Ticks are often found in tall grasses and shrubs. So very often you will find them on your pets legs or somewhere on the face close to the ears and sometimes in the muzzle area.
What to do when you find fleas or ticks?
Well, if the animal has fleas, you can certainly just give them a bath. Warm, soapy water will get rid of fleas for the immediate vicinity. However, that’s not a good long-term solution.
In terms of a tick, if you find one, it’s fairly simple. Dr. Wolf says she doesn’t care for the plier-tweezer method. She prefers the soap method. Take some Dawn dish detergent, put it over the top of the head of the tick embedded into the pet’s skin and just do some rhythmic motion with a cotton ball and they will eventually back out without releasing any of the toxins into your pet. For long-term solutions, talk to your veterinarian about what product may be appropriate for your animal’s activity level, for their health conditions and for your lifestyle.
Lyme disease is something there is a vaccine for. Speak to a veterinarian regarding what vaccine is appropriate for your dog. Last but not least, keep your house unfriendly for these pests. Keep your grass short, keep your shrubs and bushes trimmed. Make sure your leaves get raked because ticks just love to go dormant in leaves in the fall and wintertime. Wash animal bedding regularly.
