How to Remove a Tick From a Dog's Ear

There are few things more disturbing when lovingly petting your dog than finding a full-bodied tick in its ear. The first reaction is to just pluck it off and wash your hands, but removing a tick is a bit more complicated.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Tissue
• Rubbing alcohol
• Tweezers/pincers

1. Dip your cotton swabs in rubbing alcohol.

2. Rub the wet cotton swabs on the affected area to sanitize it and prevent infection.

3. Using the tweezers (no fingers), grab the tick from the head firmly. If you grab the body and detach it, the tick will not die and the area can become infected.

4. Once you have grasped the head of the tick with the tweezers, pluck it from the dog's body. If you accidentally removed the body instead you must try again to remove the head.

5. Dispose of the tick by either releasing it into a wooded area or flushing it. Do not keep it for any reason.

6. Once again, clean the affected area.

7. Finally, check the dog for more ticks. If it has one, it might likely have more. They tend to hide in folds in the dog's skin. Once you have confirmed that your dog no longer has ticks, give it a bath. After roaming wooded areas or taking a walk make sure to check your dog once more. You don't have to see ticks for them to be there.

Tips & Warnings

• Preventing ticks can be easy. Your dog can wear a flea and tick collar. You can bathe them regularly. Veterinarians also have flea and tick dips for dogs. Keep out of wooded areas.
• It is extremely important that you do not have more contact with the tick than necessary and that you do not allow your children to go near it. Ticks carry Lyme Disease as well as other potential hazards. Since they drink blood they can possibly transmit other blood pathogens.

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