Warmer weather in spring and summer means more time outdoors with your furry pal, but it also increases the risk of tick encounters. Ticks are small pests that can cause big problems for pets and people, including tick-borne diseases like Lyme disease. The Westerville Veterinary Clinic team wants to help pet owners understand ticks, tick prevention, and how to handle a tick on your pet. Here is our essential guide to keeping pets safe from these tiny terrors.

Ticks and pets

Ticks are spider-like parasites that attach to people and animals and feed on their blood, sometimes for several days at a time. When ticks aren’t feeding, they live in grassy or wooded areas. They are notorious for transmitting diseases, which can have short and long-term effects on human and pet health. Ticks are more active in the spring through fall but can remain active throughout the winter and be a year-round risk.

Tick-borne diseases and pets

Tick bites can cause local skin inflammation, but more importantly, they can transmit serious diseases, including Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, anaplasmosis, babesiosis, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Disease signs vary depending on the specific organism, but often include fever, lethargy, joint pain, swollen lymph nodes, eye inflammation, or bleeding disorders. A chronic disease state can develop when tick-borne disease causes a subtle or undetectable initial illness that can lead to organ damage. Routine screening tests are necessary to diagnose tick-borne diseases in high-risk pets and facilitate early treatment.

Essential tick prevention tips

Tick avoidance and bite prevention are crucial for your pet’s health, including these strategies:

  • Prevention medications —  Prevention products are applied topically or administered orally and provide long-lasting protection by killing ticks that bite your pet. Most formulations require monthly dosing, but some may last three to six months. The most effective and safe products require our veterinary team’s recommendation and prescription.
  • Tick repellents — Preventive medications kill biting ticks, but most do little to repel ticks from choosing your pet as a target. Spray or wipe-style repellents formulated specifically for pets are safe as additions to monthly preventive treatments, but never use a human product on your pet or a canine product on your cat.
  • Yard maintenance — Regularly mow your lawn, trim bushes, remove leaf litter, and create distance between your yard and wooded areas to reduce tick habitat.
  • Regular tick checks — Always check your pet for ticks when you go inside after outdoor adventures. Pay special attention to their ears, neck, toes, and around their tail, where ticks like to hide.
  • Tick avoidance — Avoid taking your pet through dense woods or tall grasses, especially if the areas are known to harbor or attract wildlife. Stay on paved or mowed paths when hiking or camping, and keep pets leashed.

What to do if you find a tick on your pet

If you find a tick during your regular checks, you should remove it immediately—whether or not your pet is on a prevention medication. Do not attempt to kill the tick, which can increase the risk of disease transmission, and follow these steps instead:

  1. Grasp the tick with tweezers, as close to your pet’s skin as possible. 
  2. Pull the tick straight out with steady pressure—avoid twisting or jerking.
  3. Alternatively, use a “tick key” or “tick twister” removal tool and follow the instructions on the product label. 
  4. Clean the bite area and wash your hands with mild soap and water.
  5. Flush the tick down the toilet or place it in a sealed container with rubbing alcohol.
  6. Monitor the bite area for redness, swelling, or discharge—a small, firm bump is expected, but should not cause discomfort. Alert our veterinary team if your pet develops illness signs in the weeks or months following a bite.
  7. Consider annual testing for pets at high risk for tick-borne diseases, which we can take care of during your pet’s routine wellness care visit.

Ticks are a creepy-crawly danger to your furry pal’s health. Prevention strategies and proper tick removal techniques can reduce your pet’s exposure to tick-borne diseases, while allowing them to enjoy the outdoors during the warmest months. Contact the Westerville Veterinary Clinic team to schedule a tick disease screening test, preventive consultation, or tick-removal demonstration.