How to Quickly Remove a Tick from Your Dog

Remove ticks from your dog as soon as you spot them.

The sooner you remove a tick from your dog, the less likely he'll be to develop a tick-related illness such as Lyme disease, which can result in blood loss, anemia, skin irritation and tick paralysis. If left untreated, the disease can even be fatal. Getting rid of the tick takes only a few minutes of your time, and you will greatly reduce the risk to your pet's health.

Things You'll Need

• Tweezers
• Rubbing alcohol
• Cloth
• Small jar

Instructions

1. Pour a small amount of alcohol in the jar. Find the tick on your dog, and position your pet so that she holds still. Move the dog's hair so you have a complete visual on the tick.

2. Grab the tick by its head with the tweezers. If the tick has burrowed into your dog's skin, you'll need to get as close to your dog's skin as possible. Do not grab by the tick's body.

3. Gently but firmly pull on the tick. Do not yank quickly, or the tick's head might remain inside your pet. Once you have removed it, put it in the small jar of alcohol to kill it.

4. Put a small amount of alcohol on the cloth and apply it to the affected area on your dog immediately, and contact your veterinarian.

Tips & Warnings

• Once you have removed a tick from your dog, keep an eye on her to make sure she doesn't develop any tick-related illnesses. Signs include lethargy, lack of appetite, fever, swollen lymph nodes and joint pain. Contact your vet immediately if you notice any of these symptoms, because the sooner your pet is treated, the less likely the effects of the illness will be long term.

References

• ASPCA: Ticks and Lyme Disease
• American Lyme Disease Foundation: Other Tick-Borne Diseases