Dog Health Care: Solving Tick Problems

Types of Ticks on Dogs

The two types of ticks found in United States consists of the Brown Dog Tick, also known as Rhipicephalus Sanguineus and the American Dog Tick, or Dermacentror Variabilis.The American dog tick consists of reddish-brown coloring and the male has silver lines on the body, while the female has silver spots. These ticks are found in woods and grassland, they can transmit Tularemia and Rock Mountain Spotted Fever to humans. The brown dog tick is different in the way that they can live and grow in an indoor invironment. This is very scary to know that they may be found living in your kennels and homes. They can cause canine ehrlichiosis, canine babesiosis and tick paralysis. A infestation can outbreak very quickly in your home. Normally you won't notice till the infestation gets out of control and you start noticing ticks crawling up the walls and on curtains.

There are many different types of ticks in different areas as some can only survive in certain conditions. The deer tick or black legged tick may be found in the northern part of the Eastern Seaboard, the Oregon Coast, Northern California and upper Midwest.These ticks are the main vector for a type of bacterium that causes Lyme disease.

Methods of Eliminating Ticks

Fortunately, there are methods to get rid of these dangerous creatures, here are the numerous methods to choose from to eliminate this infestation you find on your pet and arond your house.

• One method is permethrin or pyrethrin spray, it either comes as an aerosol, or pump bottle. You want to make sure the dog is completely covered with the spray, but keep in mind not to soak the dog with spray. Make sure to not get any of these products in the dog’s eyes and apply with cotton balls around eyes and ears. Use the spray in a well ventilated area because of the chemicals.
• Dips are another method used and they usually have some residual activity so they need to be applied everywhere on dog. Make sure to follow the directions carefully and apply in a well ventilated area. Put cotton balls in your dog’s ears and ophthalmic ointment in dog’s eyes.
• Using the tick collar on your dog is another great method you can try, but keep in mind it is very important for the collars to be applied properly. You should be able to put two fingers between the collar and the dogs’ neck. You want to cut off any extra collar length so your dog doesn’t end up chewing on it. Check the package on duration of the effectiveness, because the collars may become less effective when they get wet. Watch to make sure your dogs skin is not becoming irritated from the collar. If your dog is spending a lot of time outdoors or in a severely tick infested area you can use a preventic tick collar.
• You can also use shampoo as a method of eliminating ticks, they are primarily for getting rid of ticks that are already on the dog, but some have residual activity. For the tick and flea shampoo to work you need to leave shampoo on for at least ten minutes and make sure to scrub dog thoroughly all over with shampoo. Remember to protect your dog’s ears and eyes from shampoo.
• Tick Powders are another method they are easy to apply but may make a mess in the process. Use a powder in a well ventilated area and if your pet has asthma you should retain from using the powder so your dog/puppy doesn’t inhale it.
• Once-a-month Topical insecticides area applied to the dogs back in a small area and typically the easiest product to use, usually lasting the longest as well. Some kill just fleas and some kill both fleas and ticks. So make sure to check the label on the package to know your getting the right product.

How to Remove a Tick

This process may seem scary, especially if you mess up and hurt your dog or can't get the head of the tick removed, all you need to do is follow these instructions carefully and be calm and focused while proceeding.

• first start by putting latex gloves on so you don’t have direct contact with the tick. A disease can be transmitted from the tick to your pet to you, so you want to be very cautious.
• Feel all over your pet until you come across a lump and move the fur to see if it’s a tick. See if the tick has protruded or swelling up from attaching themselves to your pet. Ticks may be many colors such as: brown, black, tan, or reddish disk like arachnids.
• Use tweezers to grab the tick making sure to not pinch your pet’s skin. You should have somebody distracting your pet so they don’t try to move. Make sure to use a straight and steady motion when pulling the tick out. Do not twist or wiggle tweezers, don’t pull too hard because then the head of themay stay in your dogs skin.

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