Dogs are great pets, but they can carry ticks which can be harmful not only to them but to humans as well. Ticks carry diseases, and vaccines that prevent them are no longer available.
The best thing you can do to avoid tick borne diseases is to prevent ticks from getting on your pets, most especially the dogs, which carry these pests into your home.
Early Tick Detection Is Important
Dogs are quite resistant to tick bites. They don’t usually manifest the tick infestation for weeks. It might be too late to learn that your pet has ticks. You should watch them closely for the presence of these parasites before your dog distributes these pests in your house.
Here are some ways that can help to protect your dog and your entire household from ticks:
- Check your pet everyday for ticks and other pests.
- Remove ticks and fleas immediately if you find them.
- Do regular grooming on your dog so that you can check him for the presence of parasitic insects.
- You should include a tick check on your dog during regular visits to the vet.
- Vacuum or sweep your floors of dog hair and flush them in the toilet. Pet hair can contain insect eggs that can develop into adulthood if you don’t dispose of them properly.
- Make it harder for the ticks to crawl from the bushes into your surroundings by keeping your yard clean from debris and leaves.
- Tick-proof your house by spraying your yard’s boundaries with tick-killing insecticide once in a while. You may ask your vet about this.
- Ask your vet for effective ways to tick-proof your dog and other pets
How To Prevent Tick Infestation
Tick infestation can be prevented by the use of pesticides or insect repellents. An insecticide that kills ticks is called acaricide. A lot of acaricide products are sold in the market, and they are distributed in the form of dusts, topical formulas, sprays, chewable tablets, and impregnated collars.
Acaricides can effectively help to eliminate ticks on your pets, but their administration is a delayed reaction. The ticks could have already done damage and your dog could already have spread the pest to your surroundings. It is always good to be watchful of their presence so that you can prevent them from multiplying.
Tick bites are not only bad to animals; they are also harmful to humans because ticks carry a lot of diseases which are manifested by fever, headache, muscle pains, and rashes.
You can also prevent tick infestation by using repellants. These products contain chemicals that prevent the tick from attaching to your pet. Tick repellants are good for tick-proofing animals, but these products don’t have the capability to kill ticks. They are not capable of reducing tick population.
Conclusion
These are some of the ways to protect your dogs (and family) from ticks. Ticks are everywhere. You will have no way of knowing where and when your pet can get them. It is always good to check your pet for the presence of insect parasites on a regular basis.
Pets are part of your family. Protect them from pests and you are protecting your entire household.
