How To Remove Ticks And Fleas From Your Whippet

Fleas and ticks are the most prevalent external parasites affecting dogs globally, including whippets. These two parasites are a potential health threat and great annoyance source to your whippet’s life and all dogs having them.

Although year seasons usually affect these parasites’ activities, your dog can pick them up at most times of the year but are more prevalent in warmer seasons.

Ticks and fleas can thrive at your home and be a nuisance and danger not only to your pooch but you and your family too.

In case you and your canine friend scratch your heads so much, you’re probably wondering what can be the cause. If the scratching and itching are persistent, then chances are your home is infested with these blood-sucking parasites.

Luckily, there’s a remedy to this problem, and this article provides just the right solutions for you. Keep reading to learn more about how to remove ticks and fleas from your whippet and other parasite prevention measures to keep your short fur buddy healthy and happy.

Table of Contents

Where Whippets Can Pick Up Ticks And Fleas

Dogs are usually the food source and home for ticks and fleas. Once your whippet gets infested with one flea or tick, it will remain on his skin, feed on him, lay eggs and continue to spread all over his body and your home.

But where can you whippet get these heinous parasites? Sources are many, but your dog will mostly pick them up if he accesses an infested area, wildlife, or pet. Examples of ways your whippet can get these parasites are;

From Other Animals

Your whippet can pick up fleas if he indulges with other infected animals, whether wildlife or pets.

These insects can jump from the infested animals to your dog, and if you don’t regularly check your dog, you won’t notice them sooner until they become a problem.

Pet Homes

Pet homes are also prone to ticks and fleas, especially if they have lower hygienic standards with too many dogs staying indoors.

Sometimes, your whippet can get these insects from doggy daycare, grooming facilities, boarding kennels, breeder home, or veterinary practices.

If you take your whippet to these places, you should look for reputable providers with more sanitized homes to prevent your dog from picking them up.

Your Home

Sometimes, your home can be the reason your whippet and family members scratch their heads too much. If flea eggs are around your home, they can hide in people’s clothing and quickly get to your house, and then your dog gets them too.

Also, other people’s pets coming to your home can transfer fleas and ticks to your whippet. Fleas usually spread quickly; in a day, one female flea can produce about 40 eggs.

Therefore, it’s best to know how to remove ticks and fleas from your whippet before the infestation worsens.

Outdoors

Mostly, ticks and fleas live outdoors while spending most of their lives on wild animals, other pets, woods, and grass.

Since whippets are good hunting and racing dogs, most owners use them for hunting rabbits and play with them, and this is when he’s more likely to pick up ticks since ticks love hiding in woods/grass.

Ticks usually undergo questing in their lifecycle, where they creep on low grass or bushes and stay 15-24 inches above the ground, waiting for an animal to pass and climb to them.

When your dog passes by and brushes himself near it, they stick to their bodies. A tick can live comfortably without feeding for even a year.

In case you’ve encountered a tick and flea infestation, and your dog spends most of his time outdoors or lives in an outdoor kennel, then you should consider treating such areas to avoid repeated infestation.

Effects Of Ticks And Fleas On Your Whippet

Ticks and fleas can pose a severe health problem to your whippet. Besides causing itchiness due to biting, these parasites usually carry infectious diseases and tapeworms that are extremely dangerous to you and your whippet.

Fleas can cause your whippet to have allergies, such as Flea Allergy Dermatitis (FAD), which occurs when a flea releases its saliva into your canine’s skin, causing him to develop sensitive inflammatory reactions. Many fleas can also cause your whippet to have anaemia, mainly if he’s a puppy.

Dogs with FAD usually scratch their bodies a lot, leading to more hair loss, which is not very good for a whippet given that they have short fur and slim bodies.

how to remove ticks and fleas from your whippet — Image: Marcus Gier

Ticks can transmit more than 15 diseases to dogs. Examples include Lyme disease, tularemia, ehrlichiosis, Q fever, Colorado tick fever, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

Knowing how to remove ticks and fleas on your whippet earlier is essential to combat these parasites promptly.

