How and where do dogs get ticks?

Ticks find their host (the person or animal that will provide their next blood meal) by waving their forelimbs in the air while positioned right at the tip of grasses and plants. This is called ‘questing’. When a dog (or other animal) brushes past, the tick grabs hold of their hair and moves through it, before biting the skin to attach themselves firmly. Prime places to find ticks, particularly on dogs, include between the toes, under elbows and around the ears.

The pesky parasites are hard to avoid as they’re found in most places rich in vegetation, including:

• parks
• gardens
• woods
• meadows
• fields, with or without cattle
• sand dunes
• heathland.

Many popular UK holiday destinations have high numbers of the blood-thirsty beasts, including Exmoor, the New Forest, the South Downs, the Lake District and the Scottish Highlands.

Several species of tick call the UK home. Ixodes ricinus (sometimes called the sheep tick) is the most common UK tick and can carry Lyme disease.

Dermacentor reticulatus is another type. This species is currently found in Essex, Wales, the South East and South West, and can transmit a dangerous parasite called Babesia that can cause serious illness in dogs – and can even be fatal.

Many ticks carry some kind of infectious disease that can harm our dogs. Plus, ticks can cause irritation or abscesses where they attach to the skin.

Ticks are arachnids and have eight legs. They can be as tiny as a sesame seed before feeding, making them hard to spot. Once they feed, they can grow up to 200 times their original size, making them as big as a coffee bean.

If we spot one of these parasites on our dogs, it’s important to remove it as soon as possible. The best way to do this is using a tick remover tool to gently twist the tick out. Always wear gloves when you do this – you don’t want to be the new host! Don’t apply alcohol, oil, heat, petroleum jelly or squeeze a tick, as this increases the risk of them passing on any infections they’re carrying to your poor pet.

It’s not necessary to avoid places where our dogs can pick up ticks. These are usually places they’ll enjoy visiting and it’s good for them to be active and out in the fresh air. Instead, we need to check our dogs regularly for ticks, especially after they’ve been in areas with lots of vegetation. As ticks can be tricky to spot and pose a danger, it’s advisable to regularly use a tick treatment to kill any pesky pests that might be lurking on our dogs. FRONTLINE TRI-ACT^® for dogs kills new ticks within 6 hours and also repels them, which helps to prevent them from biting your dog in the first place.

Knowing how and where our dogs pick up ticks helps us keep our precious pets protected, so we can enjoy lovely long walks with our dogs without too many worries.