How to Avoid (and Manage) Tick Bites in Pets

There are few moments worse than finding a tick on your pet’s body. Who knows how long the tick has been feasting on their blood, and potentially spreading disease? 

The best defense against tick bites in pets is to maintain their year-round parasite prevention medication. Avoiding obvious tick habitats is key, too, although sometimes ticks end up in unlikely places. Inspecting your pet’s coat and skin every day is necessary, but do you know what to do if you ever find a tick feasting on them?

Why So Serious?

Ticks are responsible for spreading Lyme disease, Ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and Anaplasmosis. 

Lyme disease is the most commonly recognized tick-borne illness, as it’s been documented in all fifty states. Because of its prevalence and severity, we encourage the Lyme disease vaccination in dogs. 

Additionally, when flea and tick preventives are administered correctly, pets are protected from all North American tick species (Deer, American dog, Brown dog, and the Lone Star). In fact, ticks are killed on contact when they bite into a fully-protected pet’s skin.

Certain Areas Are More Ticky

It is a good idea to avoid wooded, grassy, or shady areas, and stacks or piles of wood or leafy debris. Wash bedding each week and mow the grass regularly.

If you or your pet spend time in known tick habitat, be sure to closely inspect your own clothing, shoes, and socks for any tick hitchhikers. Then, take a fine-toothed comb through the fur on your pet’s back, neck, armpits, groin, and belly. 

Remember that ticks are tiny and often very hard to spot, especially on darker fur. It takes anywhere from thirty-six to forty-eight hours of feeding for a tick to become engorged, but disease transmission can happen in just several hours.

Tick Bites in Pets

It can be tricky to remove a tick. Stock your pet first-aid kit with a proper pair of fine-tip tweezers, protective gloves, and an antiseptic cleansing product. 

Because they have a one-piece body, and the mouth barbs can actually get stuck beneath the skin, it’s critical to grab ahold of the body as close to your pet’s skin. In a steady motion, slide the tick off the skin. Please call us for more help. 

Remove gloves, disinfect your pet, and wash your hands thoroughly. Drop the tick in a small container of isopropyl alcohol and date it for possible future reference. If your pet displays any signs of illness, such as limping, lethargy, fever, swollen lymph nodes, or appetite loss, seek emergency help. 

Proof In Blood Work

Routine blood work can help us identify and treat infections and diseases. This is especially important if there has been a lapse in your pet’s parasite prevention.

Tick bites in pets are definitely experiences to avoid. Awareness of tick appearance, habitat and behavior is part of your pet’s best defense against them. 

Please give us a call at (916) 939‑1705 if you need help regarding your pet’s parasite preventive, or have questions about the Lyme disease vaccination. Our veterinarians are happy to help!