Ticks on Dogs: Prevent Lyme Disease and Other Tick-Borne Illnesses

This pet health content was written by a veterinarian, Dr. Debora Lichtenberg, VMD. It was last reviewed on August 2, 2024

Understanding the Challenges of Ticks on Dogs

Ticks on dogs are a persistent problem, becoming worse each year in endemic areas. They are spreading to more areas of the country, increasing the risk of tick-borne diseases.

• Ticks are spreading to more areas, increasing disease risk.
• Controlling ticks on dogs is extremely difficult, even with effective products.
• Tick-borne diseases are challenging to diagnose and treat.

Controlling and preventing ticks on dogs is extremely difficult, even with the most effective products. The diseases ticks carry are challenging to diagnose and treat, making prevention crucial.

Tick-Borne Diseases in Dogs

Ticks on dogs can transmit several serious diseases, making it essential to be aware of the most common ones: Lyme disease (the most common) Ehrlichia Anaplasmosis (Learn more about Anaplasmosis) Rocky Mountain spotted fever Babesiosis

Recognizing Signs of Tick-Borne Diseases in Dogs

Symptoms of tick-borne diseases in dogs can vary, but typically include: Lethargy Fever Aches and pains Limping Swollen joints Swollen lymph nodes

Other dangers of tick diseases include changes in blood (decreased white blood cells, decreased platelets) and kidney disease (Lyme nephritis). Additional diagnostic tests may be required, such as blood tests, ultrasound, and biopsies.

Definitive diagnosis can be difficult. Severely decreased platelets, brain, and ocular involvement, and kidney disease can be life-threatening. Fortunately, these severe symptoms are uncommon.

Found a Tick on Your Dog? Remove It Now

If you find a tick on your dog, get rid of it immediately. Be as vigilant as you can.

• You don’t need anything more “high-tech” than your fingers and a tissue.
• Use tweezers or hemostats if you prefer for more precision.

For a detailed guide on how to safely remove ticks, visit Find a tick on your dog.

Testing for Lyme Disease and Other Tick-Borne Conditions in Dogs

Most veterinarians have an in-house test for heartworm, Lyme, ehrlichia, and anaplasmosis that takes just a few minutes to run during your exam, using a few drops of blood. This test is called the 4DX SNAP test.

• A positive result on this test does not necessarily mean your dog has an active disease.
• Many dogs who test positive show no symptoms.

This test indicates if your dog was bitten by a tick carrying one of the organisms, but it does not confirm if your pet has contracted a disease from the tick. So, what should you do?

• Most experts don't recommend treating a perfectly healthy, asymptomatic dog who tests positive on the 4DX test.
• Additional tests may be sent out to a lab to make a more accurate diagnosis if a tick-borne disease is suspected. These results take several days and can be expensive.

Experts debate the reliability of some additional testing. When labs are still developing and introducing new and different tests for a disease, it usually means the definitive test has not yet been found.

Treatment for Tick-Borne Disease in Dogs

Fortunately, if a pet has a clinical tick-borne disease, they usually respond quickly to doxycycline, a common antibiotic.

• Most feverish, painful dogs are treated with “doxy” and a pain reliever/anti-inflammatory.
• The majority show improvement within 24 hours or less.

If the dog is showing no symptoms, evidence-based medicine suggests not to treat with antibiotics. In areas like the Northeast, many dogs would be on antibiotics for their entire lives if treatment was based solely on a positive 4DX test.

Lyme Disease Vaccination

There is a Lyme vaccine available, and many experts suggest it be used in endemic areas.

The negatives of the Lyme disease vaccine for dogs: It is not 100% protective.

• It protects for only a short time, probably less than a year
• And it is an additional vaccine with the associated risks of any vaccination.

Preventing Ticks on Dogs

Ticks are devious, tenacious little critters and are harder to prevent than fleas. Here are some methods to help prevent ticks on dogs:

• Topicals: Products like Advantix and Frontline Plus
• Collars: Options such as Preventic and Scalibor

Even if you use these products according to the label, you may still find some ticks on your dog.

