5 Tips to Safely Remove Ticks From Dogs

It’s important to routinely check your dog for ticks, so you can find and remove ticks before they become embedded in your dog’s skin.

Ticks are a danger to both human and pet health alike. These little buggers are one of many pests to your dog and the community of pets as a whole. Ticks are notorious for causing discomfort and carrying diseases. Tick infestations can cause anemia and even death, so make sure to check for ticks in a timely fashion after a fun day outside with your dog.

Be Mindful During Outings

We as caretakers, must be aware of the dangers and remain diligent when checking for ticks. Your dog’s underbelly, tail, and ears are generally concealed, so you’ll need to perform detailed searches for ticks. If your dog has a long coat, brush thoroughly and be patient with the challenges that come with long-coated dogs. Be mindful when searching for these blood-suckers.

Regardless of the season, you’ll find ticks are most active on warm days. Your dog can pick up ticks from any given field, woods, and even the yards in your neighborhood. Ticks favor your dog’s underbelly, between the toes, and behind the ears. Make sure to be attentive when combing through these areas.

How to Safely Remove Ticks From Your Dog

Here are the steps to safely remove a tick from your dog’s skin:

1. With rubbing alcohol, sterilize a pair of dull tweezers. Then, gently grab the tick by its head or mouth. Refrain from attempting to grab the tick’s whole body.
2. Pull on the tick firmly and don’t twist it when pulling it out. Don’t squeeze the tick by holding it too tightly. This error may result in its head becoming embedded in your dog’s skin. Doing so will make a trip to your veterinarian mandatory.
3. Refrain from applying petroleum jelly or alcohol in order to get the tick to abandon its intent. Not only will it not do the trick, but this may cause the tick to secrete even more disease-ridden saliva into your dog’s skin.
4. Once removed, kill the tick by placing it in alcohol. Ticks are durable and hard to kill with blunt force.
5. Clean the area and apply triple antibiotic ointment to the wound. Be sure to wash your hands after the surgery is over.

Where there is one tick there are many, so be thorough when grooming your dog’s coat and remove ticks that are hiding. Check every nook and cranny on your dog’s body, because a hidden tick is a dangerous tick.

Tick Prevention

Soak a cotton ball in citronella and place it in your vacuum’s bag to kill household ticks. Also, Frontline is a pet med that will help keep ticks off your dog’s skin. Apply one drop between his shoulder blades on a monthly basis. In winter months, these anti-tick medicines are generally not needed.