One of the best ways to know if your dog has ticks is to do a full body check. This means checking for anything out of the ordinary on their fur, skin, and ears. Ticks are generally brown or black in color and can vary in size from being quite small to larger—depending on if it has sucked blood yet or not. You should also pay close attention to any odd lumps or bumps on your pet’s body as these could indicate a tick bite.
In addition to doing an examination, you should also watch for any signs that your dog may be exhibiting due to having a tick issue such as: feeling uncharacteristically lethargic or tired, excessive itching and scratching at one area of their body, hair loss around the bite area, licking/biting at their own skin more than normal, and more frequent bathroom trips as they may be trying to relieve the itching/irritation caused by the tick bite.
If you do notice any of these signs in combination with what appears to be a tick on your pet’s body, then it is important that you take them to a veterinarian immediately so they can provide advice on how best to remove it and tick collar seresto evaluate the situation further.
Inspect your dog regularly
Regularly inspecting your fuzzy friend is the best way to spot a tick before it transfers diseases to your pup. Inspecting your pup regularly starts with giving him/her a thorough brushing and scratching. This will not only help you search for existing ticks, but it also helps prevent new ones from finding a home on their skin.
If you find any bumps during the inspection, take a closer look and check if they’re actually ticks. Ticks are easy to identify — they have 8 legs and no antennae, so you should be able to spot them without much difficulty. You can even catch them in the act of feeding by using a magnifying glass or a flashlight! If all else fails, get help from your vet who can identify ticks for sure.
Finally, take precautionary measures such as investing in an anti-tick collar and taking preventive treatments against flea and tick infestations.
Visible ticks or tick dirt
If you’ve ever seen a tick, then you know how tiny they can be. It’s likely that your dog may have ticks on their body and you simply won’t be able to see them. That said, there are a few ways to tell if your dog has ticks.
One way to check is by paying attention to visible ticks or what you might call «tick dirt.» Tick dirt looks like tiny black dots on your pet’s skin. If you look closely enough and find more than one of these black dots, there’s a good chance that it could be an indication of ticks present on the body.
Additionally, a small bump with no hair is another indication that your dog might have a tick burrowed in their flesh. Usually this bump will look reddish and may feel warm when touched. As always, it’s always best to take your dog to the vet to get checked if he displays any or all of these signs so they can offer the proper treatment if necessary!
Strings hanging off the body
One of the most obvious signs of a tick infestation is strings or appendages hanging off the body. This look like small thread-like pieces that are attached to your dog’s skin and hair. They might be white, black, or grey in color. Since ticks grip onto your pet’s skin with their muscles and claws, removing the tick can sometimes leave behind tiny legs or other appendages that were left behind when you pulled them off your pup.
If you see anything sticking out from your pup’s fur that looks like fibers, there is a good chance he or she has a tick infestation. To be safe, place tweezers near the edge of the leg or appendage hook and pull gently. If it’s a tick, it will come out easily! Keep an eye on your dog for any new signs of ticks or check regularly for any bite marks on their skin as well as inspecting their coat often.
Your pet responds to being touched in areas of the body
One of the biggest telltale signs that your dog has ticks is how it responds to being touched in areas of the body. If you inspect them carefully, you’ll often feel small bumps that indicate a tick-bite. Often times, your pet may appear uncomfortable or irritable when these spots are touched.
Additionally, if your pet is scratching a lot in any certain area of their body and then you shoo away the ticks, your pup will likely respond by calming down a bit and feeling relieved. As dogs can’t talk to us, their behavior can often tell us quite a bit about what they may be experiencing. So take note if they change behaviors such as those mentioned above—it could be an indication that they have ticks.
