How do I prevent ticks from biting my dog?

Check pets daily for ticks and remove any you find to keep your pet healthy. Daily checks to find and remove ticks that are crawling on or biting your pets helps to keep them healthy. It also may prevent crawling ticks from getting onto and biting a person. Check your pets for ticks daily, especially after they spend time outdoors. Use a tick preventive product. For these reasons, it's important to use a tick preventive product on your dog. Check your pets for ticks daily, especially after they spend time outdoors. If you find a tick on your pet, remove it right away.

It is important to check your dog daily for ticks and remove any that are found, particularly at times of the year when ticks are most active and when your dog has been walked in areas that are high risk. Be sure to check them all over, including their feet, groin and armpits. There are a variety of preventative tick treatments available that will repel ticks, kill them once they have attached, or both. Infected ticks do not spread infections such as Lyme disease until they have been attached to the host for around 48 hours. Effective tick treatments will kill ticks much quicker than this, meaning they are killed before they can transmit disease to your pet. Many of these treatments also prevent flea and other parasite infestations. Our practice staff would be happy to discuss with you what treatment would be best suited to use for your pet as part of their routine parasite prevention.

There are several ways to protect your pet: vaccines, which protect your pet from getting Lyme disease if they get a tick bite, tick collars, which kill ticks, medications, which kill ticks. Talk to your veterinarian about the best tick prevention measures for your pet. Right before your pet comes inside or just as they come in the door, do a full-body tick check. It’s best not to let pets sleep with you because they can bring ticks into your bed. If you do allow your pet to sleep in your bed, be sure to do a thorough tick check right before bedtime. Rolling a lint brush over your pet will help pick up ticks you can’t see. Outdoor pets can easily pick up a tick when walking or playing in grass, woods, or shrubs.

Stop ticks from biting your pet by using a tick treatment that either kills or repels them if they attach themselves. There are different types of treatments, such as spot-on treatments and tablets. Ask your vet for the best tick treatment. Be careful, never use dog tick medicine on cats or vice versa. Some dog tick treatments contain chemicals that are toxic to cats, and can even be fatal to them. If you're taking your dog on holiday with you, ask your vet about preventative treatments needed to protect your pet from ticks, sandflies, heartworms and tapeworms. Treatments may be different depending on where you're going, so it's best to talk to your vet well before going on holiday. Some treatments might need to be started before your holiday.

To prevent ticks from biting your dog, avoid places known for them, in the warmer months, avoid long grass, stick to paths and open spaces instead. Use the tick risk map to check how common ticks are in any new areas you visit. Check your dog regularly, if you regularly check your dog for ticks after walks, you may find them before they have had the chance to attach. Regular parasite control, if you use a regular parasite treatment that covers for ticks, any ticks that attaches to your dog should die, and drop off within 24-48 hours. Use repellents, if you live in a high-risk area, or your dog is prone to picking up ticks, you may want to consider using a tick repellent collar during the summer months, to prevent any from attaching in the first place. Tick repellents often also provide protection against other parasites such as fleas so it’s best to speak to your vet to find the right treatment for you and your dog.