What's on my pet's ear? Is it a tick? What flea/tick product to use?

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Lupin. I recommend using Vectra 3D. This is a topically applied medication. The pests are repelled or killed on contact. This means the pet does not need to be bit for the medication to work as is the case with oral medications. It is a broad spectrum product including repelling mosquitos. This helps with heartworm prevention as well. I hope this information helps!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Hazel. I typically prescribe Vectra 3D to kill and repel fleas and ticks. It also will repel mosquitoes which will help to prevent heartworm disease. Fleas are very small jumping parasites. They will leave black flecks on the pet known as flea dirt. Ticks are larger, usually brown in color and attach themselves to a pet in order to draw blood. Both are capable of spreading disease. I hope this information helps!

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Ghost. Yes, this does look like it could be an engorged tick. Make sure he is up to date on his flea and tick medication. I hope this helps!

Hi and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It is hard to say exactly what the cause of the bump may be without examining Lilly first. It may be from a tick bite or could be a small mass such as a cyst. From the picture, it does not appear to be a tick. Trifexis does not cover ticks. You may consider placing Lilly on another product that covers ticks. Currently there is no one product that covers heart worms, fleas, and all 4 types of ticks. I would recommend NexGard or Simparica that covers fleas and ticks very well in addition to her regular monthly heart worm preventative. I would keep an eye on the bump, however. If it gets larger or you notice any discharge or redness, I would take Lilly into her veterinarian to have it evaluated. I hope this helps!

I recommend to use an additional product for ticks if he is going to be going into tick infested areas on a routine basis. This could be an oral preventive like Simparica or Nexgard. You should also use a tick collar like Preventic collar. You could also use one of the above mentioned oral products and something like Proheart or Interceptor for ticks. I recommend to discuss the best option with your veterinarian. Use a magnifying glass and make sure not to handle the tick with your bare skin. That looks like a rocky mountain tick or a gulf coast tick to me but here is a great link about ticks: https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/tickbornediseases/tickID.html Continue to check jack a few times a day. Run your fingers over his entire body. Be sure to check his ears and feet really well. I hope this helps.

Ticks can be difficult to manage - even with some of these high-quality preventatives! Instead of using the Vectra 3D and Seresto products, consider using an oral flea/tick preventative, such as Nexgard or Bravecto. In my experience, these products seem to be more effect for both flea and tick prevention, but both are prescription based. If you prefer using topical preventatives for Orion, Advantix is another option that I tend to prefer. I would not recommend using additional topical sprays while he is also receiving the topical Vectra 3D. While all of these products are labeled for tick prevention, in reality, they can take a bit of time to work and actually kill the tick. If you find ticks that are attached to Orion, be sure to remove them with all of their head and mouthparts. Ticks need to be attached for around 24+ hours in order to transmit disease.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Buddy. I prefer to use a topical liquid for flea and tick prevention. The reasoning being this will prevent the spread of disease from ticks. All oral products require the patient to actually be bitten by the tick for the prevention to work. The bite is how tick born diseases are spread. My favorite product is Vectra 3D. It also repels mosquitoes so it works in conjunction with your dog's monthly heartworm prevention. This is a huge benefit. It is also effective against lice, certain types of mites and biting flies. Unfortunately, natural products are not going to effective. The diseases spread by ectoparasites can be a serious threat to your pet. A lot of times there are manufacturer rebates available when you purchase Vectra 3D. I hope this information helps!