How to Remove a Tick

Know how to remove a tick? Taking dog ticks off your pet can be tricky, and, if not done carefully, can lead to nasty complications. Here are some tips on how to get rid of that tick on your dog...

Ticks seem to appear from nowhere in the spring. And they have an incredible ability to find your dog—and sometimes your family members.

They jump with amazing speed onto a dog who is only outside for a few minutes to attend to business, and they find the most unbelievable hiding places in which to lodge and take a meal.

During tick season, examine your dog frequently to make sure that she doesn't have any unwelcome visitors. If you look into her ears, you may find a tick or two. They seem to like this hiding spot especially well. Also look in places like her underarms, under her collar and on her tummy.

Removing Dog Ticks

Here are the steps to removing a dog tick safely:

• Make sure you're looking at a tick - Your dog may have a mole, wart, skin tag, benign tumor or skin discoloration that just looks like a tick!

• Using tweezers, grasp the tick as close to your dog's skin as possible.

• Pull the tick gently—make sure you pull straight out—don't twist, or you can get the tick body and leave the head inside. This is important, because the tick's head can cause a nasty infection if it is left inside.

• Don't squeeze the tick's abdomen. If you squeeze the tick too hard, you can cause the contents of the tick's stomach to be forced into your dog. That greatly increases your dog's chances of getting such nasty diseases as Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and Ehrlichiosis.

• Kill the tick - Ticks can be hard to kill. Make sure the tick is dead before you dispose of it.

Knowing how to remove a tick is important for dog owners. However, better than removing ticks, is simply to prevent them in the first place.

Use a tick preventative like Frontline and shampoo your dog with flea and tick shampoo occasionally. And remember to check your dog for ticks if he's had a good run. Better to get rid of them right away—than to deal with the consequences of tick diseases later.

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