Ticks are well known by veteran dog owners and it is certain that sometime among the beautiful hair of our furry we have found, oh, surprise, one or more of these parasites. What you may not know is how dangerous they are since they not only cause the dog an intense itch but can transmit various diseases such as Lyme disease, anemia and even paralysis.
This is how ticks are on dogs
These external parasites are arachnids that lodge in the skin of our dog to feed on its blood . Among the ticks in dogs we can find the hard ones, which are distinguished by their rigid shell and the soft ones, without a shell. In general, ticks will lodge in the neck, ears, groin and perianal area , so they will be the areas that you should first examine if you suspect that your animal is infested (if you see it scratching itself nonstop, vigorously and even biting, has many ballots to be).
You should know that ticks are especially active from spring to autumn and that they do not jump (as fleas do), so they reach the dog by climbing up its legs or if they are perched on a bush or tall grass, accessing his body and running through it in search of the best place to sting and suck his blood.
Ticks can transmit diseases to your dog through their saliva. These are the most frequent:
– Lyme disease , which causes inflammation of your joints, fever, decay, lack of desire to eat and kidney problems, among others.
– Anaplasmosis , characterized by a high fever, diarrhea, vomiting, lack of desire to eat and paralysis of the joints, which will also have become inflamed.
– Anemia , if the dog is bitten by a large number of ticks.
– Babesiosis , which triggers a gradual anemia as well as jaundice and fever.
– Hepatozoonosis , which produces an abnormal increase in body temperature, the amount of urine that the animal expels, anemia and motor problems.
– Paralysis , as a consequence of the toxins that the tick transmits to the dog’s body through its saliva. The first signs of paralysis usually occur two or three days after the bite and begin with a total laziness of the animal. Be very careful with this because it can have a fatal outcome.
The most effective way to prevent ticks in dogs is the use of antiparasitic products in pipette, collar or tablet format (internal antiparasitic). We recommend that you take your animal to the vet so that he can indicate the best antiparasitic method for him or even the convenience of using several at the same time . The doctor may also recommend using shampoo, soap or cologne as a supplement to the main antiparasitic. A dog that does not step on the fields or green areas on its walks will not need the same protection against ticks as one that does, one of a large size than another of mini dimensions, for example.
As far as possible, we will avoid traveling through the natural habitats of ticks from spring to fall. We are referring to forested areas .
The tick will crawl through the dog’s body until it finds its place to bite and feed. Meanwhile, we, with a flea comb, can neutralize it by combing all the pet’s fur several times.
If the tick has already bitten, things get a bit more complicated. If you see a bite but not the tick, you will have to look for it against the grain and, once located, extract it with fine-tipped tweezers . First of all, look at the angle at which the parasite has entered the animal’s skin and, with the help of the tweezers, grab it at head level or as close as possible to the pet’s skin and pull gently at the same angle . Do not squeeze the clamps too much or pull quickly as you could split the tick and leave the dog’s head attached (increased risk of infection). As much as you want to finish the process, you should pull gently. In pet stores they sell clips that are special for this task such as hooks, pen type … in which you do not have to pull.
Once the tick is removed, you will have to kill it, otherwise it will bite again, the dog or you. To get rid of it, soak it in alcohol, don’t pop it .
Next, disinfect the wound that the parasite has made to your animal with an antiseptic.
If there are any complications or you find the dog a large number of ticks, you should take him to the vet.
Surely you have ever heard that ticks are removed by adding alcohol or oil … We do not recommend it since these substances drown the parasite, allowing its regurgitation to reach the dog’s blood, with all the risks that this entails. Forget about these dangerous hoaxes and remove the tick with fine-tipped or specific tweezers.
