The dog was bitten by a tick: what to do?
Summer is a time when you can walk for a long time witha dog not just because it is necessary, but in its (and its) pleasure. However, summer is also a period of seasonal diseases of dogs caused by tick bites. What to do if on a walk the dog was bitten by a tick?
For ticks, there is not much difference who bites -people or animals. That's just a dog, unlike a man, can not complain that it was bitten by a tick. And if a pet has a thick coat, the owner can immediately not notice a small parasite in it. therefore on a walk it is very important to watch the dog so that it does not run in thickets where there may be a lot of mites. And after walking the animal should be carefully examined.
Most of the ticks that live in our latitudes,These are ixodid mites, they can be seen with the naked eye. The body size of males is 2-3 mm, females are much larger and can reach 1 cm in length and even more. It is especially worthwhile to examine the dog's head, the area behind the ears, neck, groin and ulnar zone. If you saw that your dog was bitten by a tick, you need to remove it as soon as possible.
This can be done on your own. The zone around the place where the tick was bitten by a dog should be oiled with petrolatum or vegetable oil. Then take tweezers, gently fix the tick as close as possible to its head and with cautious slow rotational movements, unscrew it from the skin. In no event should you sharply pull or pull the tick: you can tear off the body, and the head remains in the skin of the dog, and at this place can develop inflammation or even an abscess.
After removing the mite, treat the bite site with an antiseptic. The tick itself must be destroyed (optimalmethod - moisten with combustible material and burn in a closed container, if there is such a possibility). If you did not manage to remove the mite yourself, and if you still accidentally tore off the body, and the tick remained in the wound, it is necessary to show the dog to the veterinarian as soon as possible.
Even if the tick removal was successful, it is important to follow the dog's well-being. The fact is that many types of ixodid ticks are carriers of pathogens of bacterial, viral and other diseases. One of the most common and dangerous diseases that mites suffer is pyroplasmosis (babesiosis).
If the dog is bitten by a tick, itthere is a loss of appetite, lethargy, fever, weakness of the hind limbs, darkening of the urine, diarrhea, vomiting - it is necessary to contact the veterinarian as soon as possible. All these are symptoms of pyroplasmosis. The disease can occur within a few days to two weeks after the bite.
To prevent your dog from being bitten by a tick, preventive measures must be taken. How to protect the dog from ticks? There are special acaricidal drugs that are applied either to the withers of the dog or to the entire body, and are repelled by ticks. These preparations are available in the form of drops, collars and aerosols.
It is advisable not to buy such drugs at random, and consult with a veterinarian, especially if your dog is addicted to allergies. Treatment of dogs against ticks should be regular, once every 3-4 weeks, because over timeefficiency is reduced. Even if you use acaricides, you should always check the dog after a walk: no drug gives 100% guarantee.
If the dog is bitten by a tick, do not rush to panic,but also on the brakes do not let the situation down. As coolly as possible, remove the parasite and treat the bite (or take the dog to the vet) and watch it for a couple of weeks after the bite. And it's even better to take care of protecting your pet from ticks and do not worry that he will pick up the parasite, exploring some bushes.
