Dog tick removal made simple and safeTicks, as with fleas, are irritating little parasites that prey on our dogs. They live their life trying to find a warm-blooded creature so that they can feed.
When ticks are in need of a blood meal, they seek out prey by heat sensors. When a warm object passes by them, they attach to this object by clinging to the clothing or fur. They also can fall from trees onto our pets.
After the prey has been chosen, the tick migrates to an area that has little hair or does not present difficulty in feeding (the ears and lips, and skin around them are common places).
The tick inserts its pincher-like mouthparts into the skin and begins feeding. These mouthparts are locked in place and will only dislodge when the tick has completed the meal.
Once the meal is complete, the adult female will fall from the prey and seek shelter. Eggs are born and the adult female dies.
The best and safest dog tick removal is to use tweezers and pull the tick off. Do not touch the tick since diseases can be transmitted. Consider wearing gloves when removing a tick.
Dog tick removal should never be done using a hot match or needle. The heat causes the tick to literally vomit into the wound practically insuring contamination.
Take your set of tweezers and swab them with alcohol or at the very least sterilize them over a flame. You will also want to swab the bite area with alcohol, but don’t smother the tick.
After the tweezers cool down, grab the tick more from the side than the top, and as close to the head as possible. Try to get the tweezers between the skin and the tick's jaws, and gently pull the tick straight out of the skin.
DO NOT grasp the tick by the body.
The main thing here is patience. A steady pull over a few minutes time, will usually tire out the tick enough to release its grip. Be gentle, yet firm. You don’t want to yank the tick’s body from its head.
Frequently, pieces of skin may come off with the tick.
Just as soon as you remove the tick, dispose of it in the toilet and flush it immediately. Never throw it into the trash. You can also put ticks in a jar of alcohol to kill them.
If the head of the tick remains in the skin, try to grab it and remove as much as possible. If you are unable to remove the entire head, don’t fret. This is not life threatening. Your pet’s immune system will help to dislodge the rest.
You will want to apply a topical antiseptic or antibiotic ointment to avoid inflammation. Monitor the bite for three to 30 days.
Usually no additional therapy is needed, but if you are concerned, contact your family veterinarian.
Dog tick removal as soon as possible, and trying to prevent attachment is important in preventing diseases.
The best method of controlling disease transmission is through a combination of tick avoidance and using tick preventative medications.
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