Ticks: Knowing How To Protect You And Your Dog

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Knowing how to protect you and your dog against ticks is the best defense in the fight against ticks. Tick prevention is important because as we know, they carry a variety diseases that pose serious health risks. Lyme Disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and ehrlichiosis are the most common. These diseases can be difficult and expensive to treat and sometimes impossible to cure. The Brown Dog Tick, American Dog Tick, Black-Legged Tick or Deer Tick, and the Lone Star Tick are the most commonly found in the United States. Get to know the kind that live in your area so you know the risks.

It’s a good idea to check your dog daily for ticks, especially if you spend a lot of time outside. Run your hands slowly over your dog’s entire body feeling for bumps or lumps. Ticks can be very small and like to hide out inside ears, between toes, under the tail and collar, and in the armpit and groin areas. Don’t forget to check yourself too!

When You Find A Tick

If you find a tick on your dog, don’t panic. Use a pair of tweezers or the Tick Twister to grab the tick as close to your pet’s skin as possible, then pull back slowly until the tick is extracted from the body. Don’t grab the tick by the body, twist it, or pull too quickly. Disinfect the wound and apply an antibiotic cream approved by your veterinarian. Keep it clean and disinfected until it has healed.

Watch for signs of tick borne illnesses in your pet. Symptoms may not appear for up to three weeks. If you think a tick has bitten your pet and she’s behaving differently – loss of appetite, lethargy – talk your veterinarian right away.

Don’t Wait Until Tick Season

The goal is to prevent ticks from getting onto your dog or cat. If you live in a climate that experiences yearly freezing temperatures, you may notice ticks become less active or disappear but don’t be fooled, they can hibernate over the winter. Fortunately, there are lots of effective preventative medications on the market. It is best to talk with your veterinarian about which one is right for your dog and your area of the country. Be sure that the medicine you use repels the types of ticks in your area.

Around the Yard Keep your bushes, trees, and lawn trimmed to reduce ticks to help keep the tick population at bay. If you have a tick infestation in your yard, consider using environmental products or hiring an exterminator to address the problem. Use caution when treating your yard, many products can be harmful to people and animals.

We stock a full range of tick preventatives and treatments to keep your dog safe and healthy.  Check out NexGard, Simparica, and Bravecto, chewable tick preventatives available at VetRxDirect.

NexGard Available at VetRxDirect Simparica Available at VetRxDirectBravecto Available at VetRxDirect

 

It’s Tick Season. Are You Ready?

We’re about to enter high tick season which runs from April through November in most parts of the country. So it’s time to arm yourself with the facts to protect your pets from these parasites.

Deer Tick on my dog Flickr Picture Courtesy of B D

Courtesy of B D / Flickr

Why is tick prevention so important? Ticks carry a variety of diseases that are dangerous to pets — in particular to dogs — including Lyme Disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and ehrlichiosis.

Know Your Enemy

Do ticks live in your area? If so, what kind? It helps to know what you’re up against. Check the tick maps provided by the CDC to learn what ticks live in your area and how to identify them.

Distribution of the Brown Dog Tick During Tick Season in the U.S.

Courtesy of the CDC

It’s a good idea to conduct regular tick checks of your pets, especially if your pet spends a lot of time outdoors. Every day, run your hands slowly over your pet’s body including her head, armpits, and inside her ears. Don’t forgot to check yourself too!

What to do if you find a tick on your dog or cat:

  • Use a pair of tweezers or the Tick Twister to grab the tick by head where the mouth enters your pet’s body, then pull backwards steadily until the tick is extracted from the body. Don’t grab the tick by the body, twist it, or pull too quickly. Disinfect the wound and apply an antibiotic cream approved by your veterinarian. Keep it clean and disinfected until it has healed.
  • If your pet has several ticks or is infested with them, you can try a medicated shampoo or dip to kill the ticks on contact.
  • Watch for signs of tick borne illnesses in your pet. Symptoms may not be evident for up to three weeks. If you think a tick has bitten your pet and she’s behaving differently – loss of appetite, lethargy – talk your veterinarian right away.

Don’t Wait Until Tick Season: Prevention is the Best Medicine

Your goal should be to prevent ticks from ever latching on to your dog or cat. Fortunately, there are lots of effective preventative medications on the market. Your best bet is to talk with your veterinarian about which one is right for your pet and your area of the country. Be sure that the medicine you use repels the types of ticks in your area.

Here’s a quick overview of your options to fight ticks:

Oral Tick Preventatives – The market is full of preventative oral medications you give to your pet monthly to kill adult ticks and prevent eggs from hatching.

Topical Tick Preventatives – If you’d rather not give your pet a pill each month, ask your veterinarian about topical tick treatments that you apply to the skin each month.

Environmental Products to Kill Ticks – Keeping your bushes, trees, and lawn trimmed reduces the area ticks have to breed and helps keep the tick population at bay. If you have a tick infestation in your yard, consider using environmental products or hiring an exterminator to address the problem. Be sure to read the directions and understand how the products affect pets and people before you use them.

Seresto – One of the newest ways to protect your pet from ticks is the Seresto collar. It has a unique combination of ingredients and an innovative delivery system that protects your pet from ticks for up to eight months. It’s available for cats, too.

We stock a full range of tick preventatives and treatments to keep your pet safe and healthy. Which tick products do you use? And how are they working? We welcome your feedback and so do our other pet parents. Share your experiences with ticks by leaving a reply below. Alternatively, please leave product reviews on any of the tick products available at VetRxDirect. Thank you.

Down with ticks!

Wes

Flea and Tick Prevention in Dogs

External parasites like fleas and ticks do not need to feed on a daily basis. Ticks, for example, can survive for well over one year without blood. Because they live outdoors, wild animals such as raccoons and opossums are the most common hosts. And when they walk through your yard in search of food or a safe route, some of the parasites they’re carrying jump ship and establish communities on your property. This is how most dogs become infested with fleas or ticks.

These pesky parasites are always in search of a new host and they breed very quickly. Fleas can lay eggs every twelve days and these eggs reach adulthood in a matter of weeks. Both species can jump several hundreds of times the lengths of their own bodies, which lets them easily ambush our canine friends in the backyard or at the park. Soon after, the females will begin to lay eggs and in a couple of weeks your pouch will be suffering from a full-fledged infestation.

Can fleas make my dog sick?  

Yes, they can. When fleas feed on your pet, they inject saliva into his skin. A large number of dogs are actually allergic to flea’s salivary proteins, which results in a common skin condition called flea allergy dermatitis. Animals infested with fleas or ticks will bite and scratch at their skin in a vain attempt to relieve the itching or pruritus. After extended scratching sessions, the affected skin may become red and irritated. In extreme cases, inflammation, infections and other complications may occur.

Your dog can also get tapeworms from fleas.

Can ticks make my dog sick?

There are at least a dozen tick-transmitted diseases your canine friend can get from these parasites, including a few fatal ones like Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, tularemia, and more. While it is true that most of these diseases are quite rare, it really does depend on where you live. It is a good idea to talk to your veterinarian about the local diseases that may affect your pet.

What are the best ways to prevent flea and tick infestations?

Fleas and ticks flourish in warm, humid environments. If possible, keep your home as dry as you can, and try not to give them a lot of places to hide. As we mentioned, fleas and ticks spend a lot of time away from their hosts. Most of that time is spent laying eggs and looking for other hosts. To do so, they have to have a place to hide and to build a nest. Carpets and rugs are a flea’s best friends, since they give them a place to reproduce and hunt for a host without anyone bothering them.  We’re not saying you should throw out all your rugs and carpets, but it might be a good idea to remove them from common areas where your dog spends most of his time.

What are the treatment and prevention options for flea and tick infestations on dogs?

There are dozens of different products, from collars to spray, topical solutions and shampoos that provide flea and tick control for dogs. Most are inexpensive and can be purchased at nearly any pet shop or veterinary office. What are they?

Adams Plus Flea and Tick Shampoo for Dogs and CatsAdams Plus Flea & Tick Shampoo with Precor – The easiest and most effective way to kill a slew of pesky parasites in one shot is to give your dog a bath.  Adams Plus Flea & Tick Shampoo with Precor not only kills fleas, ticks, and lice, it also wipes out flea eggs, thereby eradicating the next generation of bloodsuckers. Safe for dogs, cats, puppies, and kittens, it is one of the most popular medicinal shampoos on the market today.  Adams shampoos also contain soothing aloe, oatmeal, and lanolin, which mean they are safe for regular bathing. However, your canine friend should not require more than one flea and tick bath every few weeks, otherwise the infestation may require additional medications.

Frontline Plus Ships Fast from VetRxDirect

Frontline Plus for Dogs – One of the most trusted names in flea and tick prevention, Frontline Plus kills parasites at all stages and even puts an end to lice infestations. This topical monthly solution is easy to apply and is safe for dogs 8 weeks and older, including pregnant and nursing females. It is waterproof, so your canine friend will be protected even if he gets wet. Always consult your veterinarians before administering any new medication and follow the dosing directions on the product’s label.

K9 Advantix II for Dogs – Give your dog powerful five-way protection from dangerous and annoying pests including ticks, fleas, biting flies, mosquitoes, and lice with K9 Advantix II for dogs.   Veterinarians recommend this broad-spectrum treatment because it’s effective, easy to use, and only requires monthly application. K9 Advantix II must NOT be used on cats.

Preventic Tick Collar for Dogs is ready to ship from VetRxDirectPreventic Tick Collar – Preventic kills and detaches ticks for up to 3 months. This collar protects dogs over 12 weeks of age from Lyme disease and many other tick-borne diseases. Amitraz (the active ingredient) activity starts within 24 hours and continues for 90 days and is not affected by rainfall. Preventic is available in 2 sizes to fit most dogs.