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Tick - arachnoid parasite, which provides a danger to both humans and pets. Once in the body, it not only feeds on the host’s blood, but also infects it with the most dangerous diseases. The dog is in second place in the attack of ticks, because during walks regular contact with high grass occurs, where the parasites hide. The process of biting the dog may not provide any painful feelings - the pet becomes restless only after several hours after the attack. If you have noticed a blood-sucking tick in your four-legged friend, the best option would be to immediately contact an experienced veterinarian. But if you do not want to waste time, you can use a few useful tips that you will find in the article.
Spring - the peak of the greatest activity of ticks
After winter frosts, ticks that are hibernating begin to actively seek food, since in the spring the parasites lay larvae and multiply rapidly. The most dangerous time when you should be afraid of tick attacks is a gradual warming after a minus temperature. The common perception that ticks are attacking a supposed victim from several meters is a false one. In fact, with the help of thermal insulation, parasites define a warm-blooded creature and cling to clothing, hair or wool. A tick can crawl over a dog for 2-3 hours, in search of the most suitable place for a bite - thin skin in the abdomen, thigh, and ears. Only after the ideal site is found, the parasite begins to suck the blood from its host.
Bloodsucking spider not only provides discomfort to the dog. In the process of feeding, the mite releases special hazardous substances. He is a potential distributor of diseases such as babesiosis and borreliosis, which can bring the dog to death. In order to protect your pet from such a danger, it is necessary as soon as possible to identify and eliminate the tick.
How to recognize a tick on a dog
If you notice a tick on the human body is quite simple, then you can see the parasite on the dog with great difficulty. This is especially true of long-haired dogs - the pet does not find a place for itself from pain, and the owner cannot understand what the matter is. Experienced veterinarians advise not to forget to comb the dog after each walk, in the spring most often. Comb with rare teeth comb the dog's hair against growth, paying particular attention to the area of the skull, stomach and ears. It will also be useful to stroke the dog with sliding movements on the fur - you will be able to feel any irregularities on the skin.
It is very difficult to confuse a tick with another arachnid - it looks brown or black, no more than 5 mm in length, has 8 legs and a small head. The body of the parasite resembles a shield - it is just as strong and repeats the shape of this object.
After the tick has digged into the skin with its head, the body remains outside, which is very similar to a convex mole or swollen pea of gray, dirty yellow or pink hue. It is necessary to remove the parasite as soon as possible, since the more the tick drinks blood, the higher the risk of contracting serious diseases.
How to pull a dog tick
If you still notice a tick in a dog, the first condition is not to panic. Try to calm the dog. To do this, you can spray the area with a parasite with an anesthetic spray, for example, novocaine. Next, follow the following plan:
- Cut the coat in the area of the tick. Smooth the nearest vegetation with oil, so that the hairs do not interfere.
- Prepare any ring. The higher its height, the better. Set the ring so that the tick is in the middle. Press the ring firmly to the dog's body and pour oil there. The tick's head sinks into the skin, so the entire body that remains outside is breathing. With an oil that prevents air from entering, you leave the parasite without oxygen, so after a few minutes it will be forced to pull out its head and stop sucking blood. You can also create an airtight film with a rich cream, nail polish in several layers, paraffin wax, gasoline and vaseline.
- If the oil did not help you and the tick continues to feed on the blood of your dog, you need to prepare tweezers or special veterinary devices to remove the parasite. A magnifying glass is also needed.Carefully examine the tick before proceeding to its stretching. The head and legs are easily torn off, so you should be as careful as possible. Use tweezers to pick up the tick as close to the skin as possible - with careful, light movements, twist the spider as if you are staggering a baby tooth in a child. Do not pull on yourself with all your strength! So you leave the head of the tick in the dog's skin and removing it separately is much more difficult than with insects.
- After you finally pulled out the tick, it is urgent to disinfect the bite site. Zelenka or iodine will not work in such cases. Use alcohol or special disinfectant solution.
- Do not throw out the tick, it is better to put it in a matchbox and take it to the laboratory. So you will soon find out if the parasite that attacked your dog was infected and start treatment sooner.
Preventive measures against tick attacks
If you want to protect your dog from unpleasant procedures for taking out a tick, before each walk, especially in the spring and in the first month of summer, sprinkle your pet with special means that scare ticks. In the shops you can also find special collars that prevent the penetration of ticks on the surface of the skin of dogs.Do not forget to comb a four-legged friend after each walk and examine it in case of a tick bite.
If your dog is bitten by a tick, this is not a reason for panic. It is enough to carefully pull out the parasite and send it to the laboratory to determine the contamination of diseases.
Video: how to pull a tick with a rope
To send
Buy special Nippes tweezers at the pharmacy for your dog for twisting ticks. The animals are spinning, spinning, and it’s not so easy to take the tick out with a string or tweezers. A twisting pod led the connector under the tick's neck, turned it a couple of times and the tick easily unscrewed from the animal's skin. The procedure takes less than a minute.
We rarely in nature, but still caught.In the pet store I bought a special tweezers and drops from parasites, before that I had never dripped. They advised to give a spot-on, since then they have been using it for the second year already. Dropped from a pipette to a tick, after 20 minutes he fell out himself, these special ticks were not needed. Although the store said that it might not fall off, then it was necessary to unscrew the tick with their help. From the fleas they used to put on a collar, now we do without it, drops and from fleas, lashing, lice also help.