As the spring and summer months approach in South Dakota, so does tick season. Ticks are nasty pests that could pass diseases to your pets. It's best to keep an eye on them as the warmer weather approaches, especially if your pets enjoy the outdoors. Always make sure to scan your pets for ticks often by rubbing your fingers through their fur and checking their entire body. If you find a tick, you can easily remove it with a tweezer or other tick removal product on the market. To keep your pets safe during tick season, be sure to schedule a professional tick control treatment.

Scan your pets for ticks often during tick season.

A dog with three ticks in its fur near Sioux City, IA.

It is important that you check your pets for ticks throughout the season, especially after they are outside. Dogs can bring in ticks from walks, and if you let your cat outside, it may come back with those dangerous pests. Here are some quick tips to check your pets for ticks:

  • Rub your fingers through their fur. If you find any bumps or swollen areas, it is possible they may have a tick bite or a tick stuck in their fur. Go slowly to make sure you don't miss any spots!
  • Check their entire body. Don't stop at their torso. Make sure you check between their toes, around their legs, inside their ears, and all over their face and neck.

Ticks vary in size, ranging anywhere from the size of an apple seed to a small grape.

What should you do if you find a tick on your pet?

A tick in the jaws of thin metal tweezers with dog it was crawling on blurred in the background.

Once you have conducted a check, you may find one of these pests on your pet. If you find a tick on your pet, don't panic! There are several safe ways to remove it:

  • Remove it with a tweezer. Take the tweezer and grab the tick. Make sure you pull the tick straight out. Do not twist because you could leave part of the tick behind, which could cause an infection.
  • Use a tick remover. If you would rather not use your tweezers, you can purchase several types of tick removers. Some of them are longer tweezers meant specifically for removing ticks. Many attach to your pet's collar or your keychain for easy access. There are also tick removal sprays that, once sprayed, kill the ticks on your animal's fur.

Invest in a tick control service to keep your pets safe.

A pest control expert is spraying a lawn with tick control treatment in Sioux Falls, SD.

There are several products on the market to keep yourself and your pets safe from ticks, but nothing is as effective as a professional tick control service. Many pest control professionals will offer several types of tick control services to keep your family safe from pests.

  • Professionals will treat your property to eliminate ticks. Typically, tick control services will include an initial inspection to make sure professionals identify any specific areas that need treatment. After that, tick control experts will treat your home's perimeter as well as those individual harborage areas that were identified during the inspection.
  • They will return multiple times to keep your property protected. Your pest control provider will return to your home several times throughout the season to re-treat the perimeter and harborage areas that were originally treated. They should also do a thorough check for new harborage areas that may have arisen and treat those as well. Ticks and other pests will eventually die out, which will keep your pets safe for the season.

Keep your pets safe this season. Call us today to schedule a tick control treatment!

At Sharp Lawn Care, our tick control service can keep you and your pets safe during the upcoming tick season. Our Lawn Defender and Home Defender package will kill the ticks on your lawn and keep them from coming back. We treat lawns from April through November.

We service residential, commercial, and HOA properties in Sioux Falls, Tea, Harrisburg, and other surrounding areas in South Dakota. Call us today at (605) 251-6880 to get started!