Track 04 · 5-minute read
Dogs and outdoor cats walk straight through tick habitat, nose first. They pick ticks up, they can get sick from them, and they carry them onto your sofa and bed. Protect the pet and you protect the household.
The plan: a year-round preventive chosen with your vet, a quick daily check, and clean removal. Plus one hard rule for cat owners. Read it below.
Dogs can get Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, anaplasmosis and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Many infected dogs show no signs. When they do, look for lameness that shifts between legs, fever, low energy, poor appetite or swollen joints.
Cats are bitten too. Severe tick-borne illness is less common in cats in many regions, but bites still deserve attention. Any new lump, limp or lethargy after outdoor time is worth a call to your vet.
Two minutes after every walk. Run your fingers slowly against the fur and feel for small bumps. Focus on:
Options include oral chews, spot-on liquids and tick collars. They work in different ways and last different lengths of time. Your vet will match the product to your pet's age, weight, health and local tick species.
In areas with heavy Lyme risk, ask about the Lyme vaccine for dogs. It's an extra layer, not a replacement for tick control.
Never use dog tick products on cats. Many dog spot-ons contain permethrin, which is highly toxic to cats. Even close contact with a freshly treated dog can harm a cat.
Use only products labelled for cats. If a cat drools, twitches or trembles after exposure, call a vet straight away.
Same idea as on people. Use fine-tipped tweezers or a hook-style tool such as the O'Tom Tick Twister. Get close to the skin. Pull or twist out gently and steadily, following the tool's instructions. Don't squeeze the body or use heat or oils.
Clean the spot. Wash your hands. Watch the area for a few days. A small bump can linger; spreading redness or a sick pet means a vet visit.
The brown dog tick can live and breed inside homes and kennels. Spotting ticks on walls, skirting boards or dog beds is a red flag.
Preventive on schedule. Check after every walk. Tweezers by the back door. Bedding washed weekly in tick season. Yard edges clipped so the dog's favourite path stays sunny. If you haven't yet, set up the yard with yard defense, and keep your own checks going too.
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