Ticks are most active between Spring and Autumn as they like warm moist weather and can commonly be found in grass, heath and woodland. Ticks wait for a host to brush past and will then crawl or drop onto their unsuspecting meal, which could be your dog or cat! They will then bite the host and feed off their blood – nasty! As tick bites can carry disease, it’s important to use regular preventative parasite treatment to stop ticks biting or to repel or kill them if they do latch on. Please ask us for advice on the best medication for your pet as there are lots of different options. It’s really important that you do not use dog tick medication on cats as many contain toxins that can poison and even be fatal to our feline friends.
Should you spot a tick on your pet, then do remove it as soon as you can. The easiest way to remove a feeding tick is to use a tick hook like the one in the photo. Lever the hook under the shoulders of the tick (the head will be buried in your pet’s skin) and twist in either direction. This ‘unscrews’ the head and removes the whole parasite. Never pull as this risks breaking the body off the attached head, leaving the head in the skin, which can lead to infection.
The summer season is prime time for other parasites too, like fleas, mites and worms. Give us a ring on 01922 411755 to talk to one of our team about comprehensive prevention!