Ticks

TICKS 

                                                          

Dog owners who live in the country, or walk their dogs in long grasses, should be familiar with ticks. If you find a tick on your dog it will invariably be the female, feeding after mating; that is when she needs a blood meal. She will swell up to about the size of a pea, and be as a hard shell.

Unfortunately, some ticks are carriers of diseases; like Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and encephalitis. Ticks can then release a toxin which can paralyze your dog.  Most of these tick-borne diseases are in the United States; but Lyme disease is becoming more prevalent in Canada.

 

Ticks can appear anywhere on your dogs body but generally seem to migrate to your dogs ears, neck or toe

 

Treatment

Revolution a topical product that kills ticks within 24 hour. You want to remove the tick as soon as you find it, the longer the tick is on your dog the longer the tick is injecting a bacteria into your dog.

 

If you find a tick on your dog, remove it. First you can paint the tick with nail polish or alcohol with a Q tip. Wait a few moments then grab the tick as close to the tick’s head as possible. The tick’s head will be buried in your dog’s skin. Pull up with steady pressure, or the head break free and remain in the dog. If this happens, keep the spot clean and disinfect that spot with peroxide.

Your veterinarian or local pet store will sell many types of tick pliers to help remove ticks. If the head is left behind don’t panic just peroxide the spot and watch for infection.

The very best tick removing product I have come across is the tick twister. It removes the whole tick with head intact.

 

Not often does one tick bite become a problem.