The Problem
As most English Bulldog owners discover, along with the advantages of the warm summer months comes the disadvantage of the dreaded flea and tick season. But this problem can be kept under control with a little vigilance on your part. Although controllable, fleas and ticks should always be taken seriously because both can carry diseases that can affect both animals and people. For example, ticks can carry Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Lyme disease, and fleas can carry tapeworm. To prevent the spread of these and other diseases, you should keep a close eye on your Bulldog and take care of any problems before they escalate.
Fleas
Fleas are similar to ticks in that they are usually seen in the summer and they suck the blood of their host. They can spread diseases and cause skin irritations in your English Bulldog. Fleas are not just found on dogs, but also in your house, yard and your Bulldog's bedding. In fact, they spend more time off your Bulldog laying eggs than on him. Because of this, flea treatment and prevention will not work unless you treat both your English Bulldog and his environment.
The key to successful flea control is to keep both your Bulldog and your house clean. The whole house should be vacuumed regularly and any bedding your English Bulldog uses should be washed. Depending on the extent of the flea infestation, your house and yard may need spraying and sometimes an exterminator is necessary.
Ticks
Ticks are most commonly found in grassy or wooded areas, so one way to control them is to cut back any tall grass around your house. Throughout tick season you should check your English Bulldog often, especially under his legs and around his ears. If you do find a tick, remove it as soon as possible to prevent the spread of disease. Lyme disease is one of the biggest fears associated with ticks, and cases have been reported throughout the
The best way to remove a tick from your Bulldog is to grab it with tweezers where the mouth enters the skin and with a firm pull try to get the whole tick at once. After removing the tick you may want to clean the area with an antibiotic. Do not try to remove a tick by burning it off, this is ineffective and may hurt your English Bulldog. Applying a flea dip or alcohol before pulling the tick off can sometimes help by killing the tick first.
Solutions
There are a huge number of products on the market for preventing and controlling fleas and ticks. Usually the same treatments you use for fleas can be used for ticks because they tend to be sensitive to the same chemicals. Following is a list of the various treatment and prevention methods that are available: