Jack Russell Terrier Care and Treatment

Jack Russell Terrier care is so important. And from the first moment you bring your new puppy home, the most important person in both your lives is your veterinarian.

He's the first person you call when illness is detected or an accident occurs. So your Vet's phone number should be close at hand for emergencies.

And just as you would keep a first aid kit handy for your human family members, you should also keep a similar kit for your little canine family member for the best Jack Russell Terrier care.

And make sure your dog's first aid kit is kept in a handy place where you can get to it quickly.

Tick Control and Prevention
Courtesy of Drs. Foster & Smith Educational Staff

Ticks can cause a variety of medical problems for your dog, including Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. In large enough numbers, ticks can cause dangerous amounts of blood loss, especially in young animals.

An effective tick control program is essential to your best Jack Russell Terrier care and health, and always involves treating both the environment and the animal.

Environmental Tick Control

Tick control in the environment generally involves treating the yard and kennel areas. I prefer an environmentally-safe spray containing fenvalerate for this purpose.

Follow product directions carefully. You may need to spray every 7 to 14 days during peak tick months. Remember that cold, frosty fall weather does not kill ticks (in fact, that is when deer tick numbers are usually at their peak), so treat your yard well into the fall and early winter to provide for the best Jack Russell Terrier care.

Regardless of the product used, remember not to spray where run-off could go into lakes or rivers. Removing leaves and clearing brush and tall grass from around the house and kennel areas can also help reduce the number of ticks and provide the best Jack Russell Terrier care.

The Brown Dog Tick, Rhipicephalus sanguineus is the most troublesome tick in kennels and yards and is found almost everywhere. It can complete its life cycle in about 2 months, and although uncommon, it can become established indoors.

If you do encounter an indoor tick problem, use a flea and tick fogger, spray or powder. Fog as you would for fleas.

In the house, ticks tend to crawl to a higher area (like they do in grass). They may be found in cracks around windows and doors.

Because of this tendency and the fact that ticks crawl, and do not jump or fly, another option is to apply a 1-foot barrier of insecticide such as a flea and tick spray or powder where the carpet meets the wall around the entire room.

As a result, ticks moving to the walls to climb higher will come in contact with the insecticide and be killed. And, finally, remember to wash your pet's bedding regularly for the best Jack Russell Terrier care.

Tick Control on Your Pet

There are many tick control products for pets, including once-a-month topical products, sprays, powders, dips, shampoos, and collars.

Once-a-month Topicals: Once-a-month topical insecticides are applied to a small area on the back of the pet, are probably the easiest product to use, and generally, last the longest.

Some kill fleas and ticks, and others just fleas, so check the label carefully. Ingredients generally include permethrin, pyrethrin, or fipronil.

Examples of these products include Bio Spot for Dogs and Frontline.

Sprays: Flea and tick control spray can come as aerosols or pump bottles. When using a spray, you do not have to soak the pet with the spray, but be sure to spray all parts of the animal.

Spray a small amount on a cotton ball to apply the product around the eyes and ears. Do not get any of these products in the eyes.

Follow your veterinarian's and the manufacturer's directions on how often to spray, and spray in a well-ventilated area. Sprays often contain permethrin or pyrethrin. Do NOT use products containing permethrin on cats, as it can be deadly.
Powders: Powders are generally easy to apply but can create a mess. If you or your pet has asthma, powders may not be the best choice of product since the powder could be inhaled. Be sure to use powders in well-ventilated areas for the safest Jack Russell Terrier care. Powders often contain pyrethrin.

Dips and Rinses: Dips and rinses are applied to the entire animal. They generally have some residual activity. They should be applied in a well-ventilated area according to your veterinarian's and the manufacturer's directions.

It is helpful to put cotton balls in the pet's ears and ophthalmic ointment in the pet's eyes. Even with these precautions, be very careful not to get any of the product in the pet's ears or eyes. Dips and rinses may contain permethrin, pyrethrin, or organophosphateso.

Shampoos: Flea and tick shampoo help to primarily rid the pet of the ticks it already has on it, although some have residual activity.

To properly use a flea and tick shampoo you must be sure to work the shampoo in over the entire body and then leave it on at least 10 minutes before you rinse it off. This is true of almost any medicated shampoo. Again, remember to protect the eyes and ears of the pet for the best Jack Russell Terrier care.

Collars: Flea and tick collars can be effective, but must be applied properly. To get the right degree of snugness, you should just be able to get two fingers between the collar and the neck of your pet.

Be sure to cut off any excess portion of the collar after you have properly applied it. Otherwise, that animal, or other pets may try to chew on the end.

Check the package for information on duration of effectiveness since many collars lose effectiveness when they get wet, e.g., if your dog swims a lot.

Watch carefully for any irritation under the collar. If this occurs, you may need to use a different product. As mentioned above, the Preventic Tick Collar does an excellent job controlling ticks.

While flea and tick products do a very good job of preventing infestations or controlling an existing problem, none are 100% effective all of the time.

It's always a good idea to check your pet for ticks occasionally, especially after a trip to the woods or grassy field. If you do find an attached tick, read How to Remove a Tick before going it on your own.



One last point: If deer ticks and Lyme disease are present where you live, you may want to consider administering a Lyme vaccine to your dog to provide that extra Jack Russell Terrier care and protection.

Your veterinarian can tell you if this extra precaution is a good idea for your area.

(I will be adding more pages about common maladies as well as Jack Russell Terrier care and treatment for these maladies very soon...so I hope you will check back in with Pics & Tics where we are trying to provide the most information in one site about the Jack Russell Terrier.)

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