Tick Bites On Dogs

Question
Hello, Dr. Carozza!

I am really worried...my dog, Barkley, was in the woods this past week and we found three HUGE ticks on him.  They must have been there awhile because they were blown up so big that we thought that they were wort-like growths on his body (which Barkley gets sometimes).  I was checking him more throughly last night and realized that they were ticks so I took them out with twizzers.  God, those buggers hang on!  I was glad, though, because they were dead.  My question is this:  Barkley is on monthly tick/flea preventative medication and I think that's why the ticks died after ingesting his blood.  But, Barkley has red spots on his body now where the bites were.  Do you suggest I take him to the vet right away?  What symptoms can he get or the worse case scenario, what could happen to him?  I am SO worried!  Please reply...thank you!  -Terie

Answer
Hi Terie!

Its COMMON for ticks to leave behind a red welt, especially if you left part of the mouth lodged in the skin.

You have 2 options:

1. Keep the lesions clean with an anitseptic cleanser such as witch hazel (no peroxide, it actually damages skin) and put some triple antibiotic ointment on it.

OR
2. Take him to the vet to make sure they don't already have a secondary infection present.

Make sure he is on a good preventative such as FRONTLINE for fleas and ticks or REVOLUTION. Ask your vet also for a specialized tick collar. Those work great too!

Other medication, especially by Hartz can be useless and can actually harm your pet.

Good Luck!