Learning how to keep ticks off dogs is a very important thing to do for many reasons. Ticks carry with them dangerous diseases such as Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and ehrlichiosis, which are fatal if not treated in time. It is also very sad to see diseased ticks on beloved pets. Also, if ticks are not removed on a timely basis, they can cause other problems including blood poisoning and paralysis. Fortunately, there are many things you can do to prevent this problem in the first place.
One simple way to keep ticks away from your pet dogs: is by keeping him or her within a three foot radius of the trunk, especially in areas with thick vegetation. The simplest, least harmful way to prevent ticks from biting your dog is to just strap on a tick collar around his or her neck. Tick collars function by slowly releasing a neurotoxic pesticide into your dog’s skin (not his blood, don’t worry), which makes him or her almost instantly tick-free. The effects of this chemical vary depending on the brand you buy, but most contain about twenty percent lemon eucalyptus oil.
Lemon eucalyptus oil has also been proven: in scientific studies to be an effective insecticide, eliminating ticks in tested areas by killing up to ninety-five percent of the adult ticks. If you want to try using a natural method to kill ticks, then you should use a premium grade insecticide spray called Nylar. This is available from your local pet store and is much less harsh than the lemon eucalyptus oil you find in your local grocery stores.
If your dogs gets bit and is itching: you can apply a dab of Nylar directly to the tick bite. Although this treatment will repel ticks, it won’t harm their pets in any way. If you would like to try a stronger formula of repellent, then you might want to try a medicated spray. It’s important that you follow the directions on the label of the insecticide you are using on your tick collar, as not all insecticides work equally well on all animals.
Another thing you can do in order to keep ticks: from attacking your dogs is to go get some tall, strong plants near your garden. You can place nets over tall stalks and bushes, but you may need to hire someone to do this for you if it is a fairly large area. Another option is to go with more naturally occurring repellents. For instance, try a combination of citronella oil and burdock root. These two oils have been scientifically proven to repel ticks.
Finally, you should also be sure you give your pet plenty of flea protection: This includes both a shampoo and an insecticide containing the same active ingredient. Keep in mind that some pet shampoos and insecticides are more effective than others at killing ticks, so it might take a few tries before you find one that works well. Either way, it’s worth it to make sure your pet remains tick free.
