Ticks are small but pose a significant health risk to pets and people in Tennessee and many other regions. Tick bites can cause discomfort and transmit diseases, including Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Our Southern Crossing Animal Hospital team wants you to prepare your pet for tick encounters through appropriate prevention and management strategies. Read our guide to tick-borne disease, tick prevention, and what to do if you find a tick on your pet.

What are ticks and why do they bite pets?

Ticks are tiny arachnids—spider relatives—that feed on human and animal blood. Each tick species has a preferred host, although many are flexible and take whatever they can get. The ticks that bite people and pets are females who need blood meals to mature into their next life stage or lay eggs. Many tick species live in the Memphis area, including deer ticks and the newest invasive threat—the Asian long-horned tick.

Ticks inhabit wooded and grassy areas, including backyards, and can transmit pathogens when they attach to a pet and feed on their blood. The likelihood of your pet contracting a tick-borne disease depends on the tick type and the amount of time it remains attached to your four-legged friend. Removing a tick from your pet’s skin as soon as possible is important to helping your furry pal avoid disease. Your pet’s tick bite risk is highest during the spring and summer months when ticks are most active.

Tick-borne diseases and pets

Tick-borne diseases may cause no problems for some pets but may cause acute or chronic illness in others. Symptom onset and severity vary depending on the specific organism but often include fever, lethargy, swollen lymph nodes, joint pain or swelling, bleeding disorders, neurologic problems, or organ failure. Common tick-borne diseases include:

  • Rocky Mountain spotted fever
  • Lyme disease
  • Ehrlichiosis 
  • Anaplasmosis

Preventing tick bites on your pet

Prevention is the key to protecting your pet from ticks bites and tick-borne diseases. To minimize your pet’s tick exposure, follow these tips:

  • Administer preventives regularly — Use tick prevention products recommended by our veterinary team, including spot-on treatments, oral medications, or tick collars. These tick products have residual activity that kills ticks for at least one month after administration.
  • Avoid tick habitats — Keep your pet away from tick or wildlife habitats. 
  • Maintain your yard — Keep your lawn trimmed and remove leaf litter and debris where ticks can hide. If your yard borders a wooded area, keep your pet away from the woods and use wood chips or gravel to create a barrier.
  • Check your pet for ticks — After your pet has been outdoors, check their coat and skin for ticks and remove these bloodsuckers as soon as you find them.

How to remove a tick from your pet

Removing ticks promptly and correctly is essential to reduce your pet’s disease risk. Follow these tick-removal steps:

  • Step 1: Use blunt tweezers to grasp the tick as close as possible to your pet’s skin.
  • Step 2: Gently and steadily pull the tick straight out until you feel it release from your pet’s skin.
  • Step 3: Flush the tick down the toilet or store it in a container with alcohol so our veterinarian can identify its type. Don’t crush the tick. By doing so, you expose yourself to disease.
  • Step 4: Use mild soap and water to clean the skin area where the tick was attached to your pet.

Monitor your pet after a tick bite

If a tick has bitten your pet, monitor the bite site for infection signs such as oozing or redness. However, a bump is normal and may take a while to resolve. Tick-borne disease signs can take weeks or months to appear, so take note of the date you removed the tick from your pet’s skin and keep a close eye on your furry pal’s behavior. Schedule a visit with our team if your pet exhibits illness signs such as lethargy, lameness, or appetite loss.

Pets at high risk for tick-borne disease exposure, including hunting or working dogs and those who spend time outdoors during tick season, can benefit from annual tick disease screening tests. The test requires a small blood sample, is inexpensive, and can be performed when we do your pet’s annual heartworm test or routine wellness blood panel.

By following prevention strategies and being vigilant, you can protect your furry pal from ticks and the diseases they transmit. Contact our Southern Crossing Animal Hospital team to schedule your pet’s tick disease screening and to learn which tick prevention products are appropriate for your pet’s species and lifestyle.