Pet Care Club

For those who love their pets...

Keeping Your Pets Free of Pests

One of the most disgusting critters, ticks seem to be an end result of nature’s weird experiments. They love to hide out in grass or around bushes and catch unsuspecting dogs, cats, and even people. Ticks will crawl up bare skin or fur and, if you’re a dog, it will borrow its head under the epidermal layer and drink up all the blood it can.

These parasites are in full growth during the summer time where warm climates and humid weather make perfect breeding grounds for them. That’s why it’s essential to check your pet’s everyday for tick infestation.

Here is a simple way to check for infestations. Rub your hands gently all over your pet’s body and run your fingers through their fur, applying a small amount of pressure, so that you may feel any bumps or unusual lumps on the skin. If you do come across any abnormalities, pull your pets fur apart and see if in fact it is a tick. Ticks that have embedded themselves in the skin will look like a black or brown pimple and depending where the bump is; the legs might be completely visible.

There are several methods to remove ticks properly by yourself but taking your pet to a veterinarian is not a bad idea. The reason is because certain ticks are known to carry Lyme disease and any tick that you remove should be stored and shown to the vet to make sure it is not a carrier.

Time to Pull It Out

The best, and most effective, method to remove ticks from your beloved pets is by tweezing it out. Start off by pulling all the fur and hair away from the infected area. Now grab a good quality tweezer and wash it so that it is disinfected. Take the tweezer and lightly grab the tick as close to the head as possible.

Now, making sure NOT TO SQUEEZE hard, pull the tick gently up and away from your pet all the while making sure your pet does not fidget or move. When pulling, make sure you do it slowly and very gently so that you do not break the head off the tick.

Once the tick is removed you can do two things. You can throw the tick in the toilet or you can place it within a jar and take it to your vet to make sure it is not a carrier of any type of diseases. When you’re all done, wash the affected area on your pet with anti bacterial soap as well as your hands.

If you feel that you have left the head of the tick in your pet, please seek a vet as soon as possible because the ensuing infection can cause serious injury and perhaps death for your pet.


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