YOUR DOG'S BEST LIFE

Everything your dog needs to live a happy and active life.

  • Club Services

    • Daycare
    • Overnight
    • Pricing
    • Become a Member
  • Dog Training & Sports

    • Dog Training
    • Training Partners
    • Set up Consultation
    • Group Classes
    • Book Classes Online

Login Club Services

Login Sports & Training

About
Blog: Off the Leash
Questions? Let’s Talk!
contact@fitdog.com (310) 828 - 3647
Follow us on Social Media:
Login: Daycare/Boarding
Login: Training/Classes
  • Beat Boredom
    • Enrichment
    • Exercise
      • Hiking
      • Running
  • Caring for Dog
    • Boarding
    • Daycare / Pet Sitting
    • Grooming
    • Products & Gear
  • Dog Training
    • Puppy
  • Dog-Friendly
    • Events
    • Holidays
      • Christmas
      • Halloween
      • Thanksgiving
      • Valentine's Day
    • Local
    • Recipes
    • Travel
  • Health & Wellness
    • Food & Diet
    • Safety
  • Just for Fun
    • Gifts
    • Sincerely, Fitdog
      • Press
    • Spotlight
    • Trends
(310) 828 - 3647

Complete Guide to Ticks on Dogs

Collapse

Related Posts:

Ways to Help Those Impacted by Los Angeles Fires
January 09, 2025
The 5 Best Dog Harnesses for Safety
February 23, 2023
Dog Parks: Harmful or Helpful?
December 12, 2022
Deadly Disease: Why Lepto Should be a Core Vaccine
July 21, 2021
Guide to Common Dog Diseases & Parasites
July 26, 2021
Avoid These Grooming Mistakes With Your Doodle
April 17, 2021
Complete guide to treating dog allergies
September 15, 2020
Foxtails in dogs: A hidden danger on your hiking trail
July 23, 2020
7 Tips to Teach Your Dog How to Swim
July 15, 2020
How to modify your home for an elderly pet
July 09, 2020
Dog scared of fireworks? Prepare your dog for 4th of July fireworks before …
July 01, 2025
Can Dogs Get Covid-19?
September 22, 2021
Puppy Socialization: Why your dog needs it
December 20, 2023
5 Puppy Massage Techniques to Relax Your Dog
May 02, 2020
DIY At-Home Dog Grooming Guide
April 18, 2020
Four Ways You Can Help Shelters & Rescues During COVID-19
April 08, 2020
COVID-19: Fitdog Updates
March 19, 2020
Why You Should Never Fake Having a Service Dog
January 23, 2020
‘My Friend: Standing Strong’ will give you hope and insight int …
June 18, 2019
Is a raw food diet right for your dog?
April 04, 2024
Places to avoid when you’re with your dog
March 22, 2019
Improve & maintain your dog’s dental health!
January 25, 2021
First time boarding tips
March 03, 2021
Fitdog Five: 5 products to keep dogs safe at night
November 02, 2018
Five things NOT to do with your dog this Halloween
October 26, 2020
Easy ways to help your pup shed pounds
January 20, 2019
Dog park safety: What to look out for at the dog park
August 27, 2020
Unhealthy dog food disguised as quality food
August 22, 2018
Fitdog Does: Doggy massage
August 10, 2018
5 dangers to avoid when hiking with your dog
March 24, 2022
Categories:
  • Health & Wellness
  • Safety

Finding a tick on your dog makes most people squirm, and for good reason: they suck blood and transmit disease! Unfortunately, if your dog enjoys the outdoors, you’ll probably have to deal with them eventually.

Ticks on dogs are dangerous because complications associated with their bites include blood loss, anemia, paralysis, skin irritation or infection, and even more severe issues like Lyme disease.

To help you along, we created a quick and easy guide to checking, removing, and preventing ticks.

What are ticks?

Ticks are arachnids (yup, they are related to spiders). While there are many different types, the two species that your dog will most likely encounter in SoCal are the Brown Dog Tick and the American Dog Tick. If you live east of the Mississippi, you should also lookout for the Black-Legged Tick (also known as the deer tick).

