Tick season is here. A mild winter and other favorable conditions mean their population will be the same — or larger — than last summer. While these arachnids are part of life for pet owners, some simple tick prevention tips can protect your pets from these potentially harmful bugs.
The Dangers of Tick Bites for Your Dog
Tick bites are unpleasant, but they are also dangerous for your dog. Black-legged or deer ticks can transmit Lyme disease if they feed on your dog for over 24 hours. The disease can cause joint swelling, pain, fever and several other symptoms. Untreated, it can cause kidney failure, which can be fatal. Ticks can also transmit canine bartonellosis, rickettsial disease and many other risky conditions.
Also, many of the pathogens that cause tick-borne diseases are zoonotic, which means they can infect you, too. Dogs can’t transmit them to you, but if there are ticks in your area and they bite you, you are also at risk.
6 Tick Prevention Tips for Dog Owners
The following tick prevention steps can keep your pet happy and healthy throughout tick season.
1. Focus on Your Pet’s Inner Terrain
According to Dr. Jeff Feinman — founder of holisticactions.com and an authority on holistic pet health — you can manage ticks and fleas with a management strategy focusing on overall health and inner balance. His groundbreaking approach is based on the principle that a well-balanced and healthy pet is naturally more resistant to parasites. Their natural health profile reduces the need for chemical treatments and promotes a healthy, happy life for your four-legged friends.
Traditional tick management often focuses on external treatments and chemical interventions like powders and medications. These chemicals can have side effects and cause environmental concerns. Dr. Feinman maintains that pet owners should shift their paradigms and focus on giving their pets the best “inner terrain” possible. This approach includes cultivating a robust immune system supported by nutrition and holistic health practices.
2. Implement Holistic Health Practices
A holistic approach to pet health gives your furry friends a resilient immune system. Nutrition in the form of high-quality food, herbs and probiotics is the first step in holistic tick prevention. Add practices like regular exercise, mental stimulation and stress reduction, and your pet is more likely to have a resilient immune system.
3. Maintain a Tick-Free Living Space
Ticks thrive in long grass, moist ground, leaves and brush. Keep your grass short, trim the brushes around the edge of your lawn and pick up leaves regularly to make your space as inhospitable as possible for these pesky arachnids.
You can also landscape your garden with plants that have natural tick-repellent properties, such as rosemary, lavender and mint. For example, use pet-safe materials that make it clear where your dog can walk and play to keep them happy and safe.
4. Watch Where You Walk
If you have a dog — or a cat, in some cases — taking walks is often the highlight of their day. As ticks love tall grass, it’s essential to watch where you walk.
Ticks climb up the grass and use it to launch onto your pet. Steer clear of dense brush and tall grass, and check your pet thoroughly after each adventure to ensure you didn’t pick up any hitchhikers on your way. Use a 6-foot leash or shorter to prevent your pet from wandering into tall grass and other wildlife habitats.
5. Groom Your Pet Regularly
Grooming is an excellent opportunity to check your pet for ticks. They often move around on your pet’s body for a few hours, looking for the ideal place to anchor themselves. When they find it, they cut through the skin with their mouths and insert a feeding tube so they can feed.
It’s painless when the tick latches on to your pet’s skin, which means they won’t show any signs of being bitten. When you groom your dog, look for warm, hard-to-reach areas ticks might latch onto, like inside their ears, under their tail and armpits. If you find any ticks, grab them at the base with small tweezers where they’ve burrowed into the skin and remove them with firm, upward pressure.
6. Clean Your Home Often
If you or your pet pick up a tick, it can travel around your home undetected until it finds its next target. Change your pet’s bedding regularly and wash any carpets or rugs ticks could hide in. It’s also essential to check your clothing, as they can easily move from you to the furniture and then to your pet.
Make Tick Prevention Your Top Pet Priority
Without treatment, tick bites can be serious. The arachnids can also transmit the disease to you — yet another reason to prioritize tick prevention. These tick prevention tips can make a real difference to your pet’s health and happiness, so make them part of your care routine and enjoy a tick-free life.