Puppy Training Home > Dog Health Care > Tick Bite Symptoms
How to Spot Tick Bite Symptoms in Dogs
By learning to recognize tick bite symptoms in the early stages, you will protect your pet from many debilitating diseases.
You may even save his life.
While the high risk season of picking up a tick is between May and September, it's possible to get infected outside of these months.
In some parts of the country, the risk remains year round.
Ticks use their sharp mouths to attach themselves to dog's skin, usually around the head, neck or stomach. Once attached, a tick makes a meal of the dog's blood.
 |
Ticks are known carriers of many deceases, including Lyme and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Many ticks feeding off a single dog can cause severe anemia or even paralysis.
Don't worry. These are very extreme outcomes. Besides, before it gets that far, a dog will usually exhibit a number of tick symptoms.
Here are some very common…
Tick Bite Symptoms
If your dog displays any of the following warning signs…
- Fever
- Lameness
- Loss of appetite
- Sudden pain in your dog's legs or body
- Arthritis or swelling in your dog's joints
- Lethargy
- Depression
…have your veterinarian examine him. Even if it turns out that these are not tick bite symptoms, something is still wrong with your dog. The sooner you bring him to a vet, the better.
But you don't need to wait for any tick bite symptoms to appear. Your number one goal is…
Tick Bite Prevention
There are a lot of products on the market that will prevent your dog from being infected by ticks. The most popular are…
Tick Collars
Tick collars are very convenient because they can protect your dog from 1 to 6 months, depending on the product.
For the last 2 springs, I've been using the
Zodiac Tick Collar for Dogs on Bo and am satisfied with the results.
This collar provides 5 months of protection.
The following video talks about tick collars...
Learn more about How to Keep your Dog Healthy
By themselves, tick collars are not as good as topical applicators. My recommendation is to use a tick collar as a backup to a monthly topical applicator (visit tick bite to learn more about tick bite symptoms and prevention).
Topical Applications
If you live in an area where there are a lot of ticks, my recommendation is to use a topical application product.
The product I am very well familiar with is
FRONTLINE Plus.
It's the leading over the counter tick and flea control product and it's really amazing. It kills 100% of ticks within 48 hours after application!
The following video explains how to apply Frontline on your dog...
Learn more about How to Keep your Dog Healthy
Sprays
Sprays will not prevent future tick bites, but if you need to get rid of ticks (and fleas) really fast, nothing works better.
FRONTLINE Spray is affective against all stages of ticks and fleas and kills most of ticks and flees within 24 hours of application.
Of course, even if your dog does not display any tick bite symptoms, you still need to check him on a regular basis for any sign of ticks. Visit removing ticks page to learn how to correctly remove a tick from your dog's body.
Tick bite symptoms are a sign that something is wrong with your dog. If you learn to recognize them early, the odds of keeping your dog healthy are so much higher.
As a dog owner, you are responsible for your puppy's health. A good source for dog health information, including puppy care and preventive medicine, how to protect your pet from worms and ticks, dog food, and how to recognize if your pet needs immediate medical attention, is the Ultimate Guide to Dog Health.
Back to the top of Tick Bite Symptoms
I hope you will find this information useful and it helps you to recognize some common dog health problems your pet may be experiencing. However, if you suspect your pet is ill, immediately contact your veterinarian. He or she will be able to help you decide the best course of action when it comes to caring for your pet.
