Why would I write about Ticks on Thanksgiving week, when there’s more festive topics to write about? I just found one on my dog! And if my over-protected pups can still get one on them, then any doggy can.
Spring and summer are over and it’s getting colder outside. We’re not out in the woods as much. We don’t even leave our own yard as much now as we hibernate until it gets warmer again. But colder weather = ticks trying to find warmth on YOUR dog!
What increases their risk right now is that other critters, most likely carrying their own ticks and assortment of parasites, are venturing out further to find food and warmth as the thermometer drops. That means out in YOUR yard even when you don’t realize it.
Why am I thinking about this? Because we just realized it’s happening to us. We put up a nature camera in our backyard a while back to see what goes on out there at night, when we’re not looking. We live in the suburbs of New England with a fence around our yard, so thought we were fairly protected from outside influences on our pets. We’re we wrong!
Apparently, our back yard is a night-time hang-out of sorts for foxes, skunks, opossums, and deer, in addition to the rabbits, squirrels and chipmunks we already knew about. Although cute and interesting when watched from afar, it exposes our pets to all of their parasites…. and explained the tape-worm infested poop I found back there last week, like a trap just waiting for my dogs to come along.
To help identify any ticks on your pet, it helps to get into the habit of giving them a quick body-buggy check when they come in after being outside. Or you could make a nightly routine out of it by combining it with a whole-body doggy massage each evening. The more you feel your dog’s body each day, the easier it gets to identify something that isn’t usually there.
One thing to remember if you do find a tick on your pet is not to panic. Not all ticks carry lyme disease. Also, it typically it takes a tick 24 hours of being attached to your pet to inject lyme into their system. And even then, some dogs immune systems will fight it off. That being said, better not to play roulette with those chances – the sooner you detect it so you can detach it the better. (As the tick feeds on your dog’s blood, their bodies swell up. Whether or not the tick is engorged will give you some indication of how long they have been attached.)
The safest way to detach it is to calmly grip the tick with tweezers as close to your dog’s skin as possible and firmly, but gently, pull it straight out. Your goal is to remove all of it, without leaving the mouth part in. Once out, you want to clean the area on your dog with soap and water, or a disinfectant like chlorhexidine (“Hibiclens” at the store), and then put on a little anti-bacterial ointment like DermaVet or people Neosporin. (You can put the tick in a sealed ziplock bag, submerged in alcohol, in case your your vet needs to see it.)
Symptoms of Lyme can take up to 6 months to show, and would include things like fever, decreased appetite, lethargy, and unexplained arthritic lameness. Remember, a tick does not automatically mean Lyme disease, so monitor your pet but don’t panic. Even if your pet tested positive for Lyme, it only means they were exposed to it, not that they now have it. Lyme is a very complex issue and it’s best to discuss the details, and your concerns, directly with your vet rather than just googling.
Even a non-lyme tick will still introduce bacteria into your dog’s system. Because of this, even if it hasn’t been attached long, it is typical to have that spot stay red and inflamed for about a week as your dog’s immune system fights off this bacteria.
So instead of talking about the delights of the Thanksgiving holiday, let’s talk keeping our pets safe this autumn as it gets colder and nature breaks into your pets’ safety bubble.
Here are some things we can do to minimize the danger of parasites to your fur babies….
1) Keep your grass cut short.
Ticks love to hang out in tall grass.
2) Rake your leaves.
Ticks also love to stay warm in piles of decaying leaves.
3) Trim your bushes.
Ticks also like the protection of living under shrubbery. Keep the low hanging branches of bushes trimmed up so that when your pets walk under them, because they will, they are not brushing against them.
4) Consider using a natural insect repellant around your yard.
Brands like Jonathan Green make pet safe options that you can spread around the perimeter to repel and kill insects and ticks by using essential oils, like clove and thyme, which impair their cell function (while not impacting those of mammals or birds, therefore remaining safe for pets and kids).
5) Don’t leave food or trash outside uncovered.
