How to Detach Brown Dog Ticks

Brown dog ticks are one of the most common carriers of canine disease, including canine ehrlichiosis and canine babesia. As such, removing brown dog ticks from your dog as soon as you notice them is essential in order to minimize the risk of transmitting these diseases to your dog. If you find one tick on your dog, you must inspect your entire dog for ticks.

Things You'll Need

• Cotton ball
• Mineral oil
• Tweezers

Instructions

1. Moisten a cotton ball with mineral oil. Place this cotton ball against the tick on your dog for at least 30 seconds.

2. Grasp the tick using tweezers as close to the tick's head as you can. Take care not to squeeze the tick too hard as this may force disease-ridden blood from the tick's intestines into your dog's bloodstream.

3. Pull the tick out carefully. You must pull the tick directly away from the dog without twisting the tweezers.

4. Place the tick in alcohol to kill the tick.

5. Clean the bite wound on your dog with a disinfectant or antibiotic ointment.

6. Repeat the process for any other ticks that are on the dog.

Tips & Warnings

• Use an appropriate tick control product to prevent further infestations. Contact your dog's veterinarian for suggestions regarding products prior to using any on your dog.

• Tick borne diseases can live under your fingernails and enter your bloodstream through cracks in your skin. As such, it is best to wear surgical gloves when removing brown dog ticks from your dog, and never attempt to remove ticks using your fingernails.

References

• Drs. Foster and Smith: How to Remove a Tick
• PetPlace.com: How to Remove and Prevent Ticks in Dogs
• Puppy-Training-Solutions.com: Removing Ticks from Dogs