What Are the Signs of Ticks on Dogs?
When looking for ticks, you may feel or spot ticks on your dog’s body underneath their fur. When it first attaches, an adult tick will look like a tiny round bug with 8 legs. After feeding, it will swell up to look bloated and bluish-gray, and eventually detach. If that tick has already detached, you may notice a small bump or inflamed area at the site of the bite.
Do Ticks Carry Lyme Disease?
If a tick that is carrying a pathogen bites a dog, that dog is at risk of becoming infected as well. The most commonly-diagnosed tick-borne disease is in the US is Lyme disease, which is transmitted by the black-legged tick and caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. Signs of Lyme disease in dogs include fever, lameness, joint swelling, lethargy, and even serious kidney damage.2
How Does Oral Tick Protection for Dogs Work?
When a dog takes NexGard® (afoxolaner), the active ingredient protects them by spreading throughout their system. When a tick bites, it gets a tiny dose of that active ingredient, which is designed to quickly kill the tick. However, the active ingredient will eventually leave your dog’s body, which is why it’s important to dose on a regular schedule.
Sick of ticks? Defend your dog from tip to tail with monthly tick protection.
What to Know About Ticks and Dogs
Ticks attach to your dog’s skin using their mouthparts and then begin feeding on their blood. It can take a few days for ticks to get their fill. The harmful bacteria that cause Lyme disease are transmitted to your dog while the tick is feeding. This is how Lyme disease is transmitted to the host.3
Initially, ticks are small and difficult to spot, but that changes after they’ve fed. Ticks attach and feed over a period of days to a couple of weeks. As they become engorged, female ticks swell to a much larger size and become more visible. The amount they grow depends on the tick’s species and sex.
It’s important to thoroughly search your dog for ticks on a regular basis, especially after they’ve spent time outside. Ticks can be anywhere on the body, but they prefer warm, dark, and inconspicuous hiding places. When searching for ticks on your dog, pay special attention to between the toes, inside the ears, under the legs, and around the groin area.4
Different species of ticks are more active during different times of the year, but they can prey on hosts all year long.3 That’s why it’s crucial to keep your dog on year-round tick protection.
Make Monthly Flea and Tick Protection Delicious
Get NexGard Chews From Your Vet
Ask your vet about NexGard chews—they’re the flea and tick protection vets recommend most.4
Give Your Dog NexGard Chews
NexGard chews are bite-sized doses of beef-flavored deliciousness, and dogs love them.5
Enjoy Protection
Each dose of NexGard chews lasts for a full month of adventure, and you’ll love how easy it is to protect your pet.