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My dog got tick fever. Can they get it again? How do I prevent it?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | German Shepherd | Male | unneutered | 2 years and 6 months old

I have a question in mind... Stray dogs has lots of ticks so why dont they get a tick fever and dogs at our home geta a tick fever?? Also if once dog get a tick fever is there a chance he can get it again in future? Also how to keep dog safe from tick fever? Is fipronil spray is good for ticks or tick powder is good?

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Daniel Fonza, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on May 19th, 2018

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Not all ticks carry the bacteria that leads to tick fever, so it is likely because a tick with tick fever has not bitten your dog yet. Unfortunately, once dogs get an infection, they do not develop long term immunity and can get the infection again. To protect a dog from getting tick fever, it is recommended to have the dog on a flea / tick preventative such as Frontline, Bravecto, Nexgard or Simparica. I prefer to use the Nexgard or Bravecto as I've seen the best results with both products for preventing ticks and fleas. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. Please take the time to mark this question as helpful or not as it helps us to improve on the quality of our answers to other pet owners. Thank you kindly!

3Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Destini R. Holloway, DVM
Veterinarian
Published on May 25th, 2018
Tick fever is sort of misnomer, this doesn't mean that just because a tick bites you you will automatically develop a fever. Tick fever is a short way of saying your pet has an infectious disease carried by the tick , These infectious diseases range from Rocky Mountain spotted fever, to Valley fever, to Lyme disease, and more. If none of the ticks are infected, then your pet won't get infected.

Fipronil spray is not very effective against your pet getting ticks. Fipronil spray works well for the environment, but it doesn't stay on your pets haircoat and skin very long. You will need a good high quality tick preventative such as Bravecto, Nexgard, or Simparica. These are all pills that are available through your veterinarian and are very effective. OVer the counter Advantix is ok to use if you are in a crunch, but it also has some issues with efficacy in some pets. I would also recommend having the yard treated by a professional, because no matter how good your product is, it can be overpowered by an infestation of ticks in the environment. YOu may also want to call animal control to help get a lot of these strays off the street, so that they are not contributing to the tick infestation in your area.
I hope this helps and best of luck moving forward with your pet and his tick problems. Take care!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Destini R. Holloway, DVM
Veterinarian
Published on February 24th, 2017
Tick fever (including Rocky Mountain spotted fever) is the passage of a parasite via a tick bite. The pets rectal temperature will be elevated (>102.5 degrees F), feeling their body isn't an accurate measurement of fever because dogs temperature is always going to warmer than ours normally. You can also see signs of lameness, lethargy and lack of appetite. You can also see coughing, lymphadenopathy and edema in severe cases.

Treatment is going to consist of antibiotics (oftentimes up to 3-4 weeks) prescribed through your vet.
To protect your pet from tick borne diseases like this, you simply give a high quality tick preventative to your pet year-round, such as Preventic collar, Bravecto, Nexgard or Advantix.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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