As soon as the temperatures slowly rise in spring, ticks become active again. The annoying little bloodsuckers lurk in grass and bushes for a potential host, such as a human or a puppy, from whose blood they can feed. In the following, we will explain whether ticks are dangerous in puppies and how you can best protect your young four-legged friend from the parasites.
Key facts at a glance
- Ticks can infect puppies with dangerous diseases while sucking blood.
- Regular fur checks are mandatory in the warm months of the year.
- If a tick has already bitten, it must be removed immediately with tick tweezers.
- Special tick repellents for dogs can also protect puppies from ticks if necessary.
What makes ticks so dangerous for puppies
Ticks belong to the mites. In Germany they are mainly active between March and October. Depending on the prevailing temperatures, the tick season can also start earlier or end later. If a tick bites a puppy, that in itself is not that bad.
A heavy tick infestation can cause anemia in young dogs. However, this is very rare and is therefore only mentioned here for the sake of completeness. Nevertheless, ticks are very dangerous for puppies. Because they can carry a number of dangerous pathogens with which they can infect the young dog when sucking blood.
Ticks can transmit the following diseases to puppies:
- babesiosis
- Ehrlichiosis
- Lyme disease
- anaplasmosis
- TBE
In puppies, infection with the diseases mentioned can cause permanent damage or, as in the case of babesiosis, can even be fatal if left untreated. In Germany, Lyme disease in particular is widespread, which is why the probability of infection with this disease is particularly high.
Regular coat checks are mandatory
If you want to protect your puppy from infection with diseases such as Lyme disease, it is important during the warm months of the year to check your four-legged friend’s fur thoroughly for ticks after going for a walk. Since it usually takes a moment for a tick to find a spot for its blood meal, the parasites can often be removed before the tick is bitten.
How to properly remove ticks from puppies
Unfortunately, it is not always possible to remove ticks from the puppy’s fur in time. If a tick has already bitten, it must be pulled out of the skin immediately and completely. Use a special tick tweezers and make sure that the head of the parasite does not get stuck in the wound.
It usually takes several hours for pathogens to be transmitted during the suction process. If you remove the tick from your puppy promptly, the risk of infection should be quite low despite a tick bite.
Tick repellent for puppies
In addition to regular coat checks, it can make sense to protect your puppy from an infestation with special tick repellents for dogs. The selection of corresponding preparations is large and includes, among other things, so-called spot-ons, which are dripped onto the neck of the four-legged friend. Since conventional tick repellents usually contain potentially harmful active ingredients, many dog owners now rely on natural alternatives.
However, the effectiveness of each of these preparations has by no means been proven. Before you decide on a tick repellent for your puppy, you should therefore find out about the active ingredients it contains.