Veterinarian Shares 5 Overlooked Spots on Dogs Where Ticks Hide
If you're a dog owner, does your pup take flea and tick medicine? If not, they should. With warmer weather approaching, that means ticks are going to be more prevalent. Adam Christman, DVM posted a video on Monday, March 11th about the 5 most overlooked spots that pet owners miss when looking for ticks on their pets, and one of them really surprised me.
The doctor doesn't get into any specifics about the dangers of ticks to your pets, but he shared the places on dogs' bodies that people forgot to check for them. He reminds us to check the base of the ear and inside the ears, on or around their tail and bum, in the armpit and groin areas, and the webbings of their feet. Number One was the one that surprised me most. Make sure to watch to the end for an important tick product suggestion!
Did you know that you should be checking all of these areas for ticks? Number One - under the lips and the lip folds - blew my mind! I would've never even thought to check in their mouth! Dr. Christman's commenters were very grateful for the information. @Kerry said it best, "Definitely learned something from this video!!! I also did not know there is such a thing as a tick spoon!!" While I couldn't find the one that the doc showed in the video, I did find a highly rated one on Amazon and ordered one for my pup.
Related: Woman Takes Her Dog's Flea Medication by Mistake and Her Reaction Is Priceless
What You Need to Know About Ticks
Ticks, fleas, and mites are all external parasites that would love to make themselves at home on your dog. "Ticks are classified as "arachnids," and they attach themselves to the dog's skin and suck their blood. Besides causing irritation and inflammation, nasty skin infections can arise. Ticks can also carry and transmit severe diseases."
Warmer weather brings these nasty things out in full force, and they love dogs. Ticks are found everywhere, but are commonly found in long grass, woodlands, and areas with lots of wildlife.
The American Kennel Club recommends that dog owners should learn how to properly remove ticks by asking a vet to show you how to do it. You need to remove the entire tick, including the embedded head, but be careful not to squish it, sending contaminated blood back into your pup.
They also say that prevention is key, and these measures are easy to do. The first one is the biggest one, and that's to check for ticks daily and every time they come inside if they spend a lot of time outside. Keep your lawn mown (no tall grass!) and remove tall weeds and grasses in the yard. Ask your vet for a flea and tick treatment and keep them up to date. There are also tick sprays for dogs that you can put on anytime they go outside to prevent them for getting bitten, and possibly bringing ticks into your home. These are things I'll be doing with our new puppy, and I really hope they work!
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