Ticks on Dogs and Cats: Daily Checks, Preventives, and a Warning for Cat Owners

Dogs and cats pick up ticks outdoors, and like people they can get tickborne diseases. They can also carry ticks into the house, where the ticks may bite people. Dogs can even be infested by the brown dog tick, found across the United States and unusual in being able to live indoors, in homes and kennels.

Check every day

A daily check of any pet that goes outside, removing ticks that are crawling or biting, keeps the pet healthier and may stop a crawling tick from reaching a person. Ticks are hard to spot, especially on long-haired and dark-coated breeds. Look:

• in and around the ears and around the eyelids;
• under the collar;
• under the front legs and between the back legs;
• between the toes;
• around the tail.

Where to check your pet for ticks. CDC.

If you find a tick biting your pet, remove it right away.

Preventives — for dogs, and carefully for cats

Dogs are very susceptible to tick bites and tickborne disease. Vaccines exist only for Lyme disease in dogs, and no vaccine keeps a dog from bringing ticks indoors — so use a tick preventive product on your dog, and ask your veterinarian which is best and which tickborne diseases occur where you live.

Cats are extremely sensitive to many chemicals. Never put a tick product on a cat without asking your veterinarian first.

The FDA has also issued a fact sheet for pet owners and veterinarians (2018) on possible adverse events with isoxazoline flea and tick products; a veterinarian can advise.

After a bite

Watch your pet for changes in behavior or appetite if you know or suspect it was bitten. Signs of tickborne disease may not appear for 7–21 days or longer. Reducing tick habitat in your yard also lowers the risk for pets and people.

Sources

Based on "Preventing Ticks on Pets," Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; a work of the United States government in the public domain.