How to Check Your Dog for Ticks in Central Massachusetts

“Help! I am pulling a few ticks off of my dog each and every day.”

We have been hearing from many customers and experiencing it ourselves, the ticks are out in full force this spring and they are relentlessly searching for that ever important blood meal. Your dog is easy prey for questing ticks as they tend to sniff around retaining walls, in the underbrush and roll around in the grass. Whether you own heavily wooded property in Westminster or a well-manicured suburban lot in Wilmington, chances are your dog is bringing ticks in almost daily. If you’re not like the rest of the dog owners in the area, it could be that you’re overlooking something. Here at Mosquito Squad of Chelmsford & Cambridge, we want to help you keep your dog safe by teaching you how to check your dogs for ticks.

How to Check a Dog for Ticks

Living in Wilmington, Massachusetts means you should be checking your dog for ticks every day from early spring through late fall. With ticks being as plentiful as they are this year, all it takes is a few minutes roaming the yard for your dog to pick up a few questing bloodthirsty ticks. While you may be well versed in how to check a human for ticks, checking a dog can be a bit tricky. With all of their fur, floppy ears, and hidden crevices, ticks can hide very easily on your fur baby.

It’s important to remember that ticks climb on to your dog from blades of grass or shrubs near ground level and climb upwards. They are looking for moist dark areas to hide so they can embed themselves for a lengthy blood meal. Make sure if your dog has longer or thicker fur you spend additional time during the following tick check process to be sure you find any well-hidden ticks.

Ticks can be as small as a grain of coffee or sesame seed, making careful examination vital. Start by using your hands as a comb and run your hands over your dog’s body feeling for bumps and looking for a red irritated spot on the skin. If you find a spot, part the fur and take a closer look to see if it is indeed a tick. It is important to check your dog thoroughly and everywhere, paying close attention under the collar, in the ears, near their groin, armpits, the base of their tale and in between their toes. Take a good close look at your dog’s face, muzzle and around their eyes, if they stuck their face in some underbrush they can get a tick right on their face. You can even use a flea comb, making sure to stop if you come to a bump or a snag, to inspect closer.

Remove Any Ticks You Find

If you find a tick on your dog it is important to remove it properly and immediately. The longer a tick is feeding the larger it gets and the higher the chance is that it can pass on an infection. Proper tick removal is important to make sure you don’t inadvertently cause transmission from an infected tick.

Limit the number of ticks you find on your dog with help from Mosquito Squad of Chelmsford & Cambridge. Our tick control services can eliminate up to 90% of ticks on your property. Visit our website to learn more about tick control for your Wilmington or Westminster property. Call today at (978) 381-4028 to sign up for season-long tick protection. We look forward to protecting your property this season and for many seasons to come.