How to search for Ticks in that fur?

[Jess]

So apparently I just didn't know about ticks.... with dogs or humans..... My kids are easy to search but how the heck to you look through all that hair on a doodle????? Any tips?

He is not on anything for ticks, only revolution which doesn't help with ticks. 

[Barbie]

Since my Dood is mostly black (phantom), it's impossible to look through his hair. So, 1-2x a week, I give him a head-to-toe body massage ... yes, I go on a "tick hunt" and he enjoys every second of it. If I find anything that isn't smooth to the touch, I separate the hair in that spot and look at it through my magnifying glass.

Although Zeus is on K-9 Advantix, when we go to Nana's house, he still gets ticks in her backyard. Last month, I pulled a mommy tick and 2 baby ticks (attached to the mommy) off of him and put them in a clear, plastic Ziploc bag. Nana & I sat and watched them for 3 hours. It's amazing how creative ticks are ... and how bored we must have been to engage ourselves in a "tick show".

[Jess]

But then what?? You don't need to go to the vet or anything? What about Lyme disease?

[Barbie]

I definitely look for the common symptoms of Lyme disease. So, far we've been fortunate. Zeus hasn't gotten any ticks at home. It's only when we visit Nana. I have to go on a tick hunt 2x day while visiting her. Luckily, there's a vet 1 block from her house. Other than that, I haven't found any product that works 100% all of the time in preventing ticks from jumping on him. I'm still looking into herbal home-remedies though.

[Jess]

Thanks for the help
So you use your hands to feel around until you feel something! You don't search every little section of the body's skin by looking right?

[Lori, Daphne, Lucy & Pippa]

Fortunately I have not had too many tick issues. I have found a tick twice on Daphne and thats because when I "feel her with my hands" or just by rubbing her, I felt a little lump and went to investigate it like Barbie said.

[Barbie]

Right, it just isn't possible for me to see a tick on Zeus, so I let my fingers do with walking. I do a very thorough fingertip search head-to-toe. Even the slightest little bump, I investigate.

[Amy and Annabelle]

Annabelle had 3 last spring. I found 2 and her groomer found one. This was right after my husband had taken her for a hike in a wooded area. Luckily they weren't embedded in the skin and I could just pick them off with a tweezers. I do have her on flea and tick meds all year round. I hate the thought of a flea infestation in my house as well as ticks. I know some dog owners take a break with meds during the winter. She hasn't had any this year, but then we haven't had her in heavily wooded areas this year either. I brush her 3 times a week and do a good check then. She also sleeps in my bed, so I am especially cautious.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Is there a reason he isn't on anything for ticks? Both my dogs are on Frontline Plus year round (I have found ticks on them in cold weather) and get vaccinated for Lyme disease. It is impossible to see the ticks on our chocolate Fudge, so I just run my hands through their hair. I can just tell the feel of a tick. Can't explain it, but I know when it is a tick. I always flush them down the toilet.

[Stacy]

My advise would be to get him on something for ticks. I am using Bravecto this year with good luck. We spend a lot of time in the woods and I have only found one dead tick on her since starting Bravecto. I also keep her hair fairly short in the summer and spend a lot of time "petting" while looking for anything that shouldn't be there. I might be a bit obsessive about that. I also comb her frequently which also dislodges those stupid green stickery things that I hate so much! 

I had a dog get tick paralysis 14 years ago. It was the most frightening thing I had ever experienced. A healthy 5 year old dog who suddenly couldn't use his back legs. Luckily the emergency vet found the tick and he made a complete recovery - another long haired dog, I didn't even know the tick was there. But I was just sure he was going to die. So for me, the possibility of side effects from the tick meds is negligable compared with the thought of a tick-borne illness. I try to pick the safest medicine. But it has to be something that actually works. 

[Amy and Annabelle]

Annabelle gets those little green sticky balls all the time. She loves to roll around in the grass and always gets them when we visit one of our friends. I hate them, though they are better than finding a tick.

[Lori, Daphne, Lucy & Pippa]

We call those "hitchhikers"...Lol! We get them overtime we go visit my parents.

[Mary ann & Lincoln]

Not sure where you live but I would ask your vet for some flea/tick meds.  Lincoln had lyme disease when he was a pup even though he had gotten the vaccine.  We did not have him on tick meds yet since it was winter.  fortunately he was Ok 

We do what most others said , just rub all over close to the skin and feel for anything that is lumpy!