The bumpy feel of a tick in your puppy’s fur or the sight of a tick on your young dog might make your skin crawl (or trigger your arachnophobia!). Dogs are at risk of becoming a tick’s next meal if they’re going outside in tick-infested areas without proper flea and tick preventives.
How do young dogs get ticks?
Ticks usually cling to grasses, bushes or shrubs that are close to the ground. You can find them in wooded or grassy, often shaded, areas. As a dog brushes past, the tick uses its legs to latch on to the dog’s fur. The tick will crawl through the fur until it finds a good place to latch on to a dog’s skin. Once latched, the tick feeds on blood.
Health risks of ticks for young dogs
Ticks can cause several conditions in dogs, including infectious diseases.
Anemia in young dogs
Large amounts of ticks that feed on blood can contribute to anemia, especially if a dog concurrently has fleas or other blood-sucking parasites. Additionally, some of the infectious diseases transmitted by ticks can cause anemia.Tick paralysis
Ticks sometimes release a neurotoxin that causes progressive paralysis in dogs. The treatment is to remove the tick. However, the paralysis can be life-threatening if the tick isn’t removed.Tick-borne diseases
Diseases that can be transmitted to dogs by ticks include canine ehrlichiosis, Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, babesiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and hepatozoonosis. These diseases can cause chronic health conditions in dogs, such as arthritis or kidney disease, and are sometimes life-threatening.
How to prevent ticks on young dogs
The ranges and active seasons of ticks are expanding thanks to climate change. Ticks are becoming an increasingly year-round and widespread issue. The best way to protect your puppy from ticks and tick-borne illness is to keep them on year-round flea and tick preventives, such as Bravecto® or Simparica Trio®. Your VCA care team is happy to suggest vet-recommended tick preventives to keep your young dog safe!
