How Dangerous are Ticks on Dogs – VOSD Expert Vet Advice™

Are ticks serious? What should you do to stop them

Ticks are very bad news – for any dog –  they often cause tick fever and many times it is fatal. A single tick that has tick fever can create an epidemic in a defined dog population.

Causes & symptoms 

Ticks are external parasites that feed on the blood of their hosts. The dog keeps scratching as the ticks attach themselves and feed on it’s blood.

Identification 

To see if there is tick infestation feel the dog’s coat against the grain with your fingers as you see the hair fall back. If you feel a series of bumps or see flat or engorged black insects you’ve got a problem. The best places to see are:

• Along the spine from the base of the tail to the head and behind the ears
• Along the neck collar area
• Between the toes.

Treatment

Treating the dog if you find a few ticks 

1. Do not pull out the ticks.
2. Use a medicated bath – use a tick shampoo to bathe – and then dry the dog
3. If you do no have a tick shampoo use RIDD dissolved in water – though its not as effective on ectoparasites as it it on endoparasites.
4. When the dog is dry spray a Fipronil spray on the dog. Spray on the areas ticks are/were present and along the spine against the grain, and all over the dog. Massage the spray well into the skin.
5. Repeat after a week.
6. Dust all the bedding and the clothing of the dog with an anti-tick powder

Treating the dog if the infestation is very heavy

• Shear off all the hair for a dog other than a short haired dog immediately. Ticks lay eggs and they will keep hatching. The less real estate they have the better it is for your dog.
• Keep the dog isolated from other dogs for tricks to spread
• Follow steps 2-4 above.
• Repeat after 3-4 days and till ticks are gone.

Treating the house/location with infestation

• Spray VOSD DOD CARE over the along the cracks of walls and any nooks and crannies where the dog stays – this is where the ticks have laid eggs and they will hatch in a few days. If it’s an emergency use a common insecticide (such as an aerosol Hit or Baygon spray) immediately till you get the preferred insecticide.
• Dust the dogs bed the clothing of the dog with an anti-tick powder such as ‘Bolfo’

Prevention

• Tick and flea collars and ‘spot on’ treatments work best
• The best prevention is once a week inspection of the dog as described above. Followed by either grooming the dog and dusting the dog with an anti-tick powder or Fipronil Spray

Why is it critical to keep your dog – tick free.

Ticks carry Tick fever. Left untreated – it is detected late many times and only when the dog is very weak and completely stops eating – it is fatal from the extensive internal organ damage it will cause.  

Related Reading

• Prevention of ticks in dogs
• Treatment of tick fever in dogs