A gentle reminder for pet owners to keep a closer eye on their four-legged friendies during tick season!
Cape Town, South Africa (04 November 2025) – Ticks can be really dangerous for dogs, cats and even people. If your pet spends any fraction of time outside, they’re unfortunately at risk for picking up ticks. Especially during this time of year.
“Ticks are rife in long grass or wild areas, and so a particular concern for pet owners who walk their dogs on the mountain, in parks and open areas, or for dogs that roam in bushy areas around their homes,” shares TEARS Animal Rescue.
Pets can pick up serious diseases and bacterial infections if they get sick from tick bites.
The simplest way to avoid this from happening is to use tick control medication that prevents your cats and dogs from getting sick if they are bitten. It can be expensive, but it’s necessary. If you can’t afford the medication, it’s wise to reach out to an animal welfare organisation for help, says TEARS.
What you absolutely shouldn’t do is rely on at-home remedies.
Unfortunately, some home remedies that people believe will keep ticks away can be very harmful for your pets and don’t work at all.
“Please don’t try anything that could hurt your dog or cat. We have seen some cases where petrol or motor oil has been used as tick prevention as the owners believed this would work. It does not work and it will only hurt your pet,” explains TEARS Animal Rescue Spokesperson, Tinka Shapiro.
Beyond the proper medication to prevent pets from getting sick, daily checks are also important to make sure your pets and their beds are safe and tick-free.
“Focus on their ears, neck, underbelly and between their toes when you are looking for the small brown arachnid. It is a good idea to treat your pets’ bedding and kennels with tick control products and wash their bedding every week, especially during spring and summer as ticks are more active in the warmer months,” shares TEARS.
It’s also worth being aware of the symptoms that serious diseases caused by tick bites can present. Here’s a list shared by TEARS:
- Babesiosis is known as biliary (fever, anaemia, jaundice, lethargy)
- Ehrlichiosis (fever, bleeding, weight loss, eye issues)
- Anaplasmosis (joint pain, fever, lethargy)
- Tick paralysis (weakness or paralysis)
- Haemobartonellosis (anaemia, lethargy in cats, pale gums)
If you haven’t done so already, now’s the best time to take your pets to your nearest vet or closest welfare organisation to have them treated with tick control medication. It’ll give you good peace of mind knowing that you’ve taken the right steps to protect your dogs and cats.
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