10/05/2023
❗ As the weather gets warmer, tick season is upon us. It's important to protect your furry friend from ticks and to know what to do in case of a tick bite. Did you know that ticks are a subspecies of mites and feed on the blood of their host animals? In some cases, they can absorb up to a hundred times their own body weight during a single meal.
Not all tick species prefer dogs as hosts, but if your dog gets bitten, it's likely to be the hedgehog tick, the alluvial forest tick, the sheep tick, or the brown dog tick (found in southern Europe). Ticks usually seek out moist, shady areas like trees, grass, and bushes. While they are most active from March to October, they can still be present in mild winters.
Ticks can transmit dangerous diseases to your furry friend, such as Lyme disease, Babesiosis, TBE, Ehrlichiosis, and Anaplasmosis. These diseases can lead to severe complications like heart and kidney problems, paralysis, and even death. Lyme disease, for example, can be difficult to detect and can cause severe heart and kidney problems if left untreated. Babesiosis attacks red blood cells and can be fatal if not treated promptly.
To protect your dog from ticks, it's important to follow three rules:
🔸 Rule number 1: Make sure that the dog is protected with a tick repellent.
🔸 Rule number 2: Tick control after a walk. When you take your dog for a walk, be sure to check their coat thoroughly for ticks. It usually takes a moment for a tick to find a place to bite, so if you catch them early, you can remove them before they can transmit any diseases.
🔸 Rule number 3: Remove ticks after biting completely. If you find a tick on your furry friend, remove it with tick forceps and be sure to remove the head as well. Depending on the illness, it can take hours or even a day before pathogens enter your dog's body, so removing the tick promptly can prevent disease transmission.
🐶 Stay safe this tick season and protect your furry friend from these dangerous parasites.