What if my dog has a tick?

There is a reason that varieties of ticks have the name the “American Dog Tick” or the “Brown Dog Tick”. Dogs love to wander. During walks they move through grass and shrubs in a series of carefree bounds. This means that they are continuously walking through the habitat of ticks. If you live in an area that has ticks, it is only a matter of time until your dog get one as a hitchhiker. Ticks prefer to stay close to the head, neck and feet of your dog. If they get a severe infestation, you will find ticks all over their body.

The very first thing to remember when dealing with ticks is to be sanitary. Ticks are carriers for a variety of nasty diseases. You will want to take special precautions to avoid coming into contact with the tick’s blood. When removing ticks from your dog, clean the tick and surrounding area with rubbing alcohol. Then with a pair of tweezers grab the tick as close to the skin of your dog as possible and pull it out. Make certain you remove the head and the biting mouth parts. Avoid grabbing the bloated body of the tick. Once the tick has been removed, keep it in a plastic sandwich bag. Since ticks can transmit diseases, you will want to schedule an appointment with your veterinarian. Keeping the tick can sometimes aid in the treatment and identification of certain diseases. Your veterinarian can get your dog the needed antibiotics to treat a variety of the diseases that are spread by ticks.