Tick protection is very useful for four-legged friends. Before sucking, ticks are only a few millimeters long, but their bite can have a big impact. Now the blood-hungry parasites are particularly active. Of course, caution also applies to people, but of course also to dogs. As we know, ticks are not only annoying, but also dangerous as carriers of diseases.
Ticks are everywhere where there are grasses and bushes
There they are stripped off as they pass by and taken away. It is said that the problem for dogs has become even worse in recent years. For a long time, the common woodbuck, which is well known, was considered the best-known tick species in Germany . As with people, it can also transmit Lyme disease to dogs and trigger joint inflammation . There is a vaccine against Lyme disease for dogs, but it is only suitable if the animal does not already have it. Before vaccination, dogs should be tested for antibodies. Meanwhile, the Auwaldzecke and The brown dog tick occurs in Germany, according to the veterinarians. Both types can cause the so-called canine malaria, the babesiosis and the Ehrlichiose. The former in particular can lead to death if left untreated.
It would be better not to come to that.
The owners should discuss which remedy makes sense with the veterinarian. There are special collars or so-called spot-on preparations. They are drizzled on the back of the neck. Then there are also special tablets, although there has been debate about whether they are not too strong. However, medical specialists believe that these have now weakened and are therefore not harmful. However, the tablets do not have a deterrent effect: the animal must first be stung before the attacker dies.
I have two dogs myself and they have never received any tablets, nor will they, as there are just too many chemicals in them for me. I’m also rather averse to tick collars and spot-ons. However, there is a proven effective and completely natural remedy: coconut oil. Coconut oil contains lauric acid, which is exactly what you find in other tick repellents. And the ticks don’t like the oil at all. Studies by the Free University of Berlin have shown that dogs rubbed with coconut oil are significantly less affected by ticks. How to use: Rub a hazelnut-sized amount in your hands and rub it over the fur. That’s enough. A nice side effect is that the dog also smells pleasant. Just try it out before you start using the chemicals!
If it has happened, get the tick out
In any case, it makes sense to check your four-legged friend after all walks at this time. If you find ticks, remove them immediately, but do not sprinkle them with oil first, which is also supposed to be an old home remedy, but doesn’t work very well. To pull it out, if you have difficulty with your fingers, you can use tick tweezers or tick tweezers and simply twist it out in a circle, like a cork. However, if the head of the tick gets stuck in the skin, don’t try like hell to get it out as the puncture wound, no matter how small, can become infected. If the head just comes out, that’s good, if not, then it’s better to have the vet take a look. But in any case the tick must be killed, otherwise it could look for a new victim. It is important not to come into contact with their body fluids, as this attracts other ticks. It’s best to crush it with a hard object and then throw it in the trash.
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