You might think: “This stuff doesn’t work, Doc. And it’s expensive!”

The truth is, these products do work, but nothing is 100% effective against ticks:

• If you live in a heavily infested area and use one of these products, you might find 2 ticks on your dog.
• Without the product, you probably would have found 20 ticks.
• With the use of topicals, those 2 ticks should not have attached yet, lessening the possibility of transmitting disease.

Addressing Concerns About Tick Prevention Chemicals

"But Those Chemicals Are Horrible!"

If you want to treat your pet naturopathically, you might avoid these products. However, your dog will likely get more ticks, putting them at greater risk for developing Lyme disease or other tick-borne diseases. This is not just an opinion but a medically proven fact.

• Natural alternatives like citronella and NEEM may deter some ticks, but they are not very effective.
• If natural preventives work well for you, that's great. If not, consider moving to northern Canada for fewer ticks.

Some people claim that vets recommend these products only to make a profit. This is a myth. These products are available over-the-counter, and some major online pharmacies have had them (often through corrupt and illicit practices) for a long time.

• Vets are not relying on these products as profit-makers. In fact, recommending them often loses money for vets, in a way.
• It's more lucrative for vets to treat pets sick from fleas or ticks than to recommend prevention.

Our goal is to keep your pets healthy, free of parasites, and free of the diseases they cause. It's our job to recommend a flea and tick prevention program based on the pet's health and risk factors. For more insights on this topic, you can visit Veterinary Costs and Profits.

Evidence-Based Truth About Frontline, Advantix, and Other Tick Preventives

Despite what you may have read on the internet, there is no evidence to suggest that Frontline (Fipronil) or Advantix (Imidacloprid/permethrins) cause cancer or other serious diseases. These products have been around for decades.

• The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center does not consider these products dangerous or toxic if used properly.
• The Preventic collar for dogs (containing amitraz) is dangerous if eaten and should be used with caution around young children. The product is labeled appropriately.

Your dog may have an allergic reaction to these medications, as is true of any medicine. While this is a risk, most reactions are mild and don’t require treatment.

• In thousands of applications, only two dogs developed sores at the application site that needed treatment. (The owners had let their dogs scratch the area for a week before seeking help.)
• A higher percentage of dogs experience transient itching that usually goes away in a few minutes.
• Only one dog out of thousands was neurologically impaired for three weeks after using a product not purchased from a vet. The dog recovered quickly.

I feel much better about the current generation of tick preventives than the older chemicals used in the 1980s: The old sprays and dips were toxic back then. The house sprays were toxic back then. They weren’t that effective.

Animals still suffered from fleas, ticks, itching, and Lyme disease, forcing people to spray and bomb their homes, exposing them to lingering insecticides.

Flea and tick control is much safer and more effective today — for both you and your pets. Take advantage of these advancements for your pet’s health.

Make the Decision That Feels Right for You

I know some of you are concerned about these “TOXIC, SCARY, CARCINOGENS,” and fear these products will harm your pets. However, there is no proof of this, and there is abundant evidence that they are safe.

• Proving that a product causes cancer requires many years of dedicated research.
• Frontline and Advantage have been used on dogs since the 1990s without a rise in cancers or syndromes identifiable in dogs or humans.
• Since these products are used on crops, studies have been conducted on their safety. Some rats fed massive doses have a higher incidence of thyroid cancer. However, feeding rats huge amounts and placing a small amount on your dog topically are very different scenarios.

Of course, the FDA’s approval does not mean we will not learn more about potential toxicity or carcinogenic effects in the future. There is a risk with every medication, every vaccination, every supplement, and every topical.

What we need to do is make a decision about risk versus benefit and proceed from there.

• In non-endemic tick areas, if you can control fleas and ticks without these products, that’s wonderful. Your pet is not at great risk.
• In a tick-endemic area, no matter how carefully you check your pet with a fine-tooth comb once or twice a day, you will not find all the ticks, especially the tiny deer ticks.

