My senior dog has severe ticks, bloody skin. How can I treat it?

Hello. Oh dear, those are a lot of ticks & I am VERY glad you are wearing gloves. I would get her in a tub with warm soapy water, preferably one labeled to kill fleas & ticks, but dish soap will work, & try & remove as many of the ticks as you can. The skin will bleed, but just try to get as many ticks off as you can. The soap will stun/kill the fleas, but the ticks can take days to die & fall off. It may take several baths to get all of the ticks. If you have access to any of the oral flea/tick products, give her one appropriate to her size. If all you can get are the topicals ( not sure what is sold in your country, but an Advantage or Frontline type product is great). Bathing shortly before or after applying a topical can diminish its effectiveness, but you should go ahead & apply anyway. If none of these are available, just use the soapy water & tweezers to remove the ticks, even if it takes a few days of bathing. Good luck & thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

I would recommend first a good flea and tick prevention. You can use the oral medication or even the seresto collar. Even if she doesn't go outside she can still get fleas. For her skin I would bring her to a veterinarian. She will most likely need medication to stop licking and scratching and antibiotics to heal her infection. She may also be prescribed a shampoo that is medicated that you can't get over the counter. There are great medications now that help with itching also. There are pills and injections that you can discuss with your veterinarian to help her feel much better. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Maxi! There are many reasons for a senior dog to become weak: kidney, liver problems, arthritis, neurological degeneration of the spine, cancer. Tick infestations, if severe can make any age dog weak by removing too much blood and causing anemia. Also ticks carry infectious diseases like Lyme, Ehrlichia, anaplasma and many others. I recommend, ideally, to have Maxi seen by a Vet and have blood work done and check her for the above 3 tick borne diseases. Then if healthy enough give her a flea and tick preventative. There are great drugs out now for fleas and ticks, like Nexgard, Simparica, Bravecto and the Seresto collar. I am so sorry that Maxi is sick and I wish her a speedy recovery! If you need anything else please contact us, we are here to help!

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!

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It looks like a skin growth. I don't think it is a tick or any other skin parasite. Ticks feed on dogs for 3-4 days and then fall off. If this lump has been there for a few months it cannot be a tick or any other bug. Skin growths like this are common in older dogs. They are usually benign and not dangerous, but please show it to your vet the next time you take Lily in for an appointment.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! These are not growths, these are actually ticks. The reason they are growing is because they are filling up with blood. These should be removed. This is something your veterinarian should be able to do for you very easily. A good flea and tick preventative to consider to try to prevent this is Frontline plus. Good luck and have a good day!

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. The smell usually indicates skin infection, so ideally you should take Jaceky to your local vets to get a course of antibiotics. Alternatively, you can first clip the wounds from the hair and use antiseptic solution ( 4% chlorhexidine would be best) and clean it twice a day. Also, make sure that your dog doesn't lick or scratch the wounds. For ticks, the most effective treatments are spot-on skin solutions that you can buy over-the-counter at pet shops or online.