive Oral Medications: There are preventive medications that are used both to kill already attached fleas and ticks, and prevent your dog against them. These pills are administered to dogs once every month. Your little children can come in contact and play with your dog after he has taken the pills.

Tick Dips: This is a highly concentrate chemical that you apply on your dog’s fur after it has been mixed with water. You can either pour the mixed substance directly on your dog’s back or apply with a sponge.

We do not advise the use of dips for young puppies, pregnant or lactating dogs as the chemical used for dips is very strong. Consult your veterinary doctor for advise on the best way to treat or prevent your puppy or pregnant dog from ticks.

Spot-on Medications: Spot-on medications are very effective for treating and preventing fleas or ticks on your dog. Your dog is sure to be free from parasites like fleas and ticks for a month after using these medications.

However, you must be careful and consult your veterinary doctor for advise on the best sot-on medication to use and keep your children away from your dog after applying this medication.

Shampoos: Using medicated shampoo to bathe your dog is very effective for killing ticks immediately. This method involves consistency since the effects of then shampoo is not as long-lasting as the spot-on or pills. You would need to go over the process couple of times, possibly every 2weeks.

Tick Powders: Like collars, tick powders are effective for killing and repelling ticks. It is important to use tick powders that are made specifically for dog’s use and be sure of the specific age that a tock powder is made for before using it on your dog.

We advise that you only apply small amounts of tick powder on your dog and avoid applying it on his face as it can irritate your dog’s mouth. You can also use the tick powder in your dog’s sleeping or play area. Use powder as regularly as once every week for utmost effectiveness.

Tick Sprays: Tick sprays can be used alongside dips and shampoos, especially when you are taking your dog on a walk to a tick-infested area like the woods. It is used to kill and protect your dog against ticks.

Collars: Tick collars are used to protect your dog’s head region from ticks as they serve as repellants to ticks due to the chemicals on them. Even though this collar needs transfer their chemicals directly on your dog’s skin, ensure that the collar is not too tightly fitted on your dog.

Observe your dog for any signs of allergy to the collar and also avoid leaving any excess collar handing loosely as your dog can begin to chew on it.

Other preventive measures like treating your house and lawn, trimming trees and bushes, keeping close tabs on your dog and observing his body closely, especially after a walk outside, keeping your dog indoors and away from tick-infested areas, are very effective for preventing and protecting your dog from ticks and other parasites.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What Is The Best Thing To Kill Ticks On Dogs?

Alcohol, bleach and eucalyptus oil are very powerful tick killers. Alcohol is commonly used to kill bacteria, bleach removes the toughest stains on clothes and can even stain your clothes itself.

The substances contained in these liquids are effective at killing ticks. Eucalyptus oils on the other hand are safe for your body. You can mix 20 drops in 12cl of fresh water and spray all over your body.

How Can You Tell How Long A Tick Has Been Attached To A Dog?                                

If you find a tick that is as big as your little fingernail on your dog, it most likely has been attached to your dog for two to ten days. You can easily tell how long a tick has been attached to your dog by its size at the time you found it.

Conclusively

Ticks can look quite confusing which means there is a chance not to recognize a tick when you see one. When they have not fed on any blood, they are usually as small as apple seeds but once they get a host and feed on its blood, they tend to be as big as your smallest fingernail.

Their colors vary based on their species. We advise that you consult your veterinary doctor if you happen to get confused and you are not sure if what you have seen is a tick or not.