You endured the long winter, eagerly looking forward to warm weather, only to be confronted with ticks and dogs after every springtime walk.
Of course, the dogs are great--it's those pesky ticks that are driving you up a wall.
Here are some things you can do about it.
Ticks like to hang out in tall grass so they can simply crawl from the grass onto any passing dog.
You can try to avoid walking your pooch in grassy areas during tick season (about April through September).
But since that's rather impractical if you own a hunting dog or live in the country, your next best option is to contact your vet for his recommendation on a top quality tick repellent.
You also need to check your dog for ticks every time he comes inside after a walk or just a potty trip to the back yard.
First, pet him all over to find the ticks that are still wandering.
Then give him a closer inspection in the places where these parasites often take up residence--in and around your dog's ears, between his toes, and in his "armpits.
" Removing ticks from dogs is pretty simple.
Just get a good grip on the tick with a pair of tweezers, pull straight up and out (no twisting!), then drop the pest in the toilet.
All done! If your puzzled pooch complains, just tell him it's for his own good.
The truth is that ticks are not only gross and disgusting--many of them carry disease, too.
You've probably heard of the most common diseases from ticks--canine Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever.
That's why it's so important to not only do your best to keep ticks and dogs at a safe distance from each other, but to also promptly remove any ticks that have already latched onto your dog.
Ticks can easily crawl from their host dogs to a host human, bringing disease with them.
So avoiding ticks is important for your own health, too.
If you live in or visit areas where ticks abound, take appropriate precautions but don't give up long walks in the beautiful outdoors.
You can successfully deal with ticks and dogs to keep your pooch and your family safe from these pesky blood suckers.