There are a number of different types of ticks found in the USA including the Wood tick, Dog tick, Relapsing fever tick, Pajaroello tick, Deer tick, Black-legged tick and the Lone star tick.Checking for ticks.
You should check your pet for ticks every day, especially during tick season, or year-round in warmer climates. Run your fingers through their fur while applying enough pressure to feel any small bumps. Make certain to check between your pet’s toes, behind the ears, under armpits and around the tail and head. If you do feel a bump, pull the fur apart to see what’s there. A tick that has embedded itself in can also vary in size, they can be as small as a pinhead to as large as a grape, depending on how long it has been attached.
Why should ticks be removed?
It is extremely important to remove ticks affixed to the skin as soon as possible, as ticks can transmit serious disease to animals and humans including:
- In People: rickettsiosis, Lyme disease, tick-borne encephalitis, tick-fever
- In Animals: babesiosis, ehrlichiosis and Lyme disease in dogs, babesiosis in horses, haemobartonellosis in cats, babesiosis and ehrlichiosis in cattle.
Removing ticks.
Removing embedded ticks is a delicate operation and when you use the wrong tools it’s easy for a piece of the tick to break off and remain in the skin. DO NOT squeeze or crush the body of the tick because this may force infective body fluids through the mouthparts and into the wound site. DO NOT apply substances such as petroleum jelly, finger nail polish, finger nail polish remover, repellents, pesticides, or a lighted match to the tick while it is attached. These materials are either ineffective, or worse, might agitate the tick and cause it to force more infective fluid into the wound site.
Blue Seal carries both the Tick Twister® and Cheek-Key Tick Removers which are the most efficient and ideal tools you can use to remove a tick without squeezing the body or leaving the tick’s mouth-parts in the skin. With these tools you can confidently remove ticks anywhere and from any location on both people or animals.