Personal Story: How I Got Lyme Disease — And Lost My Dog to Lyme Disease

When I contracted Lyme disease, I never found the tick — just the rash. Unfortunately, we don’t see the rash on dogs. Since dogs can’t tell you when they feel a tick, eat the tick, or develop the rash, it’s crucial to prevent ticks as best you can.

My best dog, Bruno, a beautiful 80-pound black-and-white Border Collie mix, died of kidney failure due to Lyme nephritis. He had come to me as a stray and already had the disease.

• Lyme nephritis is not the typical course for most Lyme-positive dogs.
• Bruno wasn't one of the lucky ones. He responded to treatment somewhat, but irreversible damage had already been done to his kidneys.

Bruno was special — the human kind of canine. He was brilliant and had a way of knowing what I was thinking. He knew when I was tired and only up for a short walk, and he knew when we were driving to the lake for a great stick-throwing marathon.

When he could no longer run into the lake water, he watched sadly as the stick made ripples at a distance he could no longer swim. He told me it was time to leave this Earth.

I told him I was sorry I wasn’t around earlier in his life to protect him from dying of Lyme disease. This story emphasizes the importance of tick prevention to protect our beloved pets.

The Sad Truth About Tick Prevention

Stories like this are always tough to hear, and they reiterate the need for tick prevention in all tick-endemic areas. Despite our best efforts, the sad truth is that nothing is 100% effective in preventing tick-borne diseases.

• I am still a proponent of using state-of-the-art tick preventives because they save thousands of dogs' lives.
• Unfortunately, there are still some tragic cases, but these are few and far between.

According to recent data on Lyme disease, Labrador Retrievers and Golden Retrievers are predisposed to Lyme nephritis. The reason for this predisposition is still unknown.

Happily, fewer than 2% of dogs who test positive for Lyme disease develop nephritis, so it is rare.

7 Myths About Lyme Disease

Here are a few of the most common misconceptions:

Myth #1: We know all there is to know about Lyme disease.

• Diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis are not fully understood.
• Physicians and veterinarians still have many unanswered questions.

Myth #2: Lyme disease is confined to certain geographic areas.

• Every year, Lyme and other tick-borne diseases spread farther and wider.
• The CDC says Lyme is now found in over 260 countries.
• In the U.S., Lyme has spread from the Northeast to the Midwest and West Coast, affecting half of all U.S. counties.

Myth #3: Ticks can be eradicated.

• Ticks are devious and resilient, making them hard to eliminate completely.
• Spraying yards may lessen but not eliminate ticks.
• Tick repellents and control products are not 100% effective, but they help reduce tick exposure.

Myth #4: Ticks are seasonal.

• Ticks may prefer cooler, damper weather but can be found year-round.
• Ticks can be found on dogs in any season, including January and July.

Myth #5: Finding a tick on your dog is easy.

• Even on a 5-pound, thin-haired Maltese, a deer tick can go unnoticed.
• Ticks are often tiny and neutral in color, making them hard to spot.

Learn a little more about Lyme disease in dogs in this video:

Myth #6: Tick populations are the same from one year to the next.

• Tick populations and Lyme disease prevalence vary by season and area.
• Factors like mouse populations can influence tick numbers, with more infected mice leading to more infected ticks.

Myth #7: Chronic Lyme disease is common.

• If not diagnosed early, Lyme disease can cause severe problems like arthritis and kidney damage.
• Early treatment is key to successfully managing Lyme disease in dogs and humans.

The good news? Most dogs and humans, when treated early, recover well from Lyme disease. However, researchers still have much to learn about the disease. There is no perfect way to avoid Lyme, no foolproof diagnostic test, and no universally accepted treatment. Find out if ticks on dogs are a risk in your area and protect your pets as best you can. For more detailed information, visit the CDC and Lyme Disease.

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