Ticks are little pesky insects that often take residence in your pet’s skin. These irritating ticks attach themselves to dogs and cats mostly, because they thrive in warm areas. Spring and summer seasons are the worst for pet owners, as their pet is most likely to get infected by ticks during these seasons particularly.
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When pets run around yards or go hiking in the woods, that is when they pick up ticks. The insects feed on your pet’s blood and cause awful itching in them. As tick infestation can spread like wild fire, you will need these home remedies for tick bites in dogs to nip the problem in the bud.
Ticks also carry various diseases with them which makes them all the more undesirable. They might cause Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis and others. If despite these home remedies your dog shows no signs of hope, then you need to take it to a doctor.
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Home remedies for tick bites
Here are the 9 best ways to treat tick bites on dogs.
1. Manual Tick Removal
When it comes to remedies for tick removal, doing it manually beats them on. This is definitely one of the most effective ways to help your pet when it has tick bites.
If you haven’t ever done this before, then let us help you with how you can go about it without panicking. First, wear a pair of gloves. Make sure they are of good quality. Now you need a pair of tweezers and some alcohol. Pour the alcohol into a bowl to make the application easier. Now check for tick bite marks on your dog’s skin; the pests are somewhere close by. Part its fur with a fine-toothed comb. Do this lightly without hurting your animal. You need to thoroughly inspect for ticks. As soon as you spot a tick, you need to use the pair of tweezers to tweeze it out. To kill it, drop it in the bowl of alcohol. Now you need to use a disinfectant and clean up the site of the bite. Once you are done with the cleaning, wash your hands well. Also clean the comb and the tweezers.
While removing ticks using tweezers, you need to grab it by its head, or else, the tweezers might cause the tick’s mouthparts to break, and it might remain embed in your pet’s skin. Be careful.
2. Liquid Dish Soap
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To kill ticks, use liquid dish soap. This suffocates the insects, and gradually, when you comb your pet, the ticks will come off the skin.
In a bowl, pour some liquid dish soap. Now you need a clean cotton ball with which you have to apply the soap on your pet’s tick marks. Leave it on for about 15 minutes, and then, give your pet a nice warm water bath. This treatment needs to be repeated as and when required.
3. Apple Cider Vinegar
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The next remedy on our list of natural treatments for tick bites is the all-rounder remedy, apple cider vinegar. Since it is acidic in nature, ticks get repelled, and this prevents them from latching on to your dog.
Begin by diluting the apple cider vinegar. You need to add equal amounts of it and water into a spray bottle. Now add about 3 to 4 drops of essential lavender oil to the diluted solution. You need to spray the contents of this bottle on your pet’s body. Make sure you do not get it in their eyes, ears and nose. Now take a clean comb and run it through their fur. You can then give it a bath.
This remedy should be repeated once every day until you have removed all the ticks.
4. Food-Grade Diatomaceous Earth
The next remedy is food-grade diatomaceous earth, which is a nontoxic powder that contains ground fossils, marine life and some fresh water organisms in it. This helps destroy the ticks on your pet’s body, and also prevents any kind of infection that might harm your pet’s skin.
The components of this earth penetrate the ticks’ skin, thus killing them by poisoning them.
For the remedy, take some of the food-grade diatomaceous earth and sprinkle it on your pet’s body. Now lightly rub it onto the skin. Leave it on for a day, and next day, give your pet a good warm bath.
The treatment should be repeated as and when required.
5. Tea Tree Oil
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Tea tree oil is therapeutic. As a result, it not only helps get rid of the ticks from your pet’s skin but also effectively prevents infections in the bitten area.
For the remedy, you need to add 4 to 5 drops of essential tea tree oil to your dog’s shampoo; you can use its regular shampoo. You need to give your pet a bath about 3 times a week using this mix of shampoo and essential tea tree oil.
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6. Neem Oil
Indian lilac or neem is very good at treating tick bites in pets. It also helps kill tiny insects because the pests cannot tolerate/survive the strong odor of neem oil. Neem contains antiseptic properties. It is also antibacterial, and hence, sanitizes your pet’s tick-bitten areas, thus preventing infections.
For the remedy, just take some neem oil on your palm, and apply it on your dog’s affected areas. Be careful to rub it on lightly, and not in such a way that it aggravates the bites. If your pet is sensitive to the oil, then you can use it by first diluting it. To dilute the neem oil, mix it with almond oil in the ratio of 1:10.
You need to repeat this treatment twice a day for best results.
7. Lemon
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The next remedy is lemon. It is repelling to ticks, which makes it an effective treatment against ticks. The citric acid in lemon helps get rid of the ticks from your dog’s body.
For the remedy, begin by first squeezing out fresh lemon juice on the dog’s affected parts. Now leave it on for about 15 to 20 minutes. Now give your pet a nice warm bath. This treatment should be repeated once daily until your dog’s situation is cured.
8. Salt
Since salt is non-toxic, it helps fight ticks in a safe manner. Also, it is a hygroscopic agent that attracts and locks moisture, which helps kill or get rid of the tiny pests.
For the remedy, you need to prepare a mixture of salt and baking soda in the ratio of 1:1. Now add a cup of vinegar and water to the mix, and pour it all into a spray bottle. You need to spray the contents of the bottle on your pet’s body. Be careful not to spray it into its eyes, nose and ears. Comb your pet thoroughly and then bathe it with lukewarm water.
You need to repeat the treatment twice a week for best results.
9. Vegetable Oil
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The last remedy on our list of easy treatments for tick bites in dogs is vegetable oil. This is a natural repellant for the pesky ticks. It suffocates them, and therefore, kills them.
For the remedy, begin by preparing a mixture of one and a half tablespoons of vegetable oil, 10 – 12 drops of peppermint oil, and half a tablespoon of dishwashing liquid soap. You can use eucalyptus essential oil in place of peppermint oil, if you want that. Now you need the mix the elements well. Using a clean cotton ball, apply the mixture onto your pet’s affected areas. Leave it on for 15 to 20 minutes, and comb the fur thoroughly. This will help get rid of the ticks that are already dead. Now give your pet a nice warm bath to get rid of rest of the ticks.
You need to repeat the remedy thrice a week for best results.
Additional Tips
- You can use dog tick collars to help your pet.
- Use a tick repellent powder to prevent ticks from attacking your pet.
- Use medicated shampoos to bathe your dog. These will keep ticks at bay.
- To remove the ticks, you can also use rubbing alcohol. However, do not use it on your pet’s skin a sit can cause abrasions.
- Whenever you bring your dog home from outside, comb it thoroughly. This will sweep off ticks, thus preventing irritation and itching.
- You need to clean your house thoroughly for ticks. Give special attention to the corners.
- While cleaning your pet’s blankets or bedding items, use hot water.
- You need to keep your dog away from wooded or bushy areas, as ticks or their larvae might be hiding there.
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That is all we have on today’s post on home remedies for tick bites on dogs. Was this helpful? Will you be recommending it to others too? If you have some remedies that you would like to share with us, then please do so in the comment section below.
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Featured image source: Pixabay, under Creative Commons License
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