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Spring, ticks & dogs!

The start of spring brings warm weather and with that come, ticks, fleas and bugs! 🤢 Usually around this time, social media is flooded with ways to prevent and manage ticks on dogs. I wanted to address something that I usually seeing going around a lot - this idea that compromised immune systems in dogs attract more ticks.


This is not true. For one, there is no actual evidence to suggest that. The evidence says something very different which I will come to later. Two, ticks have no way of knowing whether or not their host has compromised immunity. Just like mosquitoes don't bite some people more because they have compromised immunity.


Why do some dogs attract more ticks than others


Source: Google Images
Source: Google Images

Ticks are more attracted to the scent and body signals of a dog rather than its immune system status. While ticks are attracted to environmental cues like body heat, carbon dioxide, and scent, individual differences in dogs can play a role in their likelihood of getting ticks.


Scent and odour


Dogs have different scents and body odours that are influenced by their diet, genetics, activity levels. Ticks seem to be usually attracted to certain chemicals that are produced as a result of dog odour and sweat. Some dogs produce more of these, some dogs produce less of this. The more chemicals a host produces and releases, the more attractive they are to ticks. Hormonal levels can also play a huge role in what chemicals a dog produces. For example, stress/excitement could release certain chemicals, alter body temperature that could make a dog more attractive to ticks.


Outdoor exposure


If most of your walks are in wooded areas or with grassy patches AND you have a dog with a strong scent (I don't think the human nose is strong enough to decode dog scent), then chances are that your dog could attract more ticks. I walk both my dogs in the same open plot of land with some grassy patches here and there - one comes back with no ticks, and the other one comes back with a bunch of them.


Body temperature


Parasites like ticks love warm spots. So if you have a dog who generally runs hot, or feels warm quite fast or during a walk, experiences frequent and long periods of high body temperatures , that could make them an ideal host for ticks. Dogs with skin conditions or chronic allergies or troubled skin, for instance, are likely to have warmer spots on their body which could attract ticks on them.


Other things like length of coat on a dog could make a difference but I honestly haven't seen that. I have found both short and long coated dogs can attract ticks. The same goes with breed - ticks don't care about the breed of your dog. They care about whether a host offers an ideal environment to thrive or not, and that has nothing to do with breeds.


So, then does a weakened immune system have anything to do with attracting ticks?


Yes and no.


If your dog has a chronic condition or is fighting an infection, that is likely to change their body odour, level of chemicals produced on the body, body temperature and so on. THAT change in scent and body chemistry could (not definitively) be why a dog with compromised immunity could attract more ticks. However, this isn't a blanket rule. Evidence on this is next to nothing and I find blanket statements like "ticks are attracted to compromised immune systems" very problematic.


A compromised immune system can definitely make it harder for a dog to recover from tick-borne illnesses. So it's possible a dog with compromised immunity will show more or severe symptoms, take longer to recover, develop other health issues as secondary conditions and so on.


How do you manage ticks then?


I think the key lies in the scent of your dog. Or, well in masking it as you can. Certain scents like lemon, cedarwood, neem, geranium seem to repel ticks and so using them on your dog in a form of a spray could be helpful in masking as much of their natural scent as possible. A lot of your topical anti-tick and flea products make use of some these scents in the form of essential oils.


Now is there one product that universally works for all dogs? Absolutely not.


So this is a bit of a hit and trial, to be honest and to find out what works for your dog ultimately. Remember the variation or intensity of products you use will also be influenced by tick exposure in your outdoor environment, your dog's health status, your own information and knowledge about tick prevention and management and so on.




A special note on neem for tick prevention:


The neem tree is native to India and produces a cold pressed oil that is extracted from the seeds, while the dried leaves give us neem powder.


Powdered neem is extremely useful in protecting dogs against fleas, midges and other parasites when dusted on the dog's coat. It provides a hostile environment to parasites, effectively deterring them from the host. In fact, a study done on cattle, found that neem oil was also effective in repelling ticks on them for 6 weeks when applied on their body.


Note that when using neem il, it often requires a carrier oil like coconut oil. When using on the body, apply to a small area and check for any reaction.


I have also put down a list of references on the repelling effects of neem at the end of blog.

Along with scent masking, you'll want to change where you walk your dogs. I have massive taruma with tick fever in dogs and so I'm all for limiting as much exposure as possible, including skipping walks for dogs who are likely to be more attractive hosts for dogs.


A few other things I would include (depending on the dog): medicated baths in extreme cases, paw and body checks after walks if your dog allows, spot-on treatments and proactive pest management in your own homes. Include as many natural treatments as possible because a lot of the 'hard' products out there are different degrees of insecticides and pesticides that could be dangerous for your dog.


At the same time, please remember that all of this is preventative but not guaranteed protection. You could be doing all of this and your dog could still attract ticks

I'm not a fan of medicines like Simparica/Bravecto and I avoid them completely. I think it's important to be aware of all the possible side effects, discuss them with with your vet based on your dog's current health status and then decide.


At the same time, I do want to call out - this is a very personal call and should not open for shame and judgement by people who are not in that decision making place. With some of my clients, their vets, based on the dog's health history, have actively discussed tick fever being almost fatal to their dogs and using medication as a proactive measure.


I lost one of my dogs, Mutton, to tick fever complications. Her first strain was bad as well and if any vet at the time had honestly had told me that another bout of this could make things very complicated for her, I would have chosen giving her the medication. These are difficult calls and the last thing we need is to shame people and shove the "all natural" agenda in their faces, when clearly that isn't enough for their dog.

A holistic approach to tick management


When managing ticks, you need a more holistic approach. It can't just be about the products you use on your dog. It has to involve rethinking where you walk your dogs, how long do you walk them for, pest and hygiene management in your home and community spaces, and strengthening your dog's immune function so that in case of a tick disease, they have the resilience to fight back without compromising their health significantly.


Remember strengthening your dog's immunity goes beyond what you feed them. It comes down to also how much they rest, stress management in their lifestyle and environment (I can help you with that), opportunity to engage in natural behaviours and more.


What's your tick prevention strategy for your dogs? Let me know in the comments below! ⬇️

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