Tick digging into a dog.
Dog ownership has many rewards, such as the loyal unconditional love your pooch gives. However, you have certain responsibilities and obligations to your dog as well. You must feed him, love him and keep him safe. One of the most irritating and sometimes harmful things to watch out for are ticks.
Appearance
There are different species of ticks, but they are all blood-sucking parasites belonging to the arachnid family. One of the most common ticks is the American Dog Tick (or wood tick). Before feeding, they are reddish-brown, flat, and typically less than half an inch long. After feeding, the females plump up like a grape, but there isn't much change in the males. Deer ticks, or blacklegged ticks, can be bothersome to dogs as well. Females are larger than males and have red markings. Males are darker. They are smaller than the wood tick but much more dangerous as they are carriers of Lyme disease. They feed for three to five days, and can transmit disease after the first twenty-four to forty-eight hours. Overall, ticks of different species vary in size from about a quarter of an inch to the size of a pinhead. They are typically brown or black before feeding and range from brown to purple, pink, and yellow after feeding.
Check for Ticks
Ticks wait for hosts on vegetation and climb onto passing warm-blooded mammals such as dogs and humans. Ticks do not fly or jump. You should check your dog for ticks periodically, particularly after being outside in tall grass, bushes and fields. Rub your dog in a massage-like motion with some pressure, so that you can feel small bumps or inconsistencies, or brush the dog's fur against the grain and examine the skin for dark spots. If your dog has ticks, or even if she doesn't, you should check yourself as well since ticks feed on humans and can transmit diseases to humans as well.
Prevention
The best plan of action is prevention, especially if you live in an area where ticks are very common. Humid, heavily wooded areas with a lot of brushy vegetation are the natural habitat for ticks. Keeping the area around your yard mowed and cleared of high brush is a good idea. Insecticides made specifically for dogs are applied once each month. Check the label for precise directions and recommendations. Puppies and nursing mothers may not be able to handle the chemicals, so check the warning label first. Watch for any adverse reactions when using any kind of chemical solution on your dog. Always bathe your dog first, and wait twenty-four to forty-eight hours before applying any preventative. That way the natural oils in his coat can emerge and help in the even distribution of the chemicals.
Removing Ticks
To remove a tick from your dog, use tweezers to grab the tick as close as possible to its head (which is buried in the skin), without pinching your dog. Be careful not to squeeze too hard as this may cause sucked-up blood to be pushed back into your dog. Make sure to remove the tick's head, which can cause additional problems if left in the dog. )Follow the same procedure when removing a tick from yourself or another person.) If you live in an area where Lyme disease occurs, save the tick in a tightly closed container or jar to take to the veterinarian for testing. If Lyme disease is transmitted to your dog, she will need attention right away as it can be treated with antibiotics if caught early. If it's not a deer tick, flush it down the toilet. Apply alcohol or another antiseptic to her skin to clean the infected area and prevent further infection. Always be sure to wash your hands thoroughly in hot water before and after removing the tick. Ticks can transfer nasty and sometimes deadly diseases to dogs and humans.
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