Everything you need to know about Ticks and Dogs

For dog owners ticks are a common hazard that comes with the territory. But, for those new to the world of ticks, they are evil little creatures related to spiders, that carry several types of diseases that can be harmful to both you and your pet (for example Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted fever). Here’s some information on tick removal and prevention.

 

Tick Removal

On the odd chance you’re reading this because there is a tick already attached to your dog, here is a good video on tick removal. You can buy the tool that they are using, or use tweezers. However, when using tweezers make sure you are grabbing the head of the tick, otherwise you can accidentally leave it in which can increase the chance for disease and infection for your dog.

Also, NEVER use dish soap, alcohol, fire, peanut butter, nail polish or other liquids to remove a tick from your dog. This can cause the tick to vomit into your pet, increasing the chance for transmission of disease to your dog.

Note:  While examining your dog for ticks, don’t forget to check inside your dog’s ears and in-between the toes, that’s where ticks love to hide!

Tick Prevention 

Tick prevention is extremely important for keeping you and your dog safe from the diseases ticks carry, and for preventing tick infestations in your home. Always make sure to check your dog for ticks when you come back from being outdoors, even if it’s just the dog park.

Note: if you are only worried about your yard, you can have a pest control come out and spray for you, most companies have natural tick killers that won’t hurt your pet, but make sure you check before they spray.

Frontline and K9 Advantix

Topical agents are normally very effective for preventing tick bites. But in some areas ticks have become resistant to certain forms of these topical preventions. For example, in Florida most ticks are resistant to Frontline. Topical agents, like Advantix are great, because they will kill ticks when they bite your dog. However, this doesn’t prevent them from hitching a ride sometimes (we had a tick infestation in our home from this occurring once).

Oral agents

When looking into oral tick prevention it is best to check with your vet to see whether this will be the best option for your dog. They will have the best knowledge on what ticks in your area are resistant to, and which oral agents will be best for your dog. When ticks are found on
our rescued dogs, our Vet immediately uses NexGard.

Note: Oral agents, like topical agents, will only kill the tick when they have already bitten your dog. They don’t necessarily help prevent them from taking a ride.

Flea and Tick Collars

Flea and tick collars are a great way to prevent fleas and ticks from even coming near your dog, though they won’t kill the tick if they manage to get past the barricade and bite. Here, remember that you get what you pay for, so the cheaper options are not always the better ones. Our Vet only recommends the Preventic Collars.

Note: If we are going into the woods, sometimes we will use a flea and tick collar as well as topical tick repellant – since sometimes the collar is just not enough.

Rose Geranium Oil

This is a natural remedy for tick prevention. It is an essential oil and ticks naturally dislike the smell of. We used it with K9 Advantix when we took our dog Serge hiking for 3 months, and we only saw one tick the entire trip (and we were doing full body checks on him every night) It worked so well that we even started using it on ourselves.

How to use:

First make sure that Fido isn’t allergic to it by only dabbing a bit on them and leaving it for a few days – if the dog is constantly scratching the spot, clean it off them.

If the test run goes well, two drops at the shoulders and two at the rear should be enough (essential oils are very potent smelling – so using just a little will save your and fido’s senses – in fact it still works if you dilute it in water).

There are many tick prevention sprays available online, like this one: