My dog has insects on his body. What are they and what should I do?

Hello and thank you very much for your question. Austin is such a lucky puppy to have such concerned and compassionate owner. Because I have never been to India, I am unfamiliar with the environment, climate, and external parasites such as ticks that inhabit your climate. So I can only give you a perspective from a veterinarian practicing in the United States. During the summer months, many different types of ticks are commonly found on dogs and outdoor cats. Especially if those animals are not being treated with a flea and tick preventative on a monthly basis. Ticks can cause a variety of diseases and problems for your dog and have the potential of carrying diseases like Lyme disease. The good news, however, is that there are so many great canine flea and tick preventative’s on the market today that are safe and effective for dogs of your puppies age. Some examples of these different types of medications are things like bravecto, frontline, Advantix, or seresto collars. I encourage you to consult your local veterinarian and schedule an appointment to get him started on one of these flea and tick preventative as soon as possible to keep Austin happy and healthy. I hope this helps. Have a great day.

Absolutely YES!!! I would recommend to have him checked by your veterinarian so an effective treatment to prevent tick infestation can be given as well.. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

Tick prevention can be achieved in many different ways. There are TONS of products available on the market, some of which are prescription only and others that are over-the-counter. You might ask ten different vets and get ten different answers as to which product is best, and this is sometimes due to the fact that certain products work better in certain geographic regions. For instance, where I practice in western Pennsylvania, we find that the Seresto Collar provides the best protection, particularly against deer ticks. However, this is not what was routinely recommended further down south. The recommendations will likely be different in the UK as well, so asking some local vets their opinion would be a valuable tool for you. Just in general, there are three different formulations for protection: topical, collar, and oral medication. Any of them are capable of getting the job done, just some are better than others in particular instances. In terms of humans, ticks can definitely infect us with diseases. The tick itself has to do this though; the dog can not get the disease and then spread it to us. Let me know if there is anything else I can help with today.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I’m sorry to hear that Lucky ran off but I’m glad he is back with you. I would recommend bringing Lucky to your veterinarian as soon as possible to have all of his ticks removed properly. Ticks can be challenging to remove and if not done properly, can form abscesses in the skin. Ticks carry a number of diseases such as Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever, that can make dogs very sick and have long last effects on their organs. Some of these diseases, such as Lyme, require the tick to be on a dog for 24 hours before the dog becomes infected, so the sooner the ticks are removed, the better. Your veterinarian will want to remove all of the ticks and likely submit bloodwork to evaluate Lucky’s blood cells and kidney and liver function. Also, if Lucky is not already on a flea and tick monthly preventative medication, I recommend asking your veterinarian about starting him on a topical or chewable medication that will help prevent infection with these tick-borne diseases in the future. I hope this is helpful!

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Ticks live in the grass and jump on animals/cloths, and then bite and stay attached. Fleas will live in bedding/baseboards and will jump on and bite animals and then jump off. If you get a product such as Frontline, Bravecto, Nexguard, Advantix, Advantage, Revolution, etc. that should deal with fleas. Some will deal with ticks, but some won't. I would check to see if you aren't actually dealing with bed-bugs. Try getting a picture of the creatures that are on Bruno, and are crawling towards him, and we can try to help you determine what they are and what to use. Best of luck with Bruno!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Tofy! We would need a closer picture of the tick and we would need to see the under side as well to identify the tick. I would recommend the Seresto collar or the oral flea and tick preventatives like Nexgard, Simparica and Bravecto. Vinegar does not kill any species of tick. In my experience the natural products do not work for ticks or fleas and the risk of the diseases they transmit is greater than the use of non-natural products. Again if you would like us to ID the tick we need very close up pictures of both sides. I hope this helps and I wish Tofy the very best!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern! Poor Rusty! Ticks are no fun and can be quite painful when in large quantities. I would recommend using a flea and tick preventative such as Frontline, Nexgard or Bravecto. He will likely need a shampoo to help soothe his skin after the ticks die. I would recommend Douxo PS Calm shampoo, which can be easily found online. I hope this helps and that Rusty improves! Please let me know if you have any other questions / concerns!