Tick ​​bite in a dog - symptoms, effects and treatment at home

Spring and summer - the time of activity of bloodsucking ectoparasites. They are able to grab the pet's fur, bite, infecting it with a deadly disease.Therefore, during long walks in the warm season, it is important to worry about the safety of your pet. What to do if the tick bit the dog, how to extract the bloodsucker, and in which case the consultation of the veterinarian is urgently needed, this article will tell.

Varieties of parasites

Detect a dried tick or mite eggs in a dog (a photo of the breeding of ticks on a dog is presented below) accounted for many owners. Some people start to panic in such cases, while others do not pay special attention to this fact.

The tick itself is not dangerous, and it is not capable of drinking all the blood. However, the bloodsucker is able to carry infectious bacteria that live in red blood cells and damage them. Bacteria multiply quickly enough, and in the absence of appropriate treatment measures in almost 98% of cases, the disease leads to the death of the animal.

On a note!

Dog ticks on the territory of Russia can be of different types: ear (internal) and demodectic (intracutaneous) bloodsuckers, but the most dangerous for a dog is ixodic tick (external).

Ticks in dogs

How do symptoms of a tick bite in a dog

Symptoms of a dog bite with a tick can be detected not immediately, which is the danger of an attack of a bloodsucker. Most of the owners of four-legged friends are frightened by infectious diseases with a lot of complications, but the realization that the pet is sick often comes too late.

A hooked tick on a dog begins to examine its body, looking for a place to commit a bite. Depending on the state of the parasite can have a different look:

• a small white tick in a dog is a hungry bloodsucker;
• a large burgundy or orange mite is a parasite that has already managed to drink blood.

On a note!

In a state of hunger, the bloodsucker is no more than a match head, so it is almost impossible to notice him in the thick hair of a pet.

Typically, the parasite prefers areas with more delicate skin: it can be seen in the eye area and near the ears, in the groin or armpits, as well as on the inside of the thighs. Before a tick under the dog’s skin, it injects a special substance that has analgesic properties into the skin, as a result of which the pet does not feel the bite. After that, the bloodsucker is screwed into a tiny hole, continuing to dig deeper and deeper into the victim's tissue (the photo of the dog's tick is presented below).

Dog tick

On a note!

After the meal, the tick swells up on the dog, as a result of which it resembles a large papilloma. Having digested the food, the vampire throws out unnecessary waste into the body of the victim along with the microorganisms of the virus, infecting the dog with an infectious disease.

You can learn that a dog has been bitten by a tick by the following symptoms:

• The presence of local reactions: the site of the bite begins to swell, redden and itch. Why pet often licks and combs the damaged area. A tick bite in a dog may also fester, causing the pyogenic microorganisms that have entered the open wound to be the cause.
• The presence of tick-borne paralysis, which affects the hind limbs, and subsequently the front limbs.
• Possible manifestation of neurotoxic reactions, which are expressed as a violation of the swallowing reflex and vocal apparatus of the dog, as a result of which it makes barely audible sounds.

Having discovered such signs of being bitten by a dog tick, it is necessary to urgently provide emergency assistance to the pet, since some bloodsuckers can become a carrier of very dangerous diseases.

What are the diseases of dogs from ticks

Depending on the causative agent of the virus, the diseases of dogs from ticks also differ.

Babesiosis

Piroplasmosis, babesiosis, or how often people call plamosis in dogs, is the most dangerous disease caused by the causative agents of Babesia canis. The infection is carried exclusively through the blood by the bite of a pest. There are the following stages of the disease:

• The chronic form is observed in animals with good immunity or in those dogs that already had piroplasmosis. The incubation period of the disease can last from 4 to 15 days, depending on how many parasites are in the blood of the animal. Pet refuses to eat, becomes weak and exhausted. He may have a fever for several days, which subsequently normalizes. Diarrhea may occur. The pet is cured after 2-3 months after the therapy.
• Acute form. The dog becomes lethargic and weak, it loses its appetite and interest in what is happening around. As a result of an increase in body temperature in an animal, sensations of fever and fever alternate. Urine becomes dark, mucous membranes have pale integuments, breathing is frequent and heavy.If you do not provide timely treatment, then for 3-7 days of the disease is possible death of the pet.

