Tick prevention for dogs: Vets explain how to beat the blood-suckers

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You can’t completely prevent your dog from encountering ticks — populations are growing, causing the blood-suckers to show up in backyards and parks, not just deeply wooded areas. However, you can take steps to protect your pet and reduce the likelihood that they’ll get a potentially dangerous illness like Lyme disease , which is more common than you might think. In fact, about one out of every 30 dogs has tested positive this year, according to the Companion Animal Parasite Council . Read on to learn about the best tick preventatives for dogs according to veterinarians, and other steps you can take to stop the parasites from hitching a ride on your pet.

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The best tick preventatives for dogs

There’s a handful of ways to protect your dog from ticks, but routinely checking them for the parasites and putting them on a year-round preventative are the most important. It’s also crucial to get them vaccinated against Lyme disease, which is the most common tick-borne disease and the only one that there’s a vaccine for, says Dr. Lindsay Kendrick, the medical director at VEG ER for Pets in Boston .

Before answering all your tick-related questions below, I curated a list of products that you’ll need to check for and prevent the parasites. A note about the tick preventatives on this list: I added options that meet expert guidance; are highly-rated; repel and/or kill multiple types of parasites; and are EPA- or FDA-approved. Some tick preventatives are sold over-the-counter, but many are only available via a prescription, which you’ll need to get from your vet.

Best tick comb

Tweezerman Pet Flea Comb

The easiest way to check for ticks is running your hand over your dog’s body and feeling for bumps, but to be even more precise, use a fine-toothed comb. As you drag it through your pet’s coat, it surfaces ticks, which tend to be quite small, so you can easily see them. Young ticks in particular are tiny, so you may not feel them on your dog’s body but find them with a comb, says Kendrick. She added that the comb is a must for dogs with thick coats — all that padding makes ticks easy to miss.

Tweezerman’s comb is technically made for finding fleas , but it works for ticks, too. It has stainless steel bristles with rounded tips that are gentle on skin, and a handle that’s big enough to get your hand around for a comfortable grip.

Best tick mitt

TiCK MiTT

My dog has a very thin, short coat, so I can’t use a comb when I check her for ticks. Instead, I rely on the Tick Mitt, which is a glove made from a special type of textured fabric — the brand says it works like Velcro for parasites sitting on people and pets’ skin, as well as those clinging onto clothes, shoes and other items. You put the mitt on your hand and slowly sweep it across your dog’s body, inspecting it between passes to remove any ticks you caught.

The Tick Mitt works best for dogs with short coats, according to the brand, but if your dog has a thick and/or long coat, brush them first, then use the mitt to grab any ticks that surfaced. It can’t remove ticks embedded into the skin’s surface — for that, use tweezers .

Best tick removal kit

TickCheck Premium Dog Tick Removal Kit

You can use any tweezers to remove ticks from your dog’s skin, but you might want to keep a dedicated tool in your bag while you’re on the go, or put one by your door so you can get rid of parasites before entering your home. TickCheck’s Tick Removal Kit comes with two stainless steel tools in a little case: a fine-tip tweezer for removing small ticks and a grabber tool for removing larger ticks that are deeply embedded in the skin. The set also comes with a card that helps you identify what type of tick you likely found.

Best chewable tick preventative

NexGard Chewables Flea and Tick Protection

All the dog parents at NBC Selected, myself included, give our pets NexGard’s Chewable Flea and Tick Protection every month and have been doing so for years. They’re FDA-approved to kill multiple types of ticks, as well as fleas. The chewables are beef-flavored, so my dog thinks they’re standard treats and eats them immediately.

NexGard requires a prescription from your veterinarian, which the online retailer you purchase from will collect at checkout.

Best topical tick preventative

Frontline Plus Flea and Tick Topical Treatment

Frontline Plus’ Flea and Tick Topical Treatment, which comes in pre-measured applicators, are FDA-approved to kill ticks as well as fleas and chewing lice. To use it, you part the hair at your dog’s shoulder blades and squeeze out what’s inside one applicator. You have to keep your dog dry for 24 hours post-application — after that, the topical treatment is waterproof for a month, according to the brand. It comes in packs of three, six and eight.

Best tick collar

Seresto Flea and Tick Collar for Dogs

Think of over-the-counter tick collars as an additional layer of protection against the parasites, not your dog’s primary preventative, says Kendrick. She recommends giving your dog a prescription preventative year-round, like the chewable and topical ones I recommend above, and putting a tick collar, like Seresto’s, on them if you’re bringing them into wooded or grassy areas. That’s exactly what I do — knowing that my dog has two lines of defense against ticks when we’re outside gives me peace of mind, especially during the peak season.

