My new puppy had ticks. Do I need a vet check after removal?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry you are going through this. It sounds like they started the vaccination earlier than usual. Usually the second round of vaccines is applied at around 10-12 weeks. However, you should be ok as long as you continue the vaccine schedule as recommended by a veterinarian. The next step is having them provide you with a vaccine record. If you have recently started using Frontline, then it is fair to give it a few weeks to see if it helps. If you see ticks it is important to remove them. If you see more fleas, I recommend a product called Capstar which can help kill a lot of fleas at once. I do think that it would be best to have Teddy evaluated by a veterinarian sooner than 3 weeks as he is likely due for the next round of vaccines. Good luck and have a great day!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I think that is a great idea! Bring a stool sample with you. The Vet can go over her vaccine schedule, get her started on flea/tick and heartworm prevention and discuss having her spayed. I hope this helps and I wish you all the best!

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Fleas can carry tapeworms, so it may be necessary to deworm Huey. A vet can also take a good look at Huey's skin to make sure there is no irritation or allergic reaction to the fleas. I hope all is well!

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!

No, if you got the tick off within a day they generally don’t get sick from ticks. If there is any question you can get a tick infection test done at your veterinary clinic. I recommend starting a veterinary oral tick and flea prevention product when he’s old enough, like Bravecto or Nexgard so he doesn’t get more ticks. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Boa.

I would just remove the tick and make sure you get the mouth parts out. If you are unsure if you got them all out then I would recommend showing your veterinarian. If they are left in they can cause inflammation in the area. Tick diseases don't show positive until about 2 months after so I would not test him for anything. I would recommend once old enough to start flea/tick prevention. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

It is likely you will not see clinical symptoms for any tuck borne disease this soon if Otis were to contract one of the diseases. I would recommend starting a flea and tick preventative such as Nexgard and have Otis monitored for tick borne diseases once yearly. The test is cheap and your vet can run it in the hospital. It is a simple snap test that takes 15 minutes to run. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.