Piroplasmosis in dogs

Important!

The sooner the dog is shown to the veterinarian, the more favorable the prognosis for the recovery of the pet will be. Indeed, in the second stage of the development of the disease, bacteria begin to multiply actively, which increases the level of toxicity from the products of their vital activity. The bite of a bloodsucker is especially dangerous for dogs of small breeds. Therefore, if the tick has bitten York or that terrier has suffered from the attack of the parasite, you should urgently show your pet to the veterinarian.

Bartonellosis

Another disease that can cause a tick in a dog. Bartonella bacteria are the culprits of the disease. The behavior of a dog after being bitten by a tick infected with bartonellosis changes dramatically: the animal experiences weakness in its hind limbs and sleeps most of the time. The danger of the virus is that it can cause anemia, fever, cause meningitis and pulmonary edema. Bleeding from the nose is also possible.

On a note!

The disease is hidden symptoms, because of what the animal can hurt him for a long time.And not every owner knows that his dog died from a tick bite.

Lyme Disease

A tick bite for a dog is also dangerous by a disease such as borreliosis or Lyme disease, the causative agents of which are the Borrelia bacteria. The incubation period of this disease is 10-14 days, as a result, the animal begins to refuse to eat, may experience fever and problems with the cardiovascular system. The lymph nodes of the pet increase, limping and stiffness in the gait becomes noticeable.

On a note!

Such a disease of dogs from ticks can be transmitted from mother to fetus, often leading him to death or the birth of unviable puppies.

Hepatozoa

No less dangerous infection with which a dog can become infected not only after being bitten by a tick infected with Hepatozoon bacteria, but also if it is accidentally swallowed. The disease manifests itself in the form of fever and lacrimation, pains in the joints and muscles, general weakness of the animal. After infection with hepatozoa, it may take more than one year to show obvious signs of the disease.

What to do if the tick bit the dog

Dog tick

The effects of a tick bite in a dog described above can be avoided if the pet is given first aid in a timely manner. This is especially important if the tick has bitten a puppy.

1. Having found that a tick has adhered to the dog, it is necessary to remove it from the pet’s body as soon as possible. After all, the longer the parasite will feed on the blood of the animal, the higher the risk of contracting the disease.
2. Processing the bite site is the next stage of care. It is necessary to treat the dog's tick bite with any antiseptic agent: the wound can be spread with iodine, hydrogen peroxide or alcohol. The tick extracted from the pet's body is placed in an airtight container and then taken to the laboratory for analysis.
3. After when the tick was removed from the dog, it is necessary to closely monitor its behavior. After all, the disease may occur after a few days after the bite. Usually, the owner rarely associates a bad appetite in winter with the fact that in spring the dog suffered from a tick bite. Therefore, it is necessary to remember about such an incident, and in the event of the above symptoms, immediately show your pet to a doctor.

Important!

If the dog was bitten by ticks in different places, then it is necessary to urgently apply to a veterinary clinic. A large number of toxins can lead to the death of the animal.

How to pull tick

Tick ​​Twister Tick Extra

In order to avoid infecting a person with a dangerous disease, the procedure of extracting the parasite from the body of an animal should be carried out with surgical gloves. Remove the tick with tweezers or thread, grabbing the body of the pest as close as possible to the surface of the dog skin. An individual is removed by slow smooth movements, swinging its body or turning it counterclockwise. With the other hand, hold the pet's skin.

Well, if you have the opportunity to purchase a special device in the pharmacy for extracting bloodsuckers called Tick Twister. Such a peculiar grip can be of two variations: for bloodsuckers in the normal state and increased after the meal.

Important!

No need to try to remove the parasite with the help of sunflower oil, trying to cut off oxygen to it. In response to such actions, the bloodsucker will actively inject saliva into the body of its victim. It is also not necessary to use kerosene or other similar mixture for neutralizing the tick. It is also unacceptable to tear or crush the parasite. If this is not observed, there is a high probability of infection by an infection, the carrier of which could be the parasite.Indeed, along with the saliva in the blood of a pet penetrate and pathogens.

