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Here’s how to easily identify tick bites on dogs:
1. Website of a tick bites on a dog There will be a small red spot like a mosquito bite.
2. Tick bites should not make your dog itchy.
3. Dog bites will disappear on their own after a few days. However, there is still a risk of infection, even if your dog is on a flea preventative and you have completely eliminated the ticks.
What are the signs of infection from a tick bite on a dog?
- Is your dog scratching an old tick bite wound?
- Worsening or continued redness at the flea bite site
- Crying or oozing around a flea bite wound
Ticks can transmit diseases to your dog of varying degrees of severity, such as:
These diseases can be prevented by flea repellent. Talk to your veterinarian for recommendations.
How to identify ticks on dogs
It’s hard to be noticed a tick on a dog have dark or long fur because the ticks are small and dark in color. Adult ticks are the size of an apple seed, pupae are the size of a poppy seed, and larvae are the size of a grain of sand. All ticks, regardless of life cycle stage, are a combination of brown, black, and/or tan. Some also have one or more white spots or streaks on their backs.
Although there are 15 species of ticks In the United States, there are eight species that commonly parasitize dogs:
- American dog Tick
- Brown Tick dog
- Ticker or black foot
- Gulf Coast Tickets
- Lonely asterisk
- Mark the Rocky Mountain
- Tick in Spinose’s ear
- Western black foot tick
For more information on these mites plus pictures, check out Companion Animal Parasitology Council (CAPC) list of dog ticks.
Where do you find ticks on your dog?
Check for ticks in your dog’s six “warm” areas:
- Ears
- Neck
- Armpit
- Face to face
- Crotch
- Tail
What are the next steps to take after a tick has been identified on your dog?
If the tick is still there, remove it with tweezers or special tick removal tweezers. See Dogster’s step-by-step instructions in our article How to remove a tick. After you remove it:
- Put ticks in alcohol to kill fleas – you can save them to give to the vet
- Disinfect your dog’s skin and tweezers with alcohol or hydrogen peroxide
- Site infection tracking
- Make an appointment with your veterinarian to Check your dog for tick-borne diseases.
