As Paws to Consider gets into our fall dog walking schedule, one threat we must protect ourselves and dogs from are ticks. Lurking particularly in grassy, bushy or wooded regions, it is important to be able to spot, recognize and remove ticks should they rear their ugly heads!

Ticks are most common in the spring, summer and fall and their are many species of ticks which can be carrying several diseases:

• Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
• Lyme
• Typhus
• Tick Paralysis
• Ehrlichiosis

Spotting a tick

Always give your dogs and cats a good check every time they come in from outside. Ticks will attempt to hide from site and prefer dark closed areas, such as the inside of ears, between toes, under tails and in armpits.

How to remove

• Swab the vampire with rubbing alcohol, this can annoy the tick and get it to loosen it’s grip.
• With tweezers, grab the tick at the head, not the body, and steadily pull. Do not attempt to twist the tick off
• To kill the tick, once removed, douse it in rubbing alcohol. Flushing ticks down the toilet does not necessarily kill the tick.
• Clean the tick bite with rubbing alcohol and apply antibiotic ointment
• Wash your hands well and follow up with your vet if you are concerned with disease

Keeping Tick Free

• Remove anything from your home or yard which ticks may be hiding in. Old boxes, newspapers, firewood, etc.
• Keep your lawns mowed and cut, as ticks enjoy tall grass.
• Limit your pets access to potential tick hide-outs; wooded areas, woodpiles, stone fences, and underbrush.
• Always check yourself and pets for ticks before coming inside.
• Use a monthly topical treatement such as Frontline Plus or Advantage, which kills ticks on your pet.
• Consider having your dog vaccinated against Lyme Disease.

Your dogs safety is our number one priority!

 While Paws to Consider does almost all of it’s walks in the city of Boston, there are many forested areas we do walks in such as Jamaica Plain, Brookline, and West Roxbury, so we are sure to always be on the lookout! Find out how to best spot and remove ticks in PT 2.