Make Your Yard Less Attractive to Ticks
You can reduce potential tick habitats around your home by:
- Keeping grass short
- Removing leaf litter
- Cutting back tall vegetation
- Clearing dense brush
- Maintaining the edges of wooded areas
- Creating barriers between wooded areas and places where people or pets spend time
These measures can reduce exposure, although they cannot completely eliminate ticks.
Protect Yourself Outdoors
Dog owners should also protect themselves when hiking, gardening, or spending time outdoors.
Helpful precautions include:
- Wearing long sleeves and long pants
- Tucking pants into socks when appropriate
- Staying on clear trails
- Avoiding dense vegetation
- Using an appropriate tick repellent according to its label
After returning indoors, check your body carefully for ticks.
Pay particular attention to:
- Behind the knees
- Under the arms
- Around the waist
- The neck
- Hairline
- Scalp
- Behind the ears
Showering soon after coming indoors may also help remove unattached ticks.
Can Indoor Dogs Get Ticks?
Yes.
Even dogs that spend most of their time indoors can encounter ticks during walks, visits to parks, or time spent in a yard.
Ticks can also occasionally be brought inside on clothing, pets, or other animals.
Therefore, indoor dogs may still benefit from appropriate tick prevention.
What About Tick Paralysis?
Certain species of ticks can produce toxins that may cause tick paralysis.
