Spring is a time of love, warmth, flowering and, sadly enough, ticks. It is during warming that these small parasites appear, which are carriers of extremely dangerous diseases. And the blood-sucking arthropod called "ixodic tick" is no less dangerous for animals, including dogs, than the rest. What should the owners of four-legged friends know about this danger? How to react when you find such a “guest” in your pet?
Content
- Общая информация 1. General information
- Особенности иксодовых клещей 2. Features of ticks
- Как обнаружить, а главное, извлечь паразита? 3. How to detect, and most importantly, remove the parasite?
general information
Owners should be anxious, starting in April. It is this period that is hot at times for tick bites. Arthropods themselves are not capable of seriously harming an animal, the danger is what is contained in their bodies, transmitted through saliva during a bite. Ixodic tick tolerates piroplasmosis, canine ehrlichiosis, anaplasmosis and other infections. 
Ticks attack animals that invade their habitat, and since dogs need regular walking, they are often the victims. It is very important to detect the parasite on the pet's body as quickly as possible and provide timely assistance, since delay can cost the dog's life. There is also a place to be preventative, which is usually resorted to by the responsible pet owners.
Features of ticks
Grass and low shrubs - this is what is the usual habitat for this type of parasite. That is, the victim, they tend to penetrate the bottom. Before sucking, the tick “travels” for some time around the body of the dog in search of a convenient place to suck. Most often, these are areas with the least amount of coat, but the parasite can also climb under the fur. In most cases, ticks are found on the following parts of the body:
- paws;
- rib cage;
- in the armpits;
- stomach;
- auricles;
- skin folds;
- at the bottom of the neck.
Unlike other parasitic creatures, for ixodic ticks, the torso of an animal is not a shelter, but only a source of food. He plunges the proboscis into the skin, begins to screw and saturate with blood. Having become drunk, the tick swells up, increasing in size, and turns into a reddish or brownish pea. After saturation, it falls off on its own.
But if the parasite was seen before, and there is no possibility to go to a veterinary clinic, then the owners should know how to deal with this problem.
Watch the video and find out what the Ixodid tick looks like taken from a dog:
How to detect, and most importantly, remove the parasite?
As already noted, speed is important here. After walking, the pet should be inspected, and if a tick appeared on the skin, it is necessary to contact the veterinary service or remove it yourself. Often, the owners understand that something happened to the dog when he already showed the first signs of infection. Symptoms depend on how the parasite infects the animal. The tick extraction algorithm is as follows:
- You should use one of the devices - a thread, from which a loop is made, tweezers, or a special device, purchased in the pharmacy department.
- It is necessary to capture the "neck" of the parasite, while it is recommended to do it carefully. Feeling discomfort, arthropods can inject leftover saliva into the blood, and if carelessly handling there is a risk of tearing the parasite's head off, which is also undesirable.
- It is necessary to slowly pull out the parasite, but at the same time not to jerk up, but to make horizontal movements clockwise, as if twisting it. Time procedure can take from 5-7 to 20 minutes.
- Having pulled out a tick, it is required to press on edges of a wound that blood seemed. It must be removed with a napkin.
- The resulting wound is treated with an antiseptic, suitable iodine or brilliant green.
Ticks should not be independently destroyed; it is better to hand it over to the laboratory for examination. After examining the parasite, the specialist will be able to tell whether the dog has become infected with any infection or not.
The tick is a carrier of various infections, including fatal infections, therefore it is important to detect and remove it as soon as possible from the body of the dog. In addition, it is recommended to use prophylactic protective agents - sprays, collars, etc.