How to check for ticks

Checking for ticks on dogs is simple; you just have to know where to look. Ticks love to hide in crevices and folds like between toes, armpits, and groin area. Pictured below are the seven common spots ticks like to hang out, and the first areas you should check after a hike or outdoor outing.

 

In order to find them, use your hands to feel for any bumps or discrepancies. For dogs with longer hair or thick undercoats, use a fine-toothed comb to move back fur and get a closer look.

How to remove ticks on dogs

You found a tick on your dog. Now what? Your first instinct may be to grab it with your fingers and pull it out. Do not do that. Incorrectly removing a tick with your fingers or tweezers can force the tick to burrow its head even deeper and detach from the rest of its body.

Since you don’t want a tick head stuck in your dog’s body, we have some simpler options.

Resultix

Resultix is inexpensive, and you don’t have to do any digging. Just spray a few times and the tick will eventually fall off.

Use a tick remover tool

ticks

Using a tick remover tool is much more effective and easier than using tweezers. It is designed to reach under the head of the tick and pull it out whole.

Take your pup to a professional

If you are the type of person who doesn’t want to deal with any of this, there’s no shame in taking your pup to the vet or groomer for professional tick removal.

Preventing Ticks on Dogs

The first step in prevention is making sure your dog is on flea and tick medication. Be warned that some flea medications like Comfortis do not prevent against ticks. Ask your vet what they suggest for full protection.

While prevention medication will kill ticks that land on your dog, it will not prevent them from biting and latching onto your dog. Ticks often reside on the foliage that borders trails. Keeping your dog out of high grass areas and bushes, particularly in the summer, will reduce the exposure to ticks.

Not a fan of all the chemicals?

While essential oils can’t keep ticks off your dog, they can at least prevent them! At Fitdog, we love Mauro Pet Products, which uses a unique blend of essential oils. Mauro’s Mauro Pet Products uses a special combination of lavender, lemongrass, and cedarwood to ward off fleas and ticks and the Pest Repellant & Dry Shampoo can be applied daily before outdoor activities. The best part, your dog will smell like lavender!

Now that you are a tick expert, it’s time to take to the trails and have fun with your dog!

ticks

 

Originally posted 3/10/19. Updated 3/6/2020.

Fitdog Logo
Andrea Servadio

Last updated on March 06, 2020
What’s next?
We salute our K9 Veterans

Memorial Day is a day to remember and honor all of those that have served our country. Sometimes we forget that that includes dogs, too! That's why working military dogs have their very own holiday, K9 Veterans Day. The...

read more
More from Off The Leash:
Ways to Help Those Impacted by Los Angeles Fires
January 09, 2025
Top 5 Myths About Separation Anxiety in Dogs
March 12, 2024
Mysterious Dog Illness: Everything you need to know
November 23, 2023
More Fitdog
Fitdog Home
Blog: Off the Leash
About
Employment
Contact Us
Club Services
  • Daycare
  • Overnight
  • Pricing
  • Become a Member
Training & Sports
  • Dog Training
  • Group Classes
  • Book Classes Online
  • Set up a Training Consultation
Located at 1712 21st Street, Santa Monica, CA

Transportation available in Santa Monica, Mar Vista, Palms, Cheviot Hills, West LA, Venice, Marina Del Rey, Brentwood, Pacific Palisades

In home training available throughout Los Angeles

Follow us:

contact@fitdog.com
(310) 828 - 3647
Privacy Policy Terms and Conditions
© 2018-2023 Fitdog. All Rights Reserved.
Designed and Developed by
Employment Inquiry
Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.
What position are you applying for? *
Select your highest level of education *
Let us know about your animal experience (Select any that apply) *
Please do not include care or training of your own dog or pet.
Are you at least 18 years old? *
Do you have a California driver's license? *
How did you learn about Fitdog? *
Click or drag a file to this area to upload.
(pdf, doc, png, jpeg, jpg up to 1MB)
Loading