16/07/2025
🦟🐶 Tick Prevention & Removal Tips for Your Dog 🐾
Ticks are most active during the warmer months, particularly spring and summer, but they can be active all year round when temperatures are above freezing. Ticks aren’t just annoying, they can transmit serious diseases like Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, and anaplasmosis.
Here’s how to protect your dog and what to do if you spot a tick!
✅ Preventing Ticks on Your Dog
• Use vet-approved preventatives:
Monthly tick preventatives (topical, oral, or collars) are your dog’s first line of defense. Ask your vet what’s best for your pup.
• Check after walks:
After hikes, walks in tall grass, or in wooded areas, check your dog thoroughly, especially around the ears, neck, underarms, between toes, and under the collar.
• Keep grass short:
Ticks love long grass and dense brush. Keep your garden tidy and consider tick-repelling landscaping.
• Avoid high-risk areas:
Stick to trails when walking in tick-prone areas. Avoid letting your dog roam through dense undergrowth.
🛑 If You Find a Tick: How to Remove It Safely
• Use fine-tipped tweezers or a tick removal tool. (Shown on second slide)
• Grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible.
• Pull upwards with steady, even pressure. (Shown on second slide)
• Don’t twist or suddenly pull, the goal is to remove the entire tick without breaking off the head.
• Clean the area - Use antiseptic or soap and water on your dog’s skin, and wash your hands.
• Save the tick (Optional).
Place it in a plastic bag or container in case your vet wants to test it. If not, crush it in a tissue so it can’t move on.
• Watch for symptoms - Over the next few weeks, look out for signs of illness like lethargy, loss of appetite, or joint swelling. Call your vet if anything seems off.
Protecting your dog from ticks is one of the easiest ways to keep them happy and healthy all year round! 🐾
