Long haired dogs can have a higher possibility of tick bites, and resulting problems of loss of blood and lyme disease, because their long hair makes the ticks more difficult to see. It's important for owners to take the time to carefully look through their dog's long hair to find and remove ticks.
Identify Ticks During Grooming
Ticks are hard-bodied arachnids, ranging in size and color. They hide more easily in long hair, making spotting and removing them more time-consuming and difficult. Regular grooming by a professional is ideal. Daily combing and brushing using a rake or long-toothed comb will allow you to regularly inspect for ticks, too.
Remove Ticks Carefully
As you examine your dog, you may see some ticks crawling on your dog's skin. Remove them at once. Remove embedded ticks by following these steps:
- Wear gloves.
- Dip a cotton swab into a product that kills ticks.
- Rub the swab on the exposed tick, prompting it to take its head out.
- Clasp the tick's head with a pair of tweezers and remove.
- Never twist the tick during removal.
- Place the tick into a container of rubbing alcohol to preserve it.
- Wipe all bite sites with iodine to prevent infection.
- Provide your vet with tick specimens for identification.
Take your dog to the vet if a tick's head remains in the skin or if you observe signs of infection, like swelling, rash, muscle pain, fatigue.
Preventing Tick Bites
Apply tick repellent once a month with a longer applicator designed especially for long-haired dogs. Spot treatments that spread over your dog's entire coat work well. Haircuts during the summer months, tick season, will also help prevent your dog's coat from becoming a breeding ground for ticks. Also cut and treat your lawn regularly for ticks.