Ticks may be small, but they can be a big problem! In addition to being gross, they can also pose a danger to your pet as well as your family.
These little pests can be found in wooded or grassy areas in many parts of the country including Arizona. They’re known for carrying Lyme disease, an infection that can turn deadly. While it can be treated with early detection, the tricky thing is, symptoms can be hard to spot until they’ve progressed. If Lyme disease goes untreated, it can lead to permanent nervous system or organ damage, and even eventual death.
Another illness ticks can carry is Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, a parasite that’s especially prevalent in Arizona. This nasty condition can also cause nervous system and organ damage if it isn’t caught in time.
Needless to say, ticks are not welcome friends for our beloved dogs and cats. Admittedly, they can be challenging to avoid, so preventative medication is a must. And, if you ever spot one on your companion, it’s important to make sure it’s promptly (and correctly) removed.
Places Ticks Can Hide on Pets
It’s important to do daily tick checks on your dog as well as yourself, especially if you’ve spent time in tick-infested areas like the woods or in long grass. Ticks prefer to hide in warm, damp areas of the body (think armpits, ears, and groin), but it’s a good rule of thumb to check all over your pet, just in case.
What You’ll Need In Order To Remove A Tick:
If you find a tick on your pal, make sure to gather the following items:
- Tweezers – to pull the critter off your pet!
- Tick Key or Twister – check out some handy little tools made specifically for removing ticks (and they’ll help you extract them in one piece)
- Gloves – to prevent germs from spreading to you
- Rubbing alcohol – rub this on the wound afterward to prevent infection
- Yummy treats – to keep your dog complacent!
How to Do It:
As mentioned, ticks should be removed as quickly as possible. This is because ticks usually need to be latched onto the host for 36-48 hours in order to transmit diseases.
Deer ticks, the most well-known carrier of Lyme disease, are about the size of a sesame seed, making them hard to spot. They may be easier to feel than to see, so give your dog or cat a full rub-down; they’ll enjoy it, and you’ll rest easy knowing they’re tick-free.
If you do find a tick, grab your supplies and get to work right away. It’s a good idea to have everything you need in a handy tick-removal kit so you don’t have to run around your house looking for the items you need. After putting on gloves, take your tweezers and position them as close to your pet’s skin as possible, and pull the tick straight out.
The head of the tick can stay attached to your pet’s skin if you pull or twist off the body, so make sure you have both pieces (if one piece of the tick remains latched on, there’s still a possibility of bacteria or other organisms getting transmitted). Finally, use a dab of rubbing alcohol on the affected site once the tick is out to prevent infection.
Be sure the tick is dead before throwing it away (they’re resilient little critters, and can crawl out of your trash can!). Here are a few ways to make sure that bugger is really a goner:
- Pour a bit of rubbing alcohol in a container and put the tick in – this should kill it
- Fold the tick tightly in a piece of tape
- Place the tick in an air-tight container – as mentioned above, if you have a substance like alcohol or even bleach, then add it; if not, this will do
- Try not to squish the tick, as this can spread any diseases it contains
Parasite Prevention
If you don’t already have your dog or cat on a parasite prevention routine (usually it involves administering monthly medication), you should start one ASAP!
When your companion is medicated, a tick will die the second it bites, so it won’t be able to stay latched long enough to infect your pet.
Let’s just say, when it comes to ticks and other pests, an ounce of prevention is definitely worth a pound of cure.
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All in all, it’s important to check your dog or cat for ticks every day, especially during peak seasons (warm, humid weather) and if your pal has been in or near a wooded area. Ticks are big (little) pests, but with a few precautions, you can keep your pet safe from these nasty creatures.