I recently had an interaction with a stranger whose dog was sitting in the back seat of her vehicle. I commented on what a nice dog he was and asked how old he was. He appeared to be an older fellow, salivating profusely; glassy eyed and could barely hold his head up. Much to my surprise her response was ‘he is two years old’! Her eyes welled up with tears and she was quite distraught. She told me that she was on her way to the vet again to get help for him. He had recently been infected by a tick and had been on medicine for two weeks but nothing was working. This was going to be her third visit to the vet. Her anticipated outcome was not one that was going to be pleasant. My heart sank and I gave her a hug and wished her and her fur baby well. I prayed that she was able to have further medical treatment that would save her dog. This tugged at my heartstrings and I hope that by reading this brief article and hope that it may help one person prevent this from happening to them or their dog.
Even the best repellents may not prevent these parasites from latching onto your fur baby. It can take 24 to 48 hours for an attached tick to transmit an infection to its host, so it’s important to quickly and properly remove these parasites.
Check, please! First, run your fingers slowly over your dog’s entire body. If you feel a bump or swollen area, check to see if a tick has burrowed there. Don’t limit your search to your dog’s torso: check between his toes, under his armpits, the insides of his ears, and around his face and chin.
Don’t limit tick checks to your canine family members. Dogs can’t directly transmit tick-borne illnesses to people, but ticks can move from host to host. A tick may enter your home on your dog’s back and move on to another pet or human, or a tick could hitch a ride on you and then move on to one of your pets. A good tick prevention strategy includes checking all family members, especially after outdoor activities in wooded, leafy or grassy areas.
Is it a tick?
Ticks can be black, brown or tan, and they have eight legs. Ticks are arachnids and related to spiders, not insects. They can also be tiny—some species are only as large as the head of a pin—so look carefully.
In some areas where there is no real winter, ticks are active all year, not just in the summer months. Even when winter is coming and there has been a killing frost, ticks can become active again if the weather turns warm for more than a day or two.
Safe tick removal
If you find a tick on your dog, don’t panic! Follow these quick and easy steps to safely remove the pest.
Step 1: Get your gear
- Pair of gloves
- Clean pair of tweezers or a special tick remover
- Antiseptic
- Isopropyl alcohol
Step 2: Remove the tick
Wear gloves while removing the tick to avoid contact with your skin (ticks can transmit diseases to people, too).
If you’re using tweezers:
- Grasp the tick as close to your dog’s skin as possible, but be gentle! Try not to pinch your dog’s skin.
- Pull outward in a straight, steady motion, making sure that you’ve removed the entire tick, since anything left behind could lead to an infection.
If you’re using a tick remover:
- Gently press the remover against your dog’s skin near the tick.
- Slide the notch of the remover under the tick.
- Continue sliding the remover until the tick is caught in the small end of the notch and is pulled free. (The tick will remain in the bowl of the remover.)
Step 3: Store the evidence
Drop the tick into a small container that contains isopropyl alcohol (the alcohol will quickly kill the tick), and mark the date on the container. If your dog begins displaying symptoms of a tick-borne illness, your veterinarian may want to identify or test the tick.
Step 4: Praise your patient
Clean your dog’s skin with antiseptic and make sure to clean your tweezers with isopropyl alcohol. Wash your hands, too! Then give your pup a treat for being a trooper.
Follow up
Keep an eye on the area where the tick was to see if an infection surfaces. If the skin remains irritated or infected, make an appointment with your veterinarian.
Watch your dog for symptoms of tick-borne diseases. Some symptoms include arthritis or lameness that lasts for three to four days, reluctance to move, swollen joints, fever, fatigue, swollen lymph nodes, loss of appetite and neurological problems.
Prevention is Key – Protect your pets from ticks and fleas.
