How to find and remove ticks before they cause problems
By Kim Campbell Thornton
Andrews McMeel Syndication
If you’re anything like me, the thought of removing a tick from your dog or cat is high-key alarming. But not removing it puts your pet at risk for Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and other tick-borne diseases.
Never fear. Parasitologist Kathryn Reif, MSPH, Ph.D., associate professor at Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine, is here to offer tips on safe and successful tick removal.
Step one? Stay calm.
Next, check to see if the tick is dead or alive. With some tick-control products, such as isoxazolines, the tick must actually bite the skin before the drug takes effect and kills it.
“Because that drug is systemically distributed, sometimes what we may see is a tick that has died, but it's still stuck to that pet because it hasn't quite flaked off yet. And that dead tick poses zero risk to the pet,” Reif says.
How do you tell the difference? Poke the tick with tweezers. “If they wiggle a lot of leg, they’re alive, and if they don’t, they’re dead,” Reif says.
Ticks with longer mouth parts such as black-legged ticks or Lone Star ticks have more attachment points, so dead ones may take longer to drop off the pet, she adds.
If you’ve determined that the tick is alive, the next step is removal. Ticks are easily removed with pointy tweezers, grabbing the tick as close to the skin as possible and pulling back with steady, even pressure. You can find specific tick-removal devices in pet supply stores or online, but none are really necessary, Reif says. “Tweezers work just fine.”
You can follow up by disinfecting the area with soap and water or rubbing alcohol. It’s a good idea to disinfect the tweezers, too, but there’s no need for pets to have their own pair.
Avoid old-timey remedies such as putting the burnt end of a match to the tick or trying to smother it with petroleum jelly. They are ineffective and can injure your pet.
Even if your pet is on a tick-preventive product, it’s always a good idea to do a tick check if the two of you have been in “ticky” areas such as woods or grassy, brushy spaces. Ticks can transmit disease in as little as 24 to 48 hours if not found and removed.
Run your hands over the body and feel for little bumps. That’s how I unexpectedly found a tick on my dog Harper after a hike. For heavily coated pets, part the fur so you can see the skin, and look for the blood-sucking arachnids, which -- depending on their life stage, sex or how recently they’ve fed -- can be as tiny as a poppy seed or as large as a small grape. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends looking in the following areas: in and around the ears, around the tail, between the front and back legs, between the toes, around the eyelids and beneath the collar.
Most tick bites occur between March and September, according to the CDC’s Tick Bite Tracker, and most veterinarians now recommend use of tick preventives year-round. Ticks don’t die off in winter, and they can and will be out on cold but sunny days.
You may think you and your pet are safe from ticks if you live in an urban or suburban area, but ticks are on the move and can be found in city parks and other urban areas. Expect to encounter disease-spreading ticks across the country: the Pacific Coast, Rocky Mountain states and the southeastern, southcentral and eastern United States.
Q&A
Does avian flu
affect cats?
Q: I heard that cats can become infected with avian influenza (H5N1) and can become seriously ill or even die. What’s the scoop?
A: One of our favorite resources for questions like this is Dr. Scott Weese’s blog, Worms & Germs. Weese is a veterinary internal medicine specialist at the Ontario Veterinary College’s Centre for Public Health and Zoonoses. On April 5, he posted that while this particular virus can indeed spill over into various mammal species, including cats, infections with H5N1 influenza in cats are rare. That’s the good news.
Cats who do become infected can develop severe illness, but Weese writes that claims that the disease is 100% fatal are overblown. The true mortality rate isn’t known. That’s because testing is primarily done in cats with severe signs of illness, not those who may have been exposed but are still healthy or have only mild signs.
Outdoor cats are at greatest risk because they’re likely to hunt birds and sick birds, not surprisingly, are easier to catch. Avian influenza has also been identified in dairy cattle in Texas, Kansas and New Mexico, and three cats on a dairy farm in New Mexico tested positive for the disease as well. It’s unknown whether the cats became ill from exposure to infected birds, to infected cattle or from cat-to-cat transmission.
The best prevention measure is to keep cats indoors. For cats who are outdoor enthusiasts, reduce their risk by removing bird feeders from your yard. If outdoor or indoor/outdoor cats develop severe respiratory or neurological signs and are known to have exposure to wild birds -- especially if avian influenza has been identified in the area -- wear a mask if you have close contact with them, and ask your veterinarian about testing. Find out more here: wormsandgermsblog.com/2024/04/articles/animals/cats/h5n1-avian-flu-in-catswhat-do-we-know-so-far. -- Dr. Marty Becker and Kim Campbell Thornton
Do you have a pet question? Send it to askpetconnection@gmail.com or visit Facebook.com/DrMartyBecker.
THE BUZZ
Bearded dragon
beginner basics
-- Bearded dragons, named for the spines on their neck, can be great companions for reptile fans. The sociable and gentle lizards will pop up to greet their people when they get home from work or school and respond well to appropriate handling. The diet of the omnivorous reptiles consists of dark, leafy greens, flowers, berries and fruit, mealworms and crickets. Bearded dragons typically live into their teens.
-- Snails are not typically considered as pets, and they might seem as if they would be boring companions. But when author Elisabeth Tova Bailey became bedridden for months with a mystery illness, her observations of a woodland snail brought to her by a friend helped to keep her interested and entertained during the long period when she was barely able to move. Watching the snail inspired her to learn more about them and the result was the award-winning “The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating” (Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill). “The original snail had been the best of companions,” she writes. “I had watched it adapt to changed circumstances and persevere. Naturally solitary and slow paced, it had entertained and taught me, and was beautiful to watch as it glided silently along ...”
-- Dog breeds developed in Africa include the Azawakh, basenji, boerboel, Rhodesian ridgeback and sloughi. The Azawakh is a rare sighthound who is sleek and fast with a strong prey drive. Basenjis are clever with a strong streak of mischief. Developed to be protective farm dogs by Dutch settlers in South Africa, boerboels belong to the mastiff family. Rhodesian ridgebacks were farm and hunting dogs in what is now Zimbabwe and are characterized by the distinctive ridge of hair running down their backs. The sloughi, another sighthound, comes from North Africa, where they were companions to nomadic Berbers. -- Dr. Marty Becker, Kim Campbell Thornton and Mikkel Becker
ABOUT PET CONNECTION
Pet Connection is produced by a team of pet care experts. Veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker is founder of the Fear Free organization, co-founder of VetScoop.com and author of many best-selling pet care books. Kim Campbell Thornton is an award-winning journalist and author who has been writing about animals since 1985. Mikkel Becker is a behavior consultant and lead animal trainer for Fear Free Pets. Dr. Becker can be found at Facebook.com/DrMartyBecker or on Twitter at DrMartyBecker. Kim Campbell Thornton is at Facebook.com/Kim.CampbellThornton and on Bluesky at kimthornton.bsky.social. Mikkel Becker is at Facebook.com/MikkelBecker and on Twitter at MikkelBecker.