We are now into the time we commonly notice Ticks are active – March contains Tick Awareness Month during the final full week of March, as well as being National Tick Month. The aim of these awareness times is to help people avoid being bitten so much and help with the affects of having been bitten. Although the awareness week and month are aimed at people this is also all applicable to dogs too.
This blog on how to remove a tick from my dog or puppy as well as how to prevent ticks on my dog and how to help my dog after a tick bite aims to help dog owners and puppy owners to enjoy walks even more armed with knowledge of how to check their dog and when to call the vets for help.
The usual months that Ticks are active are March to July but we can still see ticks as late as November.
If you find a tick on your dog you may find it incredibly small or if it’s already been feeding its body can be up to the size of a pea. You will also spot:
Rounded body shape
Shiny, not what you might be expecting!
Tiny head
6-8 legs just before the head. They have 6 legs when young then develop to 8 legs
Large, slightly flattened body – it’s not a true orb shape
Brown, pink, purple or a bluish grey in colour
Facts on Ticks:
Ticks dont just need a host to feed from but also look for a mate to breed with while on a host animal
An infestation of Fleas or Ticks can cause young / small puppies to loose enough blood to need a blood transfusion or to actually cause death.
Diseases that are passed by ticks tend to only be spread after a number of hours feeding on a host – checking your dog regularly can mean you remove a tick early enough to prevent illness.
A tick that comes into your home via being on your dog can actually move to you and cause you illness too!
Ticks can carry Lyme disease (Borreliosis) in the U.K. which can be passed to your dog or to you if they attached to you. Signs of Lyme Disease in dogs include and you should call your vet if you notice these after removing a tick.
Signs of Lyme disease in Dogs:
- Limping and swollen joints – usually this starts in the joint and leg closest to the tick bite, then tends to alternate from leg to leg.
- A High Temperature
- Lethargic (low on energy)
- Swollen lymph nodes (glands)
- Not eating much
- Nerve problems
- Drinking and weeing more – Lyme Disease can affect the kidneys
It’s thought 1.5% of ticks in U.K. carry the Lyme Disease infection. Ticks are not automatically born with disease but pick it up when feeding and transfer from animal to animal / person.
Ways to prevent Ticks landing on your dog and feeding:
- Conventional treatment or preventative via tablet, spot on or special collar. Speak to your vet for their recommendations. Using treatment from the vets you will need to follow the directions which will usually require at least a few months of tablets etc as you need to break the breeding cycle to be effective. Don’t stop after a single tablet!
- Non Chemical solutions in herb or tincture form. I use Billy No Mates in herb or tincture for my own dogs but mine don’t go in long grass very often. There are many available such as:
Link to Billy No Mates
Link to Verm X Biscuits Small Size
- Natural Resin collars such as Amber which helps repel Ticks before they actually bite your dog’s skin. Ripley has an Amber collar as she is actually allergic to flea bites! This means having a chemical flea treatment in her system doesn’t help as it relies of the flea biting the host to take in the chemical but for Ripley when the flea bites she has an allergic reaction! The Amber collar repels fleas and ticks as the amber warms slightly due to her body heat and gives off a scent ticks and fleas detest plus causes a tiny tiny electrostatic charge that prevents them from landing on her skin and biting.
- Some food types can help make the dog’s blood less attractive to ticks (and fleas) such as garlic – this can be given within a dog specific supplement or very small amounts weekly / monthly. Check amounts for your own dog size.
Link to Dog Supplement by Dorwest Herbs
How to help your dog before ticks attach or once a tick is attached:
- Check your dog all over regularly to remove ticks or fleas / flea dirt. They are most commonly found in areas such as on the head, in or outer sides of the ears, armpits, groin and tummy.
Fun fact: my Norwich Terrier Taylor once had a tick on his ear. When I spotted it I’d been at work all day and I suspect he got it that morning on the walk. It was now huge and looked like Taylor had a dangly earring handing from the tip of his pointy ear! Thankfully I removed it all and he was fine.
- Chemical or natural shampoos can help remove ticks and fleas as well as their larvae.
- Washing pet beds that are inside the home, car, at your work, in a caravan etc regularly helps stop the tick or flea breeding cycles.
- Ticks and fleas can and do fall off plants and grasses onto dogs as they run past / run through grass. They can literally be on the end of a blade of grass and as a dog brushes past the tick just falls into the fur easily.
- If you spot a tick on your dog somewhere try to not panic and definitely don’t try to rapidly pull the tick off the body as you are highly likely to pull the body but leave the head which can cause something to be pushed into your dog’s bloodstream and can cause infection such as Lyme disease.
- Use a tick twister to remove the tick – we have a link to these. They are easy to use, cheap to buy and help remove the complete tick and avoid medical issues for your dog.
Link to Tick Twister Here with storage case
Link to Tick Twister with Tick ID card
How to use the tick twister:
- Part your dog’s fur if applicable so you can see your dog’s skin.
- Put the tick twister to where the tick goes into the skin and fit around it keeping next to the skin. twist the handle while slowly pulling the tick out
- Dispose of the tick carefully; put into a tissue and squeeze it then flush tick and tissue down the toilet.
- Use a pet safe antiseptic spray such leucillin or colloidol silver on the entry point to clean and keep an eye on it for a few days.
After removing a tick if you notice any redness, swelling, or signs of infection around the area the tick was embedded contact your vet for advice. Also contact your vet if your dog’s body looks fine but they start looking unwell a few days after a tick was removed.
I hope you have found this blog useful. Please do forward to a friend or family member with dogs or puppies to help them prepare, prevent or help their dog.
While you are here you might enjoy some of our other blogs on our website!
Joe Nutkins
