Ticks!

[Patrick Ratzenberger]

Help! My dog has ticks. I know he can get a disease or something from it. Can anybody here suggest the best way to remove these pests from my Buddy?

[Jennifer Trenton]

Ticks can surely cause problems for your dog, so at the first sign of their presence, act immediately!

There is the manual way of removing the ticks by the use of “tick spoon” or tweezers. Look carefully through your dog's ears, head, neck and paws because these are the most common areas where ticks infest. Make sure that the tick is removed completely. Do not squeeze, twist or jerk the tick out as these can cause the head to be left behind, and worse these can also cause the release of toxins. The bite on your dog must be washed out with antiseptic to prevent infection.

There are also products which contain chemicals (like Fipronil and Methoprene) that can kill ticks and larvae. Two of the more effective tick control products I have used for my pet dog, a black lab, are Frontline Plus and K9 Advantix. It is advisable to visit a vet and find out what product to best use for your dog.

Once you've removed the ticks in your dog, your next vital step is to prevent these parasites from coming back or spreading in the environment. Some of my tips are: avoid tick habitats, check your dog daily especially during tick season and use tick preventive products such as pet collars, and fleas and tick shampoos.

[Melrose Clement]

well, you could try the old method of removing ticks manually (which is gross), or you could spare yourself this trouble and try the numerous tick-removing products here at petshed instead.
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[Angela Gellis]

Hello yah all! To control ticks, I suggest you use tick control products such as Frontline Plus or Advantage because they're really effective in killing ticks in my dogs. These treatments are easy to use so you won't have to worry about manually removing the ticks by means of a tweezer. Aside from these, I also use tick and flea shampoos - one product that works best for my dogs is the one by Aristopet's.

[Patrick Ratzenberger]

Thanks a lot you guys. You were very quick in answering. Thanks, thanks.

@Jennifer: thanks for your in-depth tip. I agree with Melrose, manually removing ticks is gross! but if I have to, I'll do it for my Buddy.
By the way, he's also a Lab.

@Angela: I'll go check out those items you mentioned. Thanks.

[Pauline Weiss]

whoa hold your horses (er, dogs), patrick! don't experiment with flea treatments just yet. it's best to consult your vet first before trying any tick control product.

[Mikee Hansen]

when manually removing ticks just be careful not to crush the parasite while attached to the body, harmful bacteria could be deposited in the wound..

[Sofia Blackbern]

Hey guys, just a word of caution. If you're going to manually remove ticks, please do not use your fingers to remove the tick as contact with it might get you infected with a disease or something. Do NOT squash the tick with your fingers 'coz it might have contents that can transmit diseases.

[Maia Shearer]

do we really have to remove ticks with our hands? is it ok to just use treatment products instead of doing manual removal? what's the difference?

[Trish Coyne]

well, by removing ticks manually you get to give your pet a body rub.
seriously, some treatment products can ensure that your pet is protected from ticks for up to a month. also, these products can kill larvae. it is best that even if you use these products, you check your dog regularly, especially during tick season.

[Allen Friedman]

gross as it may be but removing ticks manually allows both pet owners and their pets to spend quality time together, there are available tools such as tweezers that can effectively remove ticks..

[Jennifer Trenton]

another important point to remember after you've removed the tick from your pet is to dispose of the tick properly. drop it in alcohol or burn it. Dr. Sally suggests that, "It is a good idea to keep the tick in a glass jar to assist your veterinarian in making a diagnosis in the event a tick-related disease is suspected."

[Gina Cavendish]

come on, why would you even want to touch those eight-legged freaks? i don't want them anywhere near my dog and i especially don't want them anywhere near me!

[Edith Pope]

I say, pet owners have the choice. They can choose whether to use manual means or use treatment products. But I think a combination of these two methods is the best. Ticks that may have been missed by manual means can be killed by a highly effective tick control product and vice versa. Both methods when used together will surely get rid of these ticks.

[Beatrice Dixon]

Yeah, use both methods. Who knows, their combination may be the best solution.

[Megan Turnbull]