Yes, and dogs are exposed to ticks more than people because they are low to the ground and drawn to the brushy edges and leaf litter where ticks tend to wait.
When ticks are looking for a host, they go up to roughly ankle height for people and wait with their legs outstretched for a host to pass by. This is called questing. For dogs, this isn’t great news because they’re a lot lower to the ground than humans. They also love the places where ticks like to gather.
Fur doesn’t help here. Nymphal ticks are about the size of a poppy seed. Trying to find something of that size on a double-coated dog takes serious searching. So when checking for ticks on your dog, you need to go by feel and not sight. Run fingertips through the coat against the grain, looking in the spots that ticks favor. That means in and around the ears, under the collar, around the neck and chest, the armpits, the groin, between toes and pads, and around the tail and hindquarters. Do this after any outing that puts your dog in proximity with the places ticks are often found.
If you find a tick, remove it with fine-tipped tweezers. Grip close to the skin and pull straight up with steady pressure. It’s important to do this as soon as you can. The quicker a tick is removed, the less likely it is to pass on disease.
To better protect your dog from tick-borne illness, it’s best to go with a vet-prescribed oral or topical preventative. Ask your vet about Lyme vaccination while there. Then once you do that, treat the yard where they spend the most time. After all, most tick encounters happen at home.
If your dog keeps bringing ticks home, Mosquito Squad of Grand Rapids can help. Mosquito Squad treats the shaded edges and ground cover where ticks wait for a host. This will help you protect your pets and family with up to 90% reduction in pest activity on a recurring cycle.
