Whether you have a small or large furry friend, a black or white four-legged friend, summer is tick season and therefore a real pain for all dog owners, especially in the south of Germany. Although ticks are easier to spot on white dogs, ticks do not have a preferred breed or coat color, so everyone has to check their four-legged friends. Do you want to protect your dog from these parasites as a preventative measure? In this article, you can find out which diseases can be transmitted by a tick bite and how you can prevent them.

Which ticks are there in Germany?

There are mainly two species that play a role in Germany: the wood tick, which is active from March to June and September to November, and the brown tick, which is active from February to December. The brown dog tick is still quite rare, but with increasing temperatures in summer it also occurs more frequently and all year round.

Borreliosis or TBE: Which diseases are we talking about?

Many people think directly of Lyme disease when they think of ticks. However, this is actually a disease that only really affects humans. Dogs can fight borrelia very well by producing antibodies. This is why symptoms or illness rarely occur. TBE is also only a serious tick-borne disease for humans. TBE in dogs is rare in Germany, which is why, unlike in humans, there is no vaccine for dogs.
Diseases relevant to dogs are:

• Anaplasmosis: Carriers are the wood tick and the brown dog tick, which must suck for 24-48 hours. The symptoms are very unspecific (z.B. Gastrointestinal symptoms, cough, anemia). Can be treated with antibiotics after diagnosis (z.B. by a clinical picture).
• Ehrlichiosis: The brown dog tick is a vector and infection occurs about 3 hours after the bite. The symptoms are similar to anaplasmosis, especially in the acute phase (z.B. Fever, gastrointestinal symptoms, bleeding). The course is usually more severe than that of anaplasmosis. After diagnosis (z.B. through a blood count or blood smear), the pathogen cannot be eliminated, but the symptoms can only be alleviated with antibiotics.
• Hepatozoonosis: Transmission by swallowing or biting the brown dog tick. Symptoms include z.B. intermittent fever, diarrhea, anemia, nasal and ocular discharge. In some cases they can be life-threatening. Diagnosis can be made by a blood smear or PCR from the blood. However, the pathogen cannot be eliminated. Affected dogs often have no symptoms. Otherwise they must be treated with antibiotics and antiparasitics.
• Babesiosis: The colored tick must have sucked for at least 24 hours for an infection. The disease can be asymptomatic, acute or chronic. Fever, fatigue, anemia and acute kidney failure are examples of symptoms. After diagnosis (z.B. by a blood smear or PCR), treatment can be given with an antiparasitic agent.

Why is it so important to check after a walk?

There are some diseases that require the tick to have sucked for many hours or even several days. This is one of our tips for walks in spring and summer: regular brushing - especially after walks - prevents tick bites and thus the transmission of pathogens.

How do I remove a tick correctly?

Grab the tick as close to the skin as possible using tick tweezers (not your fingers!). The tick's body should not be squeezed, otherwise it may empty its stomach contents into the dog. Slowly pull the tick out in the direction of the bite canal. Do not twist it! This can tear off the mouthparts.

After removal, you should keep a close eye on the puncture site. If the area swells, reddens or the dog behaves abnormally, please have it examined by a vet immediately.

Tablets and spot-on preparations: Preventive action is the best protection

There are several effective remedies against ticks. It's important to find the best one for you:

• Tick collars emit an unpleasant odor for the tick. If the tick still gets on the dog, it is immediately killed by contact with the fur. Depending on the manufacturer, they are waterproof and effective for up to 8 months.
• Spot-ons are effective for 4-6 weeks and spread with a contact poison on the fatty layer of the skin. Children should not come into contact with larger quantities.
• Cauto tablets are effective for around 1 to 6 months. The advantage is that the active ingredient is not washed off when bathing in the lake (and therefore does not get into the water) and children cannot ingest it. For dogs with neurological diseases, veterinary advice must be sought as to which preparations are suitable.

As a general rule, please do not use tick repellents from over-the-counter stores or the Internet, but only use products from a veterinary practice, as some products may be ineffective or even harmful. As a general rule, the risk of disease due to a lack of tick protection is higher than the occurrence of side effects from tested tick repellents.

What natural tick remedies are there?

• Essential oils are not only barely effective against ticks, they can also cause skin irritation or allergies in dogs.
• The tick-repellent properties of coconut oil have not been scientifically proven, neither for external application nor for ingestion via food. A health benefit of coconut oil has also not yet been established. The dog therefore only consumes unnecessary calories.
• Amber chains are said to work according to the principle of electrical charge. However, this hypothesis is not scientifically tenable and there is no valid proof of effectiveness.
• EM ceramic collars are supposed to repel ticks by microorganisms. However, as ceramic is heated to 700 degrees, no microorganisms survive.

Protection by alternative means is therefore not guaranteed, so it is better to use a tested veterinary tick repellent.

When should dogs be protected?

As the ticks native to Germany are active for many months or even all year round, your dog should ideally be protected all year round. Protection should be guaranteed at least from February to winter.

A thorough examination of ticks is therefore absolutely essential in order to protect our four-legged friends from these pests and to be able to enjoy the warm season together.