Instructions
Check your dog's skin for signs of tick infestation. Long hair can hide ticks, but you can find adult ticks when you groom the dog. Push sections of hair aside and examine the dog's skin carefully. Ticks appear as small black flecks. They have an oval-shaped, flat body. If a tick has been feeding on the dog's skin, it will be swollen or engorged.
Check the dog's gums or mucous membranes. They should be a healthy pink color. If they are pale, it could be the sign of anemia. Anemia has many causes, but one of the causes is ticks draining blood.
Watch the dog for changes in behavior. Dogs find ticks irritating, and may start scratching or biting at the bite site. They may also develop lameness or grow lethargic.
How to Recognize Ticks on Dogs
Ticks are a bloodsucking, eight-legged parasite closely related to spiders and mites. They feed on dogs and can attack humans and other animals, so recognizing the symptoms of tick infestation is important. Ticks feed by burrowing their mouthparts into the skin of their host and sucking the host's blood. They then fall off and are dormant for a period of several days to weeks while they digest their meal. Ticks can spread diseases such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Lyme disease and tularemia.