Puppies and Ticks

Keeping your puppy safe from ticks.

After hearing the tragic story of a beautiful new Maltese puppy that lost his life over the weekend due to a tick, the Dog Diaries team decided that it was high time to warn our readers-again-about the dangers these parasites can pose to your pets, especially in their first year of life.

Unfortunately, ticks occur in residential and built up areas as well as in the country. A combination of global warming, overgrown gardens, composting and mulching means that we need to be more alert than ever, especially in the warmer parts of the country, to protect our best friends.

In Australia, the three most common types of tick are the Brown Dog Tick, the Bush Tick and the Paralysis Tick . The first two, while capable of irritating your dog and possibly spreading disease, are not immediately life-threatening, but the Paralysis Tick, as the name suggests, is very serious and requires immediate veterinary attention.

Why puppies are most at risk
A tick injects toxins while it feeds, and these toxins are what is responsible for the paralysis. The danger is increased with puppies for a number of reasons:
1.    The owner of a new puppy may not be aware of the dangers posed by ticks, and may not realise how frequently they must check for ticks, or that they need to check at all.
2.    Puppies are uncoordinated, and as such the early signs of the paralysis tick such as weakness in the back legs may be missed.
3.    Similarly, puppies have very high-pitched barks (if they bark at all). Another early sign your animal may be affected is that the pitch of their bark may change, which is more difficult to spot in a pup.
4.    Like any baby, puppies have less developed immune systems than older dogs, which over time may begin to build a slight resistance to ticks (though it must be noted that even these dogs who have built up some immunity can still become paralysed).

How do I protect my pet?
Now that we’ve scared the socks off all our new pet-owners out there, let’s talk about prevention—after all, it is the best way to ensure your new addition doesn’t come to any harm. We’ve previously posted a great article on this here, but just to sum up:
1.    Treat your pup regularly with Advantix, it not only kills ticks, but actively repels them, so they drop off before having a chance to bite or attach themselves to your dog.
2.    Regularly check your pooch for ticks. Daily if possible, paying special attention to the head, ears, neck and tail area. It is much easier to feel for ticks than to see them, some can be as small as a pin head.
3.    In tick-prone areas, keep your dog clipped, as it is much more difficult to find a tick in long or matted hair.

While a new puppy brings joy and fun to a family, it is important to educate yourself as much as possible about the potential health risks in this tender stage in its life. Starting a regular tick treatment and check at a young age is one of the most important things you can do to ensure your pup grows into a happy, healthy dog.

Image sources: maheshkhanna and shazz