How to Remove a Tick from Your Dog

Flea and tick season begins as early as March in many parts of the country. It’s important to be preventative when it comes to these pesky parasites. However, if you live in a largely wooded area and your dog spends a lot of time outdoors, they’re bound to come in contact with a tick from time to time. Removing ticks as quickly as possible is key to preventing tick-borne illnesses. Today, I’m going to be sharing the easiest way to remove a tick from your dog.

What is a Tick?

A tick is a small, insect like parasite that can be found in wooded areas, lawns, and forests. They’re mostly found during the warmer months, starting as early as March and ending as late as December. However, flea and tick season varies depending on the area you live in. 

There are hundreds of different species of ticks around the world. In the United States, we most frequently see American Dog Ticks, Deer Ticks, and Lonestar Ticks. All species of ticks can spread diseases such as ehrlichia, anaplasmosis, and lyme disease.

How to Prevent Ticks

Ticks can be prevented through flea and tick remedies. These remedies vary from collars, to sprays, and prescription based medications. If your dog is constantly outdoors, flea and tick prevention is a MUST. While it is not too difficult to remove a tick from your dog, it’s easier to prevent them altogether. 

During the warmer months, check your dog frequently for any sign of ticks. The faster you remove them, the less likely your dog is to get a tick-borne disease. If you have a longer coated dog, ensure you are checking them thoroughly on a daily basis.

How to Remove a Tick

Even if you take all the necessary precautions, your dog may find themselves with a tick, or ticks. Luckily, it is quite simple to remove a tick from your dog. 

To do so, you’ll need to use fine-point tweezers. Don’t use blunt tipped tweezers as you’ll be more likely to tear the tick and spread infection. You can also purchase a tick removal tool that will make the job even easier. 

Using the tweezers, grab the tick as close to the skin as possible. You want to ensure you are removing the entire tick, and not leaving pieces of the mouth area embedded in your dog.

Once you’ve successfully removed the parasite, dispose of it by flushing it down the toilet. You can also use the tweezers to pop it before throwing it out. If you don’t kill the tick before tossing it, you’re risking it embedding your dog once again.

Clean the site of wound with a cotton ball and rubbing alcohol. Thoroughly disinfect your tweezers before putting them away.

This post contains affiliate links. All opinions are my own.