Yes, dogs and cats are among the most common ways ticks get inside a home. Pets rub up against brush or grass, and the ticks latch on. They can then shed them indoors where they can latch onto a person.
If you keep the yard treated and check yourself after going out, and yet still find a tick crossing the kitchen floor, you might be perplexed at first. And you may then look over to Fido and wonder: “Are you to blame?” Unfortunately, the answer is often yes, as animals make near-perfect tick transporters.
Dogs or cats move low to the ground. They push straight through tall grass and brush where ticks sit waiting for a host. Their fur is easy to grab onto. So a dog sniffing along a brushy fence line or a cat prowling the edge of the yard will collect ticks in much the same way your socks do on a trail walk.
Just because a tick latched onto your pet doesn’t mean they’ve fed yet. This is important. The tick might still be searching for a meal, meaning they could detach inside your house, end up on the couch, and then end up on you later. And all without you walking the trails.
That doesn’t mean ticks are fated to become this omnipresent menace you can’t do anything about. You can do a lot. One is to regularly do tick checks every time your pet comes in, paying attention to ears, the neck, between toes, and under the collar. It’s also smart to give your pet a tick preventative as recommended by your vet.
Yard maintenance helps too. If you mow your grass and trim vegetation, they have fewer humid places to hide when it’s hot. So they’re left to dry out.
If you're tired of finding ticks the dog brought in, Mosquito Squad of Northwest Indiana can help. Mosquito Squad provides tick control that treats the grass, brush, and shaded edges where pets pick ticks up, helping protect your family with up to 90% reduction in pest activity on a recurring 21-day cycle.