Signs That Your Whippet Has Ticks/Fleas

If you see the following signs in your whippet, know he has fleas or ticks;

Frequent itching and scratching
Black and white specks- black specks are usually flea dirt/faeces, while the white ones are eggs
Small bumps on his skin can be a tick infestation. Ticks love hiding in more hairy areas, so you should concentrate on looking on the neck, groin, ears, feet, and armpits.
Skin infection and irritation
Frequent skin biting and hair loss
Red bumps on the belly and below the legs

How To Get Rid Of Ticks And Fleas

Prevention is always better than cure, so if your whippet doesn’t have these deadly parasites yet, it’s best always to take appropriate measures so that he never gets them.

If he’s already infested, don’t worry, you can quickly get rid of them in several ways. Here are various methods of how to remove ticks and fleas from your whippet;

Using Ticks And Flea Control Products

There are various products in the market effective in fleas and ticks removal. Some years back, dog sprays, shampoos, powders, and flea collars were the main prevention measures for fleas and ticks; however, they’re as effective as the products produced today.

Nowadays, it’s recommendable to use medicated shampoos, oral tablets, and spot-on treatments. Oral tablets are suitable for preventing both fleas and ticks, but you can only get them from your veterinarian.

Spot-on treatments are easy, more effective, and lasts longer, offering your whippet complete protection from these hungry blood-sucking parasites. Spot-on treatments are usually liquid form, which you apply on your dog’s back, immediately below his shoulders.

The medicine will then be instantly absorbed in the dog’s blood. From here, all the parasites that suck your dog’s blood will die. You should always follow instructions to the latter to avoid affecting your pooch’s health.

You can also use tick and flea whippet collars, which are reasonably affordable and effective. Such collars have active substances with varying concentrations depending on the dog’s weight.

If you decide to use this method, ensure to pick that matches your whippet’s weight.

Remove Ticks By Hand

Removing ticks from a dog isn’t a pleasant task, buts it’s vital you do it correctly and carefully to avoid squeezing it or leaving its head in your dog’s skin.

For this reason, it’s critical to know how to remove ticks and fleas from your whippet without causing further damage.

To correctly remove ticks from your whippet, you’ll need fine pointed tweezers so that you don’t tear them and spread infections in your dog. Avoid large household tweezers with blunt tips.

First, you should spread your whippet’s fur and hold the tick as near to the dog’s skin as possible. Then slowly and gently pull it straight upward in a steady motion.

Doing this prevents the parasite’s mouth from detaching and getting rooted in your whippet’s skin.

Another easy way is using ticks removal hooks. This tool is essential, especially if you live in ticks prone areas. With a tick hook, you’ll quickly remove ticks by putting the hook’s prongs on a tick’s sides and pull it upwards.

Other Essential Tick And Flea Prevention Methods

If you don’t want to go through the hassle of removing fleas and ticks on your whippet, you can prevent them by;

Buying your dog a flea and tick control collar earlier and using on-spot treatments
Restricting your whippet to play with other pets and paying on grass is nigh impossible; therefore, using in-spot treatments can be the best option for him.
Frequently clean your dog’s beddings, crate, and sleeping using hot water and appropriate disinfectants.
Vacuum your carpet to remove flea eggs
Always check for ticks and flea signs after taking your whippet to walk in woodlands or bushy areas.
Groom him regularly and always check for any tick or fleas on brushes for early prevention
Treat your home and yard more often.
Utilize a flea comb

Protect Your Whippet From Fleas And Ticks

Fleas and ticks can make your whippet’s life extremely uncomfortable and unhealthy. It’s best to prevent your dog from parasites to avoid incurring extra treatment costs later or putting your dog’s life at stake.

Therefore, it’s recommendable to understand how to remove ticks and fleas from your whippet plus the appropriate pest control measures for a happy and healthy dog.

During a tick removal procedure, you should be careful not to be bitten by it. If you do, seek medical attention immediately. Remember to wash your hands after this exercise too.