Removing Ticks From Your Dog? (How to Do It Right)

Ticks transmit Lyme disease, babesiosis, and TBE. The faster you remove them, the lower the risk of infection. The right technique and the right tools make all the difference. Reviewed by veterinarian Mag.med.vet. Emin Jasarevic.

At the very least, you should know how to remove ticks correctly and what the right tools are.

Can dogs get sick from ticks?

The short answer: yes. Many diseases can be transmitted by ticks. The tick's head also often stays stuck during removal. That can cause a local inflammation at the bite site.

Leaving ticks on your dog is very risky. With every hour that passes, the risk of catching many different diseases goes up. That is exactly why you should get rid of a tick right after you spot it. But it has to be done correctly. Removing a tick the wrong way can have unpleasant consequences, because if the head stays stuck, the vet has to remove it with a scalpel.

This can cause your companion pain, or may even have to be done under light sedation. If the tick's head is not removed, it can lead to a local festering inflammation.

Why you should learn how to remove ticks correctly

At the start of our article, we already explained why it is so important to remove a tick completely and correctly right after you discover it.

The main reason is that with every passing hour, ticks get a better chance of infecting your darling with diseases. Which diseases those might be is exactly what you'll find out now:

• Anaplasmosis
• Babesiosis
• Lyme disease
• Ehrlichiosis
• Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE)

Important note!

Please keep in mind that you must never use aids like oil, glue, or anything similar to stun or kill a tick.

Because that is precisely when ticks release any pathogens they carry into the wound in larger amounts, through increased saliva production.

If you don't feel confident removing a tick yourself, we recommend leaving it to your vet. They'll gladly show you how to go about it next time, too.

3 tools for removing ticks

There are various aids and items on the market that let you remove the ticks on your four-legged friend without any trouble. The most popular aids for removing ticks from a dog are the tick tweezer, the tick loop, and the tick pen, or rather, the tick card.

1. Tick tweezer

For most dog owners, the tick tweezer is the first choice of tool for tick removal. Using a tick tweezer promises an easy, low-risk removal. So that you use this tool correctly, here is a short set of instructions :

• Search your dog's coat for ticks
• Once you spot a tick, take the tweezer in your hand
• Part the fur so the tick is fully exposed
• Place your thumb on the button you use to open the tweezer
• Surround the tick with the tweezer and make sure you get as close to the skin as possible
• Release the button to close the tweezer
• Turn your hand and the tweezer to the left or right, pulling the tick out of your four-legged friend's skin. The direction in which you turn the tweezer, and with it the tick, doesn't matter. The twisting motion loosens the mouthparts, which makes pulling the tick out much easier.

2. Tick loop

The tick loop is also being used more and more by dog owners. The procedure here is almost the same as with the tick tweezer. At pet supply stores, you can get great advice on the "tick loop" option and decide for or against it.

Here, too, we don't want to keep a short set of tick-removal instructions from you:

• If the loop isn't loosened yet, do that as the first step
• Part the fur so you get the best possible view of the tick
• Place the loose loop around the tick
• Try to get as close as possible to your dog's skin
• Close the loop
• Pull the tick straight out of your dog's skin with the tick loop

3. Tick pen and tick card

The tick pen and the tick card are also effective aids when it comes to removing the ticks on your dog correctly. Alongside the tick loop, this product is also easy to carry, so you'll be able to remove ticks on the go too.

You'll find instructions on how best to use the tick pen, or rather the tick card, here:

• Locate the tick
• Part the fur so you get as clear a view of the tick as possible
• Slide the tool along the skin and wedge it under the tick
• Carefully keep pushing the tick pen or tick card forward until you've removed the tick

Aftercare

Once you've successfully removed the tick from your pet's skin, proper aftercare is of course recommended so the spot doesn't get inflamed. The best thing you can do for aftercare is disinfection. With the right disinfectant, you can treat the spot of the tick bite effectively.

You should keep a closer eye on your darling for a few more weeks after the tick bite. It's possible they got infected with a disease through the bite. With symptoms like fever, diarrhea, vomiting, discolored urine, listlessness, and so on, we recommend seeing the vet right away.

Can dogs get infected with diseases through ticks?

Yes, many diseases can be transmitted by ticks. The tick's head also often stays stuck during removal. That can cause a local inflammation to develop at the bite site.

How do you remove a tick correctly?

It's best to use a tool made only for this purpose. Done correctly, you should be able to remove the tick together with its head. For detailed instructions, read on in our article.

Can ticks be transmitted from a dog to humans?

Fully engorged ticks can drop off your dog inside your home and then go after you. That's why you should always check your dog for ticks and remove them.

What can I use to remove ticks from my dog?

Only use tick tweezers, tick cards, or tick loops. Never use oil or other chemicals, because that causes the tick to increase its saliva flow and makes infection with a disease more likely.

How do I treat a tick bite on my dog after removing the tick?

You should disinfect the bite and keep an eye on your dog for a few weeks. It's possible they got infected with a disease through the bite. If they show symptoms of illness, see your vet.

Our experience

Ticks are a threat to us humans. For animals, too, they are a dangerous carrier of disease. Our dear furry friends in particular suffer from the yearly tick plague. Still, that doesn't mean you simply have to put up with this plague. Just take our instructions to heart, and nothing stands in the way of removing ticks correctly.

One more tip:

There are countless products on the market for removing ticks. As a dog owner, you can quickly lose track of them all.

So we'll let you in on our top recommendation. This 3-piece set made of stainless steel is ideal for any kind of tick.

A vet's recommendation

Ticks are carriers of dangerous diseases! How to prevent them and protect your dog and cat from ticks is something you'll learn in this video.

PLUS: Step-by-step instructions on how to remove a tick easily and correctly