Anything that could attract wildlife will also attract their parasites into your yard.
6) Vacuum floors and pet beds once per week.
I admit I never did this until our rescue dog had significant skin allergies. I was amazed, and a bit embarrassed, to see how much actually vacuumed up each week. (Don’t worry about going crazy with it, do it whatever way makes it something you could actually do every week.) Empty the vacuum right away though (into a bag that goes straight out into the outdoor trash) so as not to risk a re-infestation if there are fleas or their eggs hiding in there.
7) Continue flea and tick preventatives even when the weather gets cold.
Vet recommended topicals like Advantix-2 (only for dogs), Advantage-2 (for cats), Frontline Plus, or chewables like monthly NexGard help repel and kill fleas and ticks (to varying degrees per product). (I’m not comfortable with the 3-month version so will not comment on that, except to caution that it potentially poses a greater safety risk to your pet.) Note: Some products safe for dogs can be dangerous to cats. Check with your vet to see which is safest for your unique pet’s situation.
8) If you prefer all-natural means, consider essential oils .
When using essential oils with pets it is important to dilute them with a carrier oil like coconut oil. (You could also use almond, olive, vegetable oils, etc) Some of the best essential oils for repelling fleas and ticks include:
Lemon, lemongrass, orange, citronella, eucalyptus, lavender, sage, rosemary, geranium, bergamot, peppermint, and neem.
(For an extra kick you can also add apple cider vinegar, though it doesn’t smell as good.)
Young Living makes a combination of these specifically for pets called “RepelAroma”.
Remember, dogs sense of smell is more acute than ours, so a little goes a long way in trying not to overpower them with the scent. Since they will be smelling it too, have them sniff a few of the scents and see which they seem to like, or dislike, when choosing which you will use.
You could put a few drops on their collar, on a bandana around their neck, massage it onto their fur, or mix it with their shampoo. You could also mix into baking soda to sprinkle onto their bed (or your carpets) before you vacuum.
9) Pick up animal feces as soon as you see it.
It doesn’t matter who made it, if it’s anywhere that your pet could potentially step in it, clean it up so it no longer poses a risk to them. Many parasitic worms end up in the GI systems of their host animal, so they and their eggs can be shed back out into the environment when that animal poops. If your dog steps in it and then licks their feet afterward, your dog could become a new host for that parasitic worm.
10) Wipe your dog’s feet when they come in from outside.
Especially if they have been off leash anywhere you could not see exactly where they were stepping, or out of your own yard. You could use wet paper towels or baby wipes. Even if it didn’t look like they stepped in anyone else’s feces, some parasite eggs can continue living in the dirt, where the feces once were, for longer than you would think.
11) Bath your pup once per week.
Even if it’s just a “feet and bum bath” like we do at my house, so you’re not over-drying their skin from bathing them too frequently. Use an all-natural moisturizing for sensitive-skin shampoo/conditioner, like ones with colloidal oatmeal, which is more gentle and protective. (People shampoo/conditioner can be too harsh on their skin, so stick with ones created specifically for pets.) This will help consistently clear away allergens, fleas and their eggs, and help you find stray ticks that you might not have otherwise noticed.
12) Eliminate standing water around your house.
Even small amounts can be breeding grounds for mosquitoes, culprits for the spread of heartworm, among other infectious diseases.
13) Continue parasitic worm preventatives even when the weather gets cold.
Vet recommended products like HeartGard Plus, Interceptor Plus, and Sentinal Sprectrum protect our pets from more than just mosquito-vectored heartworm. Some also add protection, to varying degrees per product, from roundworms, hookworms, whipworms, and tapeworms that are potentially waiting in the poop droppings of infested wild animals that venture into your yard. As mentioned earlier, all it takes is your dog to step in it and later lick their feet for them to enter the cycle of infestation, so prevention is key. Check with your vet to see which is safest for your unique pet’s situation.
….. And now that we’ve kept your pooches safe from ticks, we can turn our focus to Thanksgiving!