Tick Prevention for Dogs

Updated: May 10, 2024

Tick prevention in dogs can be one of the most challenging things we face as pet parents. To be honest, it can be messy and a lot of hard work since they are difficult to remove and get rid of entirely.

Is there something you can do to keep ticks away from your pup? Of course! We have come up with efficient methods on how you can prevent ticks from clinging on your furbaby, assuring they won't suck the blood out of him and begin causing serious diseases.

Tick Prevention for Dogs

Here are ways to effectively prevent ticks on your dog.

Identify Tick Seasons

Identifying what months are considered tick seasons will help you prepare yourself and your dog in advance. During these seasons, you will need to be extra vigilant with your tick prevention methods.

"Identifying what months are considered tick seasons will help you prepare yourself and your dog in advance. During these seasons, you will need to be extra vigilant with your tick prevention methods."

Keep Your Lawn at Bay

Ticks spend most of their time on the ground, on bushes, grasses, & shrubs and they definitely love dense vegetation. If your lawn has tall and thick vegetation, this can become a way for ticks and other parasites to successfully take a leap on your pet. Always remember to keep your lawn well-trimmed (especially during tick seasons).

Opt For Natural Solutions

Natural tick prevention solutions in dogs can also be great in preventing ticks on your pet. Natural preventions can include solutions of apple cider vinegar to be added to your furbaby's diet. Apple cider vinegar makes the smell of your dog's blood a whole lot less appealing to those bloodsuckers. You can also opt for topical solutions in case your furbaby can't tolerate the vinegar's taste. A topical solution of citrus, lavender, and cinnamon is a combination that can help repel ticks on your dog.

Medications

If you want faster and more effective tick prevention in dogs, over-the-counter spot-on flea medications and oral medications are the answer. These medications are effective in controlling both ticks and fleas. Oral medications work by striking the nervous system of the parasites to paralyze and eventually kill them. While spot-on flea medications are commonly applied between your furbaby's shoulder blades or neck so she can't lick it off. Most of these do not only kill fleas and ticks but also repel them.

Most of these medications stay effective for up to a month. However, be extra cautious and always consult your veterinarian first before purchasing and using one for your dog.

Tick-Borne Diseases in Dogs

The following are the most common tick-borne illnesses diagnosed in dogs:

Canine ehrlichiosis. This is caused by several kinds of ticks and signs often show weeks after a bite. Signs usually begin with weakness, loss of appetite, and low platelet count. By the time it worsens, bruising, bleeding of the gums and/or nose will progress, and can even lead to death.

Lyme disease. Lyme disease is carried by the Deer Tick. Signs can occur several months after a bite. If not treated immediately, this can lead to kidney disease and can become life-threatening. Signs include but are not limited to lameness, fever, joint pain & swelling, and lymph nodes swelling.

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. This is one of the most common tick-borne diseases in dogs and can affect humans as well. The signs of this disease can be very similar to Lyme disease but include neurological signs like loss of balance and coordination.

Tick Paralysis. This condition is caused by a neurotoxin produced by a female tick's saliva that is released into your furbaby's bloodstream. This neurotoxin can cause paralysis and can be deadly if it has already reached your dog's respiratory system.

What You Can Do About It

Aside from preventing ticks, you can do the following in ensuring your furbaby's skin remains healthy and his immune system strong and sturdy.

Provide a healthy diet. A healthy dog provided with the right nutrition has a strengthened immune system. A healthy diet also fuels your furbaby’s active and lifestyle.

Give multivitamins. Giving your dog Pet Parents® Dog Multifunctional SoftSupps® will provide your furbaby with beneficial ingredients that help promote powerful daily health support. Whether it’s to promote skin & coat health, hip & joint support, immune & intestinal function or to help maintain heart health, our dog multivitamin chews have your furbaby covered.

Preventing ticks on your furbaby is challenging and scary as tick bites can be life-threatening. But as they say, prevention is always better than cure and the methods mentioned above are great ways to keep all those bloodsuckers away from your furbaby.

"A healthy dog provided with the right nutrition has a strengthened immune system. A healthy diet also fuels your furbaby’s active and lifestyle."

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