huMom

Hello everyone. We are in early spring here at Knotty Toys for Good Dogs. I got an unpleasant reminder of what that means last week. HuMom always gives me a thorough check after our walks once the snow is gone & she found a tick on me. So she sprung into action with a small tool called a tick twister (see above). Within moments the tick was removed & dispatched in a solution of rubbing alcohol. But yuck. We hate ticks.

Ticks are small insects that are related to spiders. They can be found in forests, tall brush or grass. But they aren’t just in the country side, they live in city parks & backyards too.

Ticks will jump on any mammal as it’s walking by. Then they burrow through the fur to feed on blood. In doing so, ticks can transmit deadly diseases & parasites. Lyme disease is carried by ticks. The longer a tick feeds the more likelihood of it transmitting a disease or a parasite, so it’s important to remove them as soon as possible.

Ticks are visible to the naked eye & will grow as they feed. If you do find a tick, it is important to take care when removing it. Any contact with the tick’s blood can potentially transmit infection to your good dog or even to you! Treat the area with rubbing alcohol & pluck the parasite with a tick remover, making sure you’ve gotten the head. Never squeeze an attached tick or it will ‘barf’ into the wound. The ‘barf’ may have parasites or viruses in it.

My huMom is a “helicopter mom” with me & my fur is short & light colored so in my case, finding a tick isn’t that difficult. I imagine this isn’t so for all good dogs. For us, the tick twister tool comes in handy. But if your good dog is thick furred it may not be so simple & a tick may go undetected. There are medications you can give your good dog, both to prevent & kill ticks. There are pills, spray’s, & shampoos. Like any medication, you need to be careful about which one you use. Tick medications are toxic. Make sure you read all labels carefully, & if you have any doubts, seek advice from your veterinarian. We always like to pawmote all natural products & there are natural tick treatments but we have never tried one so I can’t say if they are effective or not. If you use a natural product for ticks, please share your experience with us; we would love to hear about it.

With that yipped, we do use Omega Alpha‘s HerbaCoat which does have neem oil in it’s formulation. Unfortunately, huMom had not rubbed it in my coat before I got the tick last week; she hasn’t forgot since. Neem oil is effective natural insecticide. When ingested, neem oil causes ticks to lose their appetite, become infertile, & starve to death. When applied directly to a tick’s body, neem oil clogs the tick’s airways & causes suffocation. As well HerbaCoat formulation includes citronella which is effective in repelling fleas, ticks, blackflies & mosquitoes. HerbaCoat can be used on us good dogs, but shouldn’t be used on our furbulous feline furiends. Your human can also use it; my huMom does. You can read more on HerbaCoat in last weeks blog post ‘Omega Alpha’s Herba Coat Will Keep The Bugs Away While Keeping Your Good Dog’s Coat Looking Furbulous.’

I recommend you always give your good dog & furbulous feline (if they go outside) a thorough check after a walk in nature, be it a forest, park or backyard. Pay special attention to the ears, lips, nose, under the chin, the top of the legs & between toes. These are places ticks like to hide, but they will attach anywhere given the chance. The one huMom found was on the curl of my neck.

A “tick Twister” is specifically designed for removing ticks. They can be purchased at a pet supply store or ask your vet. This video shows how a Tick Twister works, it seems very easy but go slow. Your confidence will grow but if your like my huMom the ticks will still gross you out.

Ticks are dog gone disgusting & ugly so I apawlogize for this being a gross post.

Have a pawsome week, CEO Olivia, Dot & Jerry Underfoot 💜

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