The weather is beautiful, the trees are greening up and what could be more inviting than a meandering walk in a grassy field with your happy Golden Retriever? It’s almost worth enduring a long Midwest winter just to enjoy spring romps. But did you know those lush green grasses and gently swaying hedgerow can harbor nasty uninvited guests to your pastoral activities?

Unfortunately the Upper Midwest is home to a number of ticks that find your furry friend (and you, for that matter) an irresistible buffet. These include deer ticks, American dog ticks (also called wood tick) and brown dog ticks. There are other types of ticks, but these predominate for the transmission of diseases that affect dogs (and humans) in our area. Some of the diseases they transmit include Lyme disease, Canine Ehrliochiosis, Canine Anaplasmosis and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Left undiagnosed or untreated, these diseases may be fatal to your dog or leave him with lasting painful symptoms.

Tick bites on dogs are hard to detect and symptoms of illness may not appear for up to 21-30 days after being bitten. It is important to know how to prevent them, and how to remove them should they find their way onto your Golden friend.

Ticks live in grasses, weeds, hedges and woody areas. They wait for an animal or human to pass by, brushing against the foliage, giving them an opportunity to climb on board. Usually within 12-24 hours after hitching a ride, the tick has attached its mouthparts and has begun feeding.

The best method for treating ticks is prevention. RAGOM recommends using a topical tick preventative/insecticide. These products include Frontline and Revolution and are applied topically, between the shoulder blades and at the top of the tail. They are a monthly application and while not a repellent, they kill fleas and ticks and their larvae. These products are affordable and available in pet supply stores, vet clinics and online. Make sure you are purchasing a product that matches the weight of your dog. Read the labels of tick and flea products carefully. Some products are not recommended for homes with cats as the chemical used may be toxic to cats. (Frontline and Revolution are safe for homes with cats, but should not be used on cats without checking with your vet first.)

Ticks are most prevalent in the late summer and fall, but they are also present in the spring and early summer. Begin treating your dog with preventative now and continue, once a month, until a very hard frost. Some vets recommend using preventative all year long as winters have grown warmer and ticks more prevalent. These products are waterproof and you dog can swim or be bathed while wearing the product.

After you have been out with your dogs in an area that has tall grass, hedges, shrubs or woody areas, spend time carefully checking your dog for ticks. Ticks are attracted to less densely coated areas, so thoroughly check around the belly, armpit, ears, neck, face and groin areas. Ticks are very small, hard-bodied, some no larger than a head of a pin. At first glance they look like very tiny crabs or spiders. They do not have wings, and cannot fly off and “get you.” They are darkly colored and fortunately, easy to spot against a Golden’s light skin. If the tick has not attached itself, remove it with a tweezers, put in a small plastic food bag (“Baggie”) and destroy it by squishing it between the sides of the bag. Try not to touch the tick with your bare hands to prevent any disease transmission to yourself, and make sure you’ve killed it.

If, in spite of wearing preventative, your dog has a tick that has attached, use a tweezers (not a match, petroleum jelly, fingers or other popular folk method as ticks do not back out of the dog) to grasp the tick just behind the head, but not the body because squeezing the abdomen can cause the tick to regurgitate bacteria into the dog, and pull straight back. You may have to rock it back and forth a little to disengage the tick from the dog. This loosens the adhesion and mouth parts. The tick’s head will come out, and it should contain a tiny bit of flesh in its mouthparts. (Ewwww! Gross, right? But it’s better for your dog that the mouth parts be removed!) If you don’t get the mouth parts, with the edge of the tweezers, gently scrape over the head and grasp whatever edge you can and pull firmly to remove. Discard the tick to a plastic bag and destroy it. You may rub a little antibacterial cream or gel on the tick’s bite to help heal the spot. Your dog may develop an immune response to the bite which may look like a pimple that is healing. This welt should disappear within 14-21 days.

If your dog has had an attached tick, you will need to watch your dog closely for symptoms of illness. Symptoms are not limited to, but may include lethargy, achiness, lameness, fever, and diarrhea. If your dog presents with any of these symptoms or behaves in a way that concerns you, contact your veterinarian and seek prompt medical care. The illnesses that ticks carry are all treatable if caught early and generally just require a blood test and antibiotics. However treatable the illness, some dogs may continue to exhibit chronic symptoms long after the illness is cured.

This is a beautiful time of year to enjoy the great Upper Midwest outdoors. Winter is long, harsh and finally over. By following the simple steps of preventative, inspection and tick removal, you and your Golden can enjoy a long, playful, safe and healthy summer!

All of our dogs need your help to live a golden life. For $325, you can sponsor any RAGOM dog. We'll assign you a dog, or if a certain dog grabs your heart, you can request one, and you can watch his or her progress on the website, reading about vet visits, socialization, foster care, and potential adoptive families. Some dogs will need multiple sponsors due to extraordinary medical expenses. It's a rewarding way to get involved - and help a specific tail start wagging again.

There are a number of dogs waiting to be adopted and we are committed to making them healthy and finding them good homes. Our dogs can always use your help too, and sponsoring a dog is a great way to participate if you are unable to foster one yourself. Of course, a donation in any amount is always greatly appreciated!

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