Summer Ticks in Cypress, TX: Protecting Dogs with NexGard

If you're finding ticks on your dog after walks in Cypress, you're not imagining things. This part of Texas is thick with them from April through October, and every summer I see a wave of owners who assumed their backyard was safe or that their dog's short coat was protection enough. Neither is true. At Hearthstone Animal Clinic, tick-borne disease testing is one of our most common lab requests from June through September, and most of those dogs had no obvious tick exposure that the owner noticed.

Here's what I want you to understand: the tick you find crawling on your dog's ear is the one you're lucky enough to see. The ones that transmit disease are often attached in places you'll never check, feeding for the 24 to 48 hours it takes to pass along a pathogen. Prevention isn't about removing ticks faster. It's about killing them before they can transmit anything.

What tick-borne diseases should Cypress dog owners worry about?

Texas ranks among the top states for tick-borne illness in dogs, and the Houston metro area, including Cypress, is a hotspot. The three diseases I test for most often are:

• Ehrlichiosis: Transmitted by the brown dog tick and lone star tick, both of which thrive in our climate. Causes fever, lethargy, bleeding disorders, and can become chronic if untreated. I see multiple cases every summer.
• Anaplasmosis: Less common here than ehrlichiosis but still present. Similar symptoms: joint pain, fever, loss of appetite. Often co-infected with other tick diseases.
• Lyme disease: Rare in Texas compared to the Northeast, but I've diagnosed it in dogs who traveled or whose owners brought ticks back on clothing or luggage. It's worth knowing about.

The scary part about all of these is timing. A tick needs to be attached and feeding for roughly 24 to 48 hours to transmit most pathogens. That sounds like plenty of time to find it, but in practice, ticks attach in hidden spots (between toes, inside ears, under the collar) and engorge to the size of a grape before most owners notice. By then, transmission has already happened.

How does NexGard actually work to kill ticks?

NexGard is an oral chewable that contains afoxolaner, which belongs to a class of drugs called isoxazolines. When your dog eats the chew, afoxolaner distributes through the bloodstream and into the skin tissue. When a tick bites and starts feeding, it ingests the drug and dies, usually within 24 hours of attachment.

Why "kills ticks fast" matters

Speed is the whole point. Most tick-borne pathogens require sustained feeding, somewhere between 24 and 48 hours, before the tick transmits them to your dog. NexGard kills attached ticks fast enough that transmission is unlikely to occur. This is the mechanism behind the protection, not a force field that keeps ticks away, but a system that eliminates them before they can cause harm.

One thing I always clarify: NexGard does not repel ticks. You may still see ticks on your dog. That's normal. What matters is that they die before they transmit disease. If you're seeing live ticks crawling around several days after the monthly dose, that's worth mentioning at your next visit, but a dead tick falling off your dog is the product working exactly as designed.

Is NexGard safe? What are the side effects?

In my experience over the years I've been prescribing it, NexGard is well-tolerated by the vast majority of dogs. The most common side effects are mild GI upset: vomiting or soft stool in the day or two after dosing. I see this in maybe one in thirty dogs, and it usually resolves on its own.

The more serious concern, and one I discuss with every owner, is that isoxazolines (the drug class that includes NexGard) carry an FDA warning about potential neurologic effects, including tremors, ataxia, and seizures. These reactions are rare, but they do occur, particularly in dogs with a history of seizure disorders. If your dog has epilepsy or has had seizures in the past, tell me before we start any isoxazoline product. We'll weigh the risks together and may choose a different approach.

For the average healthy dog, I consider NexGard safe and effective. If this were my dog, I'd use it without hesitation.

How much does NexGard cost, and is it worth it?

At Hearthstone, a single dose of NexGard runs roughly $18 to $25 depending on your dog's weight class. A six-month supply typically costs $95 to $130. Yes, you can find it cheaper online, but be careful: counterfeit and expired flea/tick products are a real problem on third-party marketplaces. I've seen dogs come in with active tick infestations despite "being on NexGard" that turned out to be purchased from an unauthorized seller.

Cost versus the alternative

Here's the math I walk owners through: treating a tick-borne disease like ehrlichiosis typically involves a 4-week course of doxycycline, follow-up bloodwork, and sometimes hospitalization if the dog is severely ill. Total cost can easily reach $400 to $800. A year of NexGard costs around $200. Prevention is genuinely cheaper than treatment, before you even factor in that some tick-borne diseases cause permanent damage or become chronic.

NexGard versus other options: what I recommend

Owners often ask how NexGard compares to topical products or collars. Here's my honest take:

• Topical products (Frontline, Advantix, etc.): Effective when applied correctly, but I see a lot of application errors. Owners apply it in the wrong spot, bathe the dog too soon, or the product gets rubbed off. Oral medications eliminate user error.
• Seresto collars: Work well for some dogs, but effectiveness drops if the collar gets wet frequently or isn't worn snugly. I've also seen skin reactions under the collar in humid Texas summers.
• NexGard Plus: This is NexGard combined with heartworm prevention. If your dog isn't already on heartworm protection, this is the most convenient option, one chew that covers fleas, ticks, and heartworm. I carry it at the clinic and use it for my own dogs.

For cats, the equation is different. I typically recommend Revolution or Imoxi, which are topical products that cover the parasites cats actually encounter. Cats don't get the same tick exposure most dogs do, and they're notoriously difficult to pill.

When should you start tick prevention in Cypress?

Year-round. I know that's not the answer most people want, but here's the reality: Texas doesn't have a hard freeze that kills off tick populations. I pull ticks off dogs in December. The risk is highest from April through October, but it never drops to zero. If you're going to skip any months (and I don't love this approach), January and February are your lowest-risk window, but even then, a warm week can bring ticks back out.

Puppies can start NexGard at 8 weeks of age as long as they weigh at least 4 pounds. Don't wait until you see a tick to start prevention. By then, you're already behind.

What if I find a tick on my dog despite using prevention?

First, don't panic. Finding a tick doesn't mean prevention has failed. Remove the tick with fine-tipped tweezers, grasping as close to the skin as possible and pulling straight up with steady pressure. Don't twist, don't burn it, don't coat it in petroleum jelly. Just pull it out.

If your dog is on NexGard and you're finding live ticks more than 24 hours after they've attached, or you're finding multiple live ticks regularly, let me know. We may need to check dosing, timing, or look at whether the product you purchased is legitimate.

If your dog develops any of these signs in the weeks after a tick exposure, schedule a visit:

• Fever or lethargy lasting more than a day
• Joint pain, limping, or reluctance to move
• Loss of appetite
• Unusual bleeding or bruising

We run a simple blood test (called a 4Dx) that checks for the major tick-borne diseases along with heartworm. It takes about 10 minutes and costs around $50 to $65. If you're concerned about skin issues or allergies alongside the tick worry, we can address both in the same visit.

The bottom line on summer tick prevention

Ticks in Cypress aren't a maybe, they're a certainty. The diseases they carry are real, and I diagnose them every summer. NexGard isn't the only option, but it's the one I trust and use for my own dogs. It works, it's convenient, and the safety profile is strong for healthy dogs.

If your dog isn't on tick prevention, or if you're finding ticks and want to discuss whether your current approach is working, schedule a visit at Hearthstone Animal Clinic. We're here in Cypress at (281) 859-9244, and we can get your dog protected before the next trip to the dog park becomes a problem.