How and what to treat a dog after a tick bite

Preparations for dogs from parasites

Finding a trail of a tick bite in a dog or the presence of symptoms of the disease, the pet is prescribed treatment in a vet clinic. Usually recommend drugs with antiparasitic properties:

• Pyro-Stop is an antiprotozoal drug based on imidocarb dipropionate for subcutaneous and intramuscular injections. Effective for the treatment of anaplasmosis, babesiosis, ehrlichiosis and other blood parasitic diseases. The solution is used at the rate of 0.25 - 0.5 ml per 10 kg of animal mass once.
• Veriben - a drug for treating dogs with protozoal diseases such as piroplasmosis, babesiosis, trypanosomiasis. The active ingredient of the powdered agent is dimazin (44.5%). To prepare the solution, a bag of powder (2.36 g) is combined with distilled water or saline (25 ml). The resulting composition is used for intramuscular injections (1 ml per 10 kg of pet weight).
• Azidine is a medicine for the treatment of protozoa, which is based on phenazone and diminazen aceturate.The contents of the vial are dissolved with a double volume of water, receiving a 3.5% solution, which is injected at the rate of 0.1 ml per 2 kg of body weight, and repeated injection is administered every other day.
• Pyrosan is another remedy of similar composition based on diminazen aceturate and phenazone. 2.36 g of powder is diluted in 25 ml of water for injection, or 0.5 g of powder in 5.5 ml of water for injection at a dose of 1 ml per 10 kg of animal.
• Imidosan is a drug for the treatment of parasitic blood diseases such as babesiosis, anaplasmosis, and nuttalioz. The active component in it is imidocarb dipropionate. The solution is used exclusively for subcutaneous injection, which is injected into the neck in a dose of 0.25 - 0.5 ml per 10 kg of animal weight.
• For normal kidney function, sodium bicarbonate is injected intravenously, which prevents the formation of hemoglobin in the urine.
• To maintain the body are required vitamin preparations for dogs (vitamin B12).
• To remove intoxication and restore the water balance of the body will help physiological salt solutions. It is necessary to give the dog to drink a sip every 10-15 minutes.
• Treatment in dogs with folk remedies in the acute period is not recommended, since the consequences after unauthorized treatment are very deplorable.

It is equally important after infection to properly feed the dog.If the pet is very weak and gives up its favorite products, feeding by force (from a spoon or syringe) will put a greater burden on the body. Usually, in such situations, a nutritional drip is placed for the dog after the tick bite.

Pet Food

If the dog, though a little, still shows interest in food, then it should be fed in minimal portions several times a day. It is better if the diet of the sick animal will be the following dishes:

• buckwheat and rice porridge;
• boiled vegetables;
• beef or turkey meat puree;
• corn or olive oil;
• dry food swollen in boiled water;
• canned in heat, mixed with water.

On a note!

Any food must be given to the animal in the form of heat. Also, the pet must be available in clean water. It is also necessary to limit the load: short walks at a leisurely pace, refusal from training, competitions and various exhibitions.

The recovery period, depending on the severity of the disease, can last up to 2 months. After that, the pet must be shown to the specialist again and a repeated blood test must be taken.

How to save a dog from tick bite

There is no 100% protection against ticks today, however there are a lot of means on the market that can save a pet from attacks of parasites. It can be drops on withers, pills, collars, sprays, which are effective not only against ticks, but also various annoying insects. It is enough to use them in accordance with the instructions and the parasites will not stick.

There is also a vaccination dog after a tick bite. It is enough to inject an animal with a vaccine like Nobivac Pyro or Pirodog, and it will develop immunity to parasites. However, to vaccinate an animal does not mean that it is completely protected from bloodsuckers: the vaccine only alleviates the symptoms and treatment at home of the disease, which reduces the number of deaths. To achieve maximum protection, it is desirable to combine vaccination with tick agents.