Tick Season Is Here!

Tick Season Is Here!

Now that the summer months are officially in full swing ticks are out and about munching on our pets. Preventing ourselves and our dogs from getting a tick in the first place is the best place to start. Here are a few things you can do to prevent having ticks.

How Ticks Find Their Hosts

Ticks can also find their hosts through their breath, body odor, sensing heat, moisture, and vibrations. Some species of ticks can even recognize shadows. Once they located a good position through these techniques, they wait in a position called “questing.” This is where they hold their first pair of legs out and wait to climb onto their host. Each tick is different some will attach quickly while others look for a spot where the skin is thinner like the ear before attaching. If you are interested for a more in-depth article on how ticks spread their disease you can view it on the CDC website here.

What Can We Do?

Avoiding tall grass and bushes is a must during the summer months. Since ticks can’t jump, they crawl up leaves and bushes hanging onto the edges waiting for something to brush past it. This is how ticks can get on you or your pet. If you are hiking and can’t avoid tall grass, we recommend wearing pants rather than shorts, this will help prevent you being bitten by a tick. For your dog there are a few things that can prevent them for instance dog shampoos, tick collars, oral medications, tick sprays & more. These can all be effective in preventing your dog having ticks in the first place. We recommend talking with your vet first before applying a tick spray to your backyard making sure that you dog wont have any adverse effects to the spray.

How & Where To Check For Ticks

The most common areas to check for ticks are under their collar, under their front legs & back legs, between their toes in and around the ears and eyelids. These are the most common areas since the skin is softer near those areas and those areas brush up against tall grass more often. If you are noticing that your dog is having a loss of appetite it can be because of a tick. We recommend checking your dogs for ticks when they go to a park, hiking trail, or went near or around any bushes or tall grass.

I Found A Tick What Do I Do?

If you found a tick do not panic. The main thing you need to do is remove the tick as soon as possible. The CDC has a full article on tick removable with a info-graphic which can be viewed here. Just in case we are going to summarize what is in that article. Grab a pair of fine tweezers and grab the tick as close to the skins as possible. Pull upwards with steady even pressure do not twist or jerk the tick. After removing the tick clean the area with rubbing alcohol or soap and water. Make sure to never crush the tick with your fingers to dispose the tick either flush it or put it in alcohol.

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