There’s no better way of bonding with your dog than spending time together communing with mother nature. Maybe hiking through the woods together, him chasing squirrels, you enjoying the tranquility and the company of your best friend.
But tread carefully, there’s danger up ahead. No, I’m not talking about bears or snakes or even wolves. I’m referring to ticks!
These gruesome little critters are arachnids, like spiders. But unlike spiders, they’re not hunters, they’re parasites who feast on the blood of an unwitting host. For whatever reason they seem to have a particular liking for dogs, and if your dog spends time in open fields or woodlands, he’s likely to attract these freeloaders.
These little suckers are pretty clever too. They climb onto a long stalk of grass and wait for a likely host to come by. Then they hop on, hide themselves under the animal’s fur, sink their teeth in, and start feeding.
To hide their presence, they inject a numbing agent into the wound, so the dog never even knows they’re there. Meanwhile they get to work, draining one hundred times their own body weight from the poor animal.It is therefore important that you regularly check your dog for ticks. Make this part of your regular routine.
You’ll be looking for one of two kinds of ticks. The first type is round, hard bodied, brown in color, and looks a bit like a small spider. The other somewhat resembles a leech, it is greyish, and may be flaccid or distended depending on the amount of blood it has consumed.
Ticks are a serious health threat to your dog’s health and, if found, must be removed immediately. They spread some very nasty diseases like Lyme disease and are also known to attack humans. Speaking as someone who has suffered a tick bite, i can assure you it is not something you want to experience.But how do you go about removing dog ticks? There are a number of myths about this, the most common of which include burning with a match or cigarette, or using petroleum jelly or alcohol. None of these methods are effective.
The right way to do it is with a fine-tipped pair of tweezers. Get a grip on the tick’s head as close to the dog’s skin as you can, then pull back gently, giving a gentle twist as you do so.Spray a hydrocortisone spray around the bite wound to take care of any irritation.
Place the tick in a bowl with some undiluted household bleach to kill it. Of course, if you’re squeamish you could just flush it down the toilet, but it will probably just go on to prey on some other poor animal.
If your dog spends a lot of time in open fields or woodland you should consider using a vet approved preventative like Frontline Plus. This will kill ticks already on the dog and prevent new ones from attaching.
Click here to read more about dog ticks, dog care, dog walking and other helpful dog information at http://www.dogsanddogtraining.com
