There are vampires among us. They aren’t walking dead. Nothing to do with the “Twilight” series. These are Zombies that are small enough to kill your dog, you and plenty of other living things on Earth.

These bloodsuckers come in many forms. Mosquitoes, lice, leeches and the one we want to focus on today: THE DREADED TICK. One even latched on David Letterman’s back a few years ago. When it comes to your canine, a tick can transmit heart-worms. The cure for that issue truly puts the hurt on your best friend. Ask your vet. Last time we checked, the predominant cure for heart-worms, brought about by a tick or flea, were incremental doses of arsenic.

Take Note

There are ways to rid your piece of Valhalla from these monsters that are non-chemical. They’ll work only if you mix-in a touch of chemical control methods, though.

When we talk about non-chemical ways, we’re focused on plucking weeds from your outdoor living space, mowing the lawn regularly and grabbing a plastic bag and a ladder to take abandoned bird nests from the trees.

That’s not all. Dog ticks hide in the junk and organic debris that piles-up in the yard. Get rid of it. You get a two-fer. The removal of clutter likewise will dump the vampires and also eliminate mice and rodent dens.

Here’s the hard part. Ticks also feast on raccoons, squirrels, bats and chipmunks. It’s a challenge to keep these little critters off the property. Not impossible, but tough.

How Dog Ticks Find a Host

These villains can’t fly or jump. They have to crawl on your dog (or you, for that matter). You’ll generally get one by brushing against a bush or another tall thing in your backyard. They keenly smell carbon dioxide that you exhale. Additionally, the tick will detect vibrations and shadows. That’s the green light which signals the beasts to hop on board.

You can use pesticides on your plants, but the wily tick, sitting on top of vegetation renders an application useless to the organic growth. Result: Coverage of the material misses its mark.

Your Little Buddy

Dogs love to stick their noses in everything, brushing against bushes where ticks which are lying-in-wait. We’re not ones to discourage a healthy walk with your pup. We would however urge you to visit the vet and get a prescription for once-a-month pills that will repel not only fleas and ticks, but kill them if they do manage to latch onto the animal’s flesh seeking blood.

Don’t stop there. Pay close attention to where they sleep by regularly cleaning their beds. Give your pet an occasional bath. Same goes for grooming. Brush the long-haired canines a couple of times a week. Go monkey on them and rummage through their fur. Unlike a chimp, don’t eat the bugs.

Find a big, fat tick on the pup? Take care of it immediately. Make an appointment with your vet for removal. Plucking will only get rid of the business-end, leaving behind some of the tick.

Vets know how to deal with the whole thing. Make sure you don’t put-off an appointment for more than a day-or-two. While you’re on the phone with the doctor’s office, ask them what you should do in the meantime. An old-time, quick fix used to be to paint the tick with nail polish. We don’t know if this works, so ask the receptionist about this temporary fix.

Here’s When Vulcan Comes in Handy

We know how to eliminate bugs, indoors and out. It could be a DIY project, but we’re pros. We’ll blast these buggers back to Stonehenge. Prevention will continue to be the best cure. The warmer months are ahead. Best to deal with it before the zombies take over.

Original Source:https://www.vulcantermite.com/destructive-pests/zombies-of-the-backyard-dog-ticks