Seresto’s tick collar, which also protects dogs against fleas, is adjustable and unclasps as needed. It comes in two sizes: one for dogs under 18 pounds and one for dogs over 18 pounds . I only use the collar when I take my dog to grassy, woodsy outdoor areas, so when I’m not using it, I keep it in the sealed container it comes in because it lasts for up to eight months, according to the brand.

Checking your dog for ticks: when, how and what requires a vet visit

When to check your dog for ticks

During tick season, which is usually from April to September, check your dog for the parasites daily, says Dr. Susanne Heartsill , the U.S. director of companion animal veterinary services at Ceva Animal Health . Be extra thorough after outdoor activities like walks, trips to the park and hikes , especially if you’re visiting grassy, wooded areas.

While ticks are more prevalent during the warmer months, they can stay active for longer, and in some parts of the country, they’re a year-round concern. Overall, the more you check your dog, the better. Heartsill also recommends using resources like the Companion Animal Parasite Council’s Parasite Prevalence Maps to monitor the prevalence of tick-borne diseases among dogs in your area to evaluate their risk level.

How to check your dog for ticks

Checking your dog for ticks is simple: Slowly run your hand over their body and feel for bumps. If you feel one, part the fur and look closely at it. Ticks are typically the size of a pencil eraser (although they can be smaller or bigger), and they look similar to black, brown, gray or red spiders, says Kendrick. You can also use a fine-toothed comb (like the one I recommend above) to check your pet for ticks, which is especially helpful if they have a thick coat — the comb surfaces ticks that might be deeply buried in hair or fur, making them more visible, says Kendrick.

Ticks are often easier to spot after they feed on your dog’s blood because they get bigger, says Heartsill. She also recommends looking for unusual skin bumps, red or irritated areas, scabs and bites — that’s all evidence that the parasite may have been feeding on them.

Check every part of your dog’s body for ticks, but the parasites like warm, moist areas, so pay extra attention to the following spots:

What to do if you see a tick on your dog

If you see a tick on your dog, remove it immediately. Pluck it off their skin with tweezers or a specialized tick removal tool like those I recommend above: Use the pointed end to grip the tick as close to the skin as possible and pull directly up with steady, even pressure, says Heartsill. Your goal is to remove the tick in one piece, so don’t twist, crush or squeeze its body. Find more tick removal tips here from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Once the tick is off your dog, put it in a tightly-sealed plastic bag and bring it to your vet. They can run tests on the tick to see what types of diseases it carries, if any, says Kedrick. If you can’t bring it to your vet, flush it down the toilet.

Also, be sure to carefully check yourself, other people and other pets in your home if your dog has a tick. Unlike fleas, ticks don’t typically infest indoor spaces, so you won’t have to treat your home, but check everyone living there to make sure they’re not carrying a tick inside.

Do at-home tick removal remedies work?

No, at-home tick removal remedies don’t work, and many of them can actually increase the chance of irritation and disease transmission, says Heartsill. For example, don’t burn the tick with a match or lighter, or cover it in substances like petroleum jelly, nail polish or alcohol in an attempt to make it detach on its own — it’s not helpful whatsoever.

Should you bring your dog to the vet after finding a tick on them?

Finding a tick on your dog isn’t a “rush to the vet” situation, says Kendrick. If you’re having trouble removing the tick, if the affected area looks infected or if your dog is showing signs of illness, make an appointment right away. But if not, let your vet know that you removed a tick from your dog and whether you see any skin irritation. Veterinarians screen for Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases during dogs’ annual bloodwork, but yours might recommend doing a panel sooner if your dog had a tick on them. Tick-borne diseases can take months to show up on bloodwork, so tell your vet when you removed the parasite to schedule testing accordingly.

How to choose a tick preventative for dogs

No preventative completely eliminates your dog’s risk for tick-borne diseases, but using one regularly significantly reduces the likelihood of transmission, says Heartsill. Below, I broke down what experts recommend thinking about while choosing a tick preventative for your dog — be sure to consult your vet, too. Two important reminders: Always administer whatever tick preventative you buy according to the label’s directions, and check the expiration date beforehand to make sure the ingredients are still active and effective.

How to shop for tick preventatives for dogs

What are the different types of tick preventatives for dogs?