Ticks are the worst enemies not only of humans, but also of animals. They transmit serious diseases, such as babesiosis and Lyme disease, and infection occurs not at the time of the bite, but 24-48 hours after the puncture. Tick-borne diseases are definitely easier to prevent than to treat, so it’s worth investing in an effective means of protection. Check out how to protect your pet from ticks!
A vaccine will not protect your pet from being bitten, but it will help develop immunity to babesiosis and Lyme disease. However, immunization through the vaccine is too weak to speak of full-fledged protection against infection. But vaccination guarantees a milder course of the disease and, above all, significantly increases the animal’s chances of survival. Vaccination should be repeated once a year, and in the case of increased risk of infection – every six months.
Quite recently, a new preparation for ticks has appeared in the form of tablets. Once the drug enters the stomach, it is released into the bloodstream, and the active substances it contains spread throughout the body, reaching the areas most vulnerable to bites (the inner surface of the auricles, the hollows under the armpits, the spaces between the pads of the paws, the abdomen, the groin area). When a tick penetrates a dog’s skin, the active ingredient paralyzes the arachnid and causes its death. While the pill does kill ticks, it nevertheless does not protect against tick bites and tick-borne diseases.
In the fight against ticks, accessories with built-in protection against ticks and other blood-sucking insects play an indispensable role. Manufacturers are outdoing themselves with solutions, offering anti-tick bandanas, collars with a sling, and even vests. Dog accessories protect against ticks through the use of permethrin, an active ingredient found naturally in chrysanthemums. The advantage of permethrin-impregnated clothing is that the active ingredient does not go directly to the animal’s body, reducing the risk of an allergic reaction on the skin. You can also buy ready-made permethrin sprays and spray the clothing yourself, but you must remember to do the activity outdoors, and leave the impregnated items to dry for about two hours.
This type of product gives only temporary protection, and is a useful solution when your dog doesn’t get out of the house much, or for a short trip to an area where ticks are prevalent. It’s also worth using a shampoo when the effect of other protective measures, such as drops, is over. Tick shampoo should be used with extreme caution, not allowing it to get into the eyes or on the mucous membranes.
The most commonly used, and also the most effective and safest remedy for ticks. The action of spot-on preparations is based on the release of the active substance through the sebaceous glands and hair follicles. The drops are convenient to use, applied to the neck and along the line of the spine. Their effect begins after 24 hours and lasts for about a month. The drops are slowly absorbed into the skin and are evenly distributed over the pet’s body. Like pills, they do not protect the animal from parasites attaching to it, but instead cause its rapid death.
main photo: unsplash.com/Camilo Fierro
