Cover photo

Ryan Stone

It’s getting warmer each day, the spring is coming, the birds are singing, the grass is greener. And then there are ticks. Unfortunately, they are important in the grand scheme of things, even though we can’t see it right away. For us, ticks are a nuisance that could cause serious health issues in both dogs and humans, such as Lyme disease or Ehrlichiosis. They have glue-like saliva which they use to embed themselves into the skin of a dog (or other mammals), and feed on blood. Because of this glue-saliva trait, properly removing a tick from a dog can be hard. Often, people leave the tick’s mouth still embedded in the dog’s body. But removing a tick correctly doesn’t require strength or special tools. You can remove a tick from your dog at home too. All it takes is being calm, a bit of precision, and tweezers.

How to Tell If Your Dog Has a Tick

Ticks are active from April to September, but if the weather is warm enough, they can stay active throughout October too. Basically, whenever temperatures rise above 40℉ or 45℉ (above 4℃ or 7℃) they can become active. So, if you’re going out for walks, especially outside of the city, you should check your dog for ticks when you come back home. They often feel like small bumps on the skin. When you part the fur, if it is a tick, you will see a small dark or gray parasite attached to the skin.

Common places ticks like to attach on dogs are:

• Around the ears
  
• Between the toes
  
• Under the collar
  
• Around the eyelids
  
• In the armpits and groin
  
• Under the tail
  

A tick’s size might surprise you. If they’ve had a lot of blood to drink, they can become surprisingly large as they swell with blood. 

Tools You Need to Remove a Tick

In essence, all you need to remove a tick are tweezers. However, if you want to do it properly and avoid any risks, here’s a full list of the things you will need:

• Fine-tipped tweezers
  
• Gloves (for your safety)
  
• Rubbing alcohol or antiseptic
  
• Cotton pads or gauze
  

Apart from the tools, you will also need a treat for your dog, especially if he gets scared or anxious. This is often the case when a tick is located around the eyes, groin, or under the tail.

Step-by-Step: How to Remove a Tick From a Dog

1. Keep Your Dog Calm

This is the first thing you need to do. Prepare some treats, don’t use a harsh tone, and if it’s possible, ask someone to help you keep the dog calm while you take the tick out. It’s best if your dog calmly sits down or lies down, depending on where the tick is. If there’s no one to help you, it’s alright. The removal itself is not painful, and if you’ve got enough treats and patience, you can quickly pull the tick out by yourself. But it is important for the dog not to move, because if a dog moves, you might tear the tick while removing it.

2. Grasp the Tick Close to the Skin

Using tweezers, grab the tick as close to your dog’s skin as possible. Don’t squish the tick’s body, or you might push all the fluid from the tick into the bite. The fluid inside a tick’s body is where all the infectious materials are, so it’s important not to squeeze the body.

3. Pull Upward With Steady Pressure

Once you grab the tick, slowly pull it out, straight out with steady, even pressure.

You should not:

• Twist
  
• Yank
  
• Crush the tick
  

If you do these things, you are increasing the risk of leaving the tick’s mouth. This part of a tick doesn’t have a lot of infectious material, but it can cause other issues. Leaving the tick’s mouth in can cause secondary infections, allergic reactions, localized pain, swelling, and even an abscess.

4. Check the Bite Area

After you get the tick out, check the bite area. If you pulled the entire tick out, you should see a small bite mark. But if you can see any tiny black parts still in the skin, it’s likely you didn’t pull the entire tick out, but left the mouth part. 

As I mentioned, it’s not the end of the world if you don’t pull it out, as the dog’s body will usually push the mouth part out naturally over time, but sometimes the body reacts in a more severe way. This means the bite area can swell up, become red, painful to touch, and show other signs of inflammation or an allergic reaction. 

5. Clean the Area

The last step is to disinfect the bite site with rubbing alcohol or an antiseptic solution. You can pour some rubbing alcohol on a cotton pad and gently rub the bite area. Don’t forget to wash your hands when you’re done.

6. Give Your Dog a Reward

You don’t have to give your dog a treat. It can be a toy, playtime, or gentle taps and sweet talk. It’s important because we want to make sure a dog understands it did everything right by staying calm and by trusting us. Always reward the behavior you want to see in the future.

What Not to Do When Removing a Tick

I’ve come across a lot of things people do to remove a tick, and it’s wild what some people choose to do instead of a simple solution with ‌tweezers. 

Please don’t:

• Burn the tick with a match
  
• Apply petroleum jelly or oil
  
• Try to suffocate the tick (yes, people tried this too)
  

Not only can these actions make matters worse by making the tick latch even tighter or release more infectious fluids into the bite wound, but they can seriously harm your dog! 

When to Contact a Veterinarian

You should consult a vet if:

• The bite area becomes red, swollen, or infected
  
• Your dog develops fever, lethargy, or joint pain
  
• Multiple ticks are present
  
• You are unable to remove the tick completely
  

Not every tick bite leads to a disease, and not every infection means it’s tick borne, but we want to be certain we did everything we could to keep our dogs safe. That’s why taking your dog to a vet is important.

How to Prevent Ticks on Dogs

It is much better to prevent a tick infestation than to treat one. There are many tick control medications, but the most common are NexGard or Bravecto. However, you HAVE to consult your vet first on which one to choose for your dog, how much to apply, and how often. 

All flea and tick products (spot-on) are essentially pesticides in small doses which will kill the parasites and keep the dogs safe. However, just like everything else we and our dogs consume, there are some risks. Some dogs can be allergic to some spot-on products. However, it is rare, and the benefits outweigh the risks.

FAQ

Can I remove a tick from my dog without tweezers?

Yes, but tweezers are the safest options. Using fingers increases the chance of squeezing the tick.

What happens if a tick’s head stays in the dog?

Often the skin will naturally push the fragments out, similar to a small splinter. Monitor the area for signs of infection.

Does removing a tick hurt a dog?

Most dogs feel only minor discomfort. The sensation is usually similar to removing a small splinter.

How soon should a tick be removed?

As soon as possible. The longer a tick stays attached, the higher the chance of disease transmission.