Tick Season in Gauteng: What to Check After Every Walk

Ticks in Gauteng run from October through April, and the dogs that pick them up most often are the ones walking the same park route every morning. Long grass at the edge of the path, the strip of veld behind the tennis courts, the shaded corner where everyone stops to chat — those are the spots. By the time an owner notices a tick, it has usually been attached for a day or more.

Our groomers run a five-minute check after every appointment and write down what they find. Over a season that log tells you something useful: whether the problem is growing, holding steady, or settling. You can run the same check at home in about the time it takes to fill a water bowl.

Where to look first

Ticks move to warm, thin-skinned spots and stay there. On most dogs that means behind the ears, right under the collar line, in the armpits, between the toes, and along the belly where the coat thins out. On long-coated dogs, part the fur down to the skin with your fingers rather than just running a hand over the top — a tick the size of a sesame seed disappears completely under a double coat.

Short-coated dogs are easier to scan, but the bites are easier to miss too. A small red bump with a dark centre is worth a second look, especially if it was not there yesterday.

Tick dirt or flea dirt?

Owners mix these up constantly. Both look like dark specks in the coat, but flea dirt is digested blood and dissolves into a reddish-brown smear if you press it on a damp tissue. Tick dirt is usually drier and sits close to an attached tick. If you find specks but no tick, check the base of the tail and the lower back — that is where fleas concentrate on most dogs.

When a vet visit matters more

A spot-on treatment handles most routine finds. It does not handle a dog that suddenly goes off its food, runs a temperature, or develops swollen joints a few days after a bite. Those signs are worth a call to your vet rather than another round of treatment at home. Bring the tick if you kept it — it helps.

If you are unsure what you are looking at, bring the dog in for a weight and wellness check and we will go over the coat with you. It is a short visit, and it is easier than guessing from a photo.