Ticks are parasites that feed on the blood of our pets. They are the real bane of summer and pose a real threat to the health and lives of animals. Learn how to prevent them and how to remove them.
Favorite habitat for ticks are forests, tall grasses, bushes and shrubs. They appear as soon as the temperature permanently rises above 10 degrees Celsius. They are a nuisance and very dangerous because they can transmit diseases such as borreliosis, bartonellosis and babesiosis.
Pet stores offer many products to prevent ticks from entering your pet. You can choose between products that are applied to the skin (ointments, lotions, tick collars) and tablets that are placed in the food. It is important to regularly check the fur of our pets, especially around the neck and groin area. For a thorough check, you can use a special comb to comb out insects.
If we notice a tick in our dog or cat, the sooner we remove it, the better. This reduces the risk of germs entering the wound. The earlier the tick is found and removed, the lower the risk of the germs entering the wound. The most dangerous bacteria is Borrelia, which resides in the intestine of the parasite and from there travels to the bite site. This entire process takes about twelve hours. If the tick is removed during this time, Borrelia infection is not possible. The easiest way to remove the parasite is with tweezers. There are special tweezers available in the market for this particular activity. You should try to remove it quickly, in one motion, and be careful not to squash it. This is very important, because we risk that the tick secretes the contents of the stomach into the wound and the bacteria in the parasite enter the bloodstream of the animal.
