As soon as it starts getting warm outdoors they become active. They lurk in the high grass and shrubs and just wait for a warm-blooded animal to come by to jump into their fur: ticks. These small parasites feed on blood, their bites can cause bothersome itching in harmless cases but also dangerous diseases. This makes it all the more important, especially in summer, that you regularly look for ticks on your four-legged friend, or even better, take precautions so the little parasites don’t get a taste for your animal. The same goes for fleas, there should be no tenants in a dog coat!

Once the tick, which is an arachnid, has moved onto its prey animal, the involuntary blood donor is tapped with an effective piercing and suction tool. Then the tick sucks itself full up to four times its original size. Fleas, as wingless insects, are more mobile than ticks: they can reach their landlord with long, high jumps. What both parasites have in common is a thirst for blood, which they must be prevented from getting. There are two possible approaches with tick & flea control products.
Repellents: active substances that are absorbed by the sense of smell or taste that are rejected by fleas or ticks in such a way that the dog is no longer considered a potential host.
Anti-parasitic drugs: biocides that are absorbed by the parasite either through contact or during the sucking process and kill it.
Tick control products for dogs are offered for oral ingestion as chewable tablets, in the form of a tick collar for dogs, as a spot-on preparation in liquid or paste form, or as a spray or powder. The active substances contained are usually pyrethroids, the synthesised form of a natural insecticide which is formed, for example, by chrysanthemum. Caution: If your four-legged friend suffers from the MDR1 gene defect, you should definitely consult your veterinarian first. Then you can only use ticks control products for your dog without chemical components.

Tick control products are usually applied externally: in spray form, the flea and tick control for dogs is simply sprayed on the fur, the powder is gently sprinkled on. A liquid or creamy spot-on agent is applied to the neck area of the dog where there is no risk of it being licked off. If more than one dog is living in your household, the partner animals must also be prevented from licking. The product is distributed over the entire dog via the sebum layer of the skin. Since this takes time, the animal should not swim or bathe for at least two days. Depending on the product, the efficacy of a tick or flea control product for dogs lasts four weeks. Then it should be reapplied. There are flea and tick control products for dogs from providers such as TAKE CARE, which are plant-based and support tick defence. You will receive reliable medications from your veterinarian or pharmacist.