How to Remove Ticks from Your Dog
September 13, 2019 11:49 pm Leave your thoughtsIf your dog spends any amount of time outside, there’s a chance it could be exposed to ticks, especially during the late spring and summer. It’s important to regularly check your dog for ticks after a day of playing outside. This can, of course, be easier said than done if your dog has a thick coat of dark fur, but it’s still important to carefully comb through the fur and see if you spot anything.
Here’s some information from the experts at a pet wash in Henderson, NV about what you should and should not do to remove ticks from your dog.
Take the following steps
You can use tweezers to remove ticks from the dog. If you spot a tick, part the dog’s hair around the tick with your fingers, then place the tweezers around the tick as close to the skin as possible. Simply pull gently and steadily upwards, without using any twisting or jerking motions. Continue to add pressure while removing the tick until the tick allows you to remove it from the skin.
Once the tick is removed, clean the area with rubbing alcohol, soap and water or iodine, and either flush the tick down the toilet or smother it in rubbing alcohol. If you’re concerned your dog has a tick-borne illness, save the tick in alcohol to be used for testing purposes at the vet.
You can also use special tick removal tools. A common one is called the “tick key.” It’s a good idea to have one on hand at all times so you can easily remove ticks from your dog as needed. What you do with this tool is place the opening over the tick, slide the tick key until the tick is in the narrow end, continue to slide the tick key along the skin and then remove the tick. This tool makes it easier to remove the tick without breaking off its head. You can then clean the area as described above.
What you shouldn’t do
There are also some steps you shouldn’t take when it comes to removing ticks. For example, don’t try to take them out with your fingers. You could get tick blood on your hands, and it also simply becomes more difficult to fully remove the tick without the head coming off.
Never crush ticks before they’ve been removed, as this could force fluids from the tick into the dog. Avoid putting any substances like Vaseline or nail polish on the tick while it’s attached to the dog to try to suffocate it, because this could result in the tick vomiting into the dog, increasing the risk of infection. Avoid disposing of the tick in the trashcan or sink, because it can crawl back out. This is why flushing it is your best bet.
For more information about dealing with ticks when you find them on your dog, contact The Soggy Dog. The team at our pet wash in Henderson, NV would happily answer any questions you have for us!
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