Nevertheless, no matter how annoying the procedure may be, it can protect you and your loved ones from serious illnesses.

Here you will learn what you need to know about living with a dog and cat during tick season:

When is tick season?

First of all: when is "tick season"?
The little crawlers feel perfectly comfortable at a temperature of about 7° and above. Unfortunately, this means that the typical time for ticks makes up a large part of the year. The pests are especially active between March and October, but you should still be cautious and not throw certain protective measures overboard even before and after this period.

Ticks are ambush hunters. This means they do not actively choose a suitable host as a victim; they wait for the best opportunity to simply latch on. Tall grasses, moist, densely overgrown lake shores, forests, and meadows are a true tick paradise. In short: They are found everywhere it is green and beautiful. Our animals, of course, love this the most. They are, alongside us humans, the perfect hosts for ticks.

The parasites do not lurk from the ground until they find a suitable host, but wait in tall grass or bushes at about one to one and a half meters until the next victim walks by. Then they simply let themselves be brushed off while passing by and remain stuck in the fur.
Typical places where the little critters like to bite are the head, especially around the ears, eyes, and chin, the neck, and the shoulders. However, the little creatures do not always crawl up to the shoulders or higher; they often simply bite down exactly where they have landed.

Pay special attention in risk areas to ensure that your four-legged friend does not romp through the underbrush and tall grass.

Ticks are disease carriers!

Really important to know is that ticks can pose a great danger to humans and animals. They are excellent disease carriers and are, among other things, carriers of Lyme disease and the TBE virus. Both pathogens can be very dangerous for both humans and four-legged friends.

To detect a firmly embedded tick as early as possible or even to prevent it from biting, you should thoroughly check your dog after a walk, and also your cat after outdoor time, for these pests and/or brush them off.

If an unwanted guest has successfully settled in despite all efforts, you should react quickly. Some of the transmissible pathogens transfer to the host only a few hours after biting. This means that the faster the parasite is removed, the lower the risk of transmission.

The correct removal of the tick...

...plays an important role in this.

• Take the right tool in hand. Tick tweezers or pipettes can help you with removal.
• Remove the tick by gently brushing the fur aside around the area to avoid pulling out any hair from your pet's skin.
• The tick should be grasped as low as possible, directly on the skin of your four-legged friend. Under no circumstances should the body be squeezed, as squeezing can cause additional pathogens to enter the bloodstream of your dog or cat.
• The removal must be done slowly, as sudden pulling can cause the head or parts of the mouthparts to get stuck.
• By turning and pulling slowly and evenly, you can remove the tick and minimize the risk of parts of the mouthparts getting stuck.

If your four-legged friend shows signs of illness a few days or weeks after a tick bite, you must definitely consult a veterinarian. The risk of infection of the bite wound or the entry of a pathogen is unfortunately very high with tick bites.

Ticks in Cats

Even cats are not spared by the bloodsuckers. You should also check your outdoor cat for ticks and remove them as quickly and thoroughly as possible. Although cats, just like dogs, are perfect hosts for ticks, our cuddly cats are less frequently infected with the typical transmissible diseases. The exact reason for this remains unanswered to this day. However, it is likely that the crawling creatures are brushed off during the frequent and thorough grooming or fall off again before the pathogens can enter the organism. It is not uncommon for cats to bite or scratch off the annoying parasites themselves.

Nevertheless, the risk of infection is extremely high, and you should take good and consistent precautions for both dogs and cats very seriously.

Coconut oil as a natural tick repellent

Coconut oil is perfect as a natural protection against ticks. Our organic coconut oil is free from toxic additives and can be used in various ways.
If your pet is not allergic to coconut oil, you should definitely make use of it. It not only works against ticks, but other parasites also have a lower chance of using your pet as a host. The oil can lead to faster healing when applied to wounds and scratches, and restore natural elasticity in dry and flaky skin. Not to mention the shiny and fragrant coat.