Tick prevention is an essential part of any pup’s healthcare. These disease-carrying pests will latch onto your pup and suck their blood while spreading illnesses, so you want to do anything you can to prevent that. With the help of a tick comb, you can help keep your pup’s coat tick-free, but there may be areas that you forget to look through that could hide ticks! Here are some spots you might be missing.
1. Neck
Many ticks might hide beneath a pup’s collar, and won’t be easy to spot unless you completely remove the collar while combing. Make sure to also check the collar itself for ticks when you do so.
2. Ears
Some ticks might find their way into your pup’s ears after they bend down to sniff clumps of grass or investigate corners of things. This is especially true for pups with large and floppy ears, so be sure to regularly perform a thorough ear check to ensure they haven’t snuck in!
3. Eyelids
It’s easy to mistake a small tick on an eyelid for a skin tag, so look thoroughly and make sure that there are no pests masquerading as body parts! Be careful, though, and be gentle with your pup’s eyes.
4. Mouth
Sometimes – though rarely – ticks can sneak into a pup’s mouth, especially if your pup has a habit of eating grass or plants. Ticks on the face could also make their way to the mouth. You don’t need to always check the mouth, but if you see signs of ticks elsewhere on your pup’s body, then check their mouth too.
5. Toes
It’s difficult to see a tick if it buries itself between your pup’s toes. Check your pup’s paw pads and toes, and try to use a comb there if you can, too. A pup licking or chewing at their paws when they don’t normally do so could be a sign that you need to check there for ticks.
6. Groin
No, we’re not joking! Ticks often find the dark and moist conditions of the perianal areas on pups to be conducive to their living. So look around your pup’s genitals when you’re conducting a tick inspection. It might not be the most comfortable thing to do, but better safe than sorry!
7. Tail
Check the underside of a pup’s tail for ticks regularly – it’s near the groin and hard to see!
Preventative care is important for stopping a tick infestation, but you need to know where to look. Learn more on their prevention here and find out more about their potential health risks here. You should also find out what to do if you see a tick, and how to remove one – either the traditional way or with essential oils. Do like and share away!