{"id":3033,"date":"2021-09-20T05:09:59","date_gmt":"2021-09-20T13:09:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sitmeanssit.com\/dog-training-mu\/dog-training-pittsburgh\/?p=3033"},"modified":"2025-02-15T17:21:59","modified_gmt":"2025-02-16T01:21:59","slug":"tick-season-yikes-tick-prevention-tips-for-our-dogs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sitmeanssit.com\/dog-training-mu\/dog-training-pittsburgh\/uncategorized\/tick-season-yikes-tick-prevention-tips-for-our-dogs\/","title":{"rendered":"Tick Season! Yikes! Tick Prevention Tips for Our Dogs"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ticks. No one likes them. And no one wants to find one embedded in their skin or in their dog. Unfortunately, ticks are everywhere, so it&#8217;s important to know how to keep you and your dog tick-free when enjoying the outdoors.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tick season in Pennsylvania is from spring to May and Mid-August to November. As long as the air temp is above 45 degrees and the ground is dry and free of ice, ticks can be active. It&#8217;s extremely difficult for weather patterns to kill off ticks. Ticks can survive freezing cold and snow buried deep in piles of warm leaves. They can go 6 months or more without feeding and actually only eat a few times in their life.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/sitmeanssit.com\/dog-training-mu\/dog-training-pittsburgh\/\">Sit Means Sit<\/a> is committed to helping you care for your pet, so we have compiled the tips, tricks, and information we have found for your convenience.<\/p>\n<h1><b>Where Do Ticks Hang Out?<\/b><\/h1>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ticks are most often found in dense areas of vegetation, tall grasses, and shrubs and bushes. Ticks don&#8217;t jump or fly. They lie in wait for their feast to walk by, then crawl onto their victim and attach themselves.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h1><b>Why Be Concerned About Ticks?\u00a0<\/b><\/h1>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ticks feed on the blood of humans and animals by burying their mouthparts into the skin and latching on to feed. This can cause discomfort to you and your dog and could potentially lead to the transmission of tick-borne diseases.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A few symptoms that might alert you that your dog has been bitten by a tick can include:\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Increased scratching of skin, eyes, and\/or ears.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Red skin, especially at the area of the bite<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Itchy ears or <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/sitmeanssit.com\/dog-training-mu\/dog-training-pittsburgh\/uncategorized\/ear-care-for-your-dog\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ear infections<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sneezing<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Vomiting\/Diarrhea<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Chewing at paws<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Swollen paws<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Constant licking\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lyme disease is a common bacterial illness transmitted by ticks.\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lyme disease is often transmitted to a dog when a tick has been attached to the skin for 24-48 hours. This is why it is crucial to check your dog for ticks as soon as you come in from being in a high tick area. This disease can have lasting long-term effects. Symptoms of Lyme disease includes:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fever<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Loss of appetite<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Reduced energy<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lameness<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Generalized stiffness\/discomfort of the joints\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Swelling of the joints<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Can progress to kidney and neurological problems if not addressed.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h1><b>Preventing Your Dog From Tick Bites<\/b><\/h1>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Use a flea and tick prevention recommended by your vet.<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are many oral and topical medications that you can use to help keep your dog tick-free. However, some dogs are sensitive to the meds and can get sick or have skin irritation issues with prolonged use or cheap substitutes. Essentially these medications are pesticides, so it is good to listen to your vet&#8217;s recommendations and your own preferences on this matter.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many natural repellents such as topical sprays made with Listerine and water or peppermint essential oils and water can reduce the risk of tick bites.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0Check your dog for ticks (Check your dogs daily if they have been in grassy or wooded areas)<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Give them a quick look over and feel before you go inside to reduce your risk of bringing those buggers into the house.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Comb through their fur with your fingers feeling for small bumps on the skin<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can also use a fine-tooth comb to help identify the presence of ticks.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you find a bump, part your dog&#8217;s fur so that you can see down to the skin. You&#8217;re looking for a black, brown, or gray-looking bump that will have legs.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here is a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/ticks\/images\/Graphic-Where-to-check-your-pet-for-ticks.jpg\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">resource from the CDC on the most common areas a tick will embed itself in a dog.\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Remove any ticks you see ASAP.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Use tweezers with a fine point tip to grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pull straight upward slowly to prevent the body from separating from the mouth<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You want to ensure you get the entire tick out. Don&#8217;t leave parts embedded<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A tick key is also a useful tool to have to remove a tick<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you are unsure how to remove it, you can also consult your removal.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Keep your grass cut short and avoid wooded or high grass areas.<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ask your vet about vaccinating your dog for Lyme Disease.<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can visit the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ticklab.org\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tick Research Lab of Pennsylvania&#8217;s<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> website for more information about tick prevention, identifying a tick, or testing a tick for disease.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ticks. No one likes them. And no one wants to find one embedded in their skin or in their dog. Unfortunately, ticks are everywhere, so it&#8217;s important to know how to keep you and your dog tick-free when enjoying the outdoors.\u00a0 &nbsp; Tick season in Pennsylvania is from spring to May and Mid-August to November&#8230;.<\/p>\n<div><a href=\"https:\/\/sitmeanssit.com\/dog-training-mu\/dog-training-pittsburgh\/uncategorized\/tick-season-yikes-tick-prevention-tips-for-our-dogs\/\"><b>Read More <i class=\"fas fa-angle-right\"><\/i><\/b><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":152,"featured_media":3034,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3033","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sitmeanssit.com\/dog-training-mu\/dog-training-pittsburgh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3033","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sitmeanssit.com\/dog-training-mu\/dog-training-pittsburgh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sitmeanssit.com\/dog-training-mu\/dog-training-pittsburgh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sitmeanssit.com\/dog-training-mu\/dog-training-pittsburgh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/152"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sitmeanssit.com\/dog-training-mu\/dog-training-pittsburgh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3033"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/sitmeanssit.com\/dog-training-mu\/dog-training-pittsburgh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3033\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3918,"href":"https:\/\/sitmeanssit.com\/dog-training-mu\/dog-training-pittsburgh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3033\/revisions\/3918"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sitmeanssit.com\/dog-training-mu\/dog-training-pittsburgh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3034"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sitmeanssit.com\/dog-training-mu\/dog-training-pittsburgh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3033"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sitmeanssit.com\/dog-training-mu\/dog-training-pittsburgh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3033"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sitmeanssit.com\/dog-training-mu\/dog-training-pittsburgh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3033"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}