For the last 6 years, I've had working dogs. What I do when I find a tick is to take a tweezer that has a flat end rather than a pointed end. I place the tweezer so I can the end is against the dog's skin, with each side of the tweezer next to a flat side of the tick. I grab the tick firmly and pull. The ticks sometimes come out with a little dog skin in it's mouth, but they always come out easily.
I put some iodine on the spot where I removed the tick AFTER I kill the tick. You can drown a tick in soapy water, burn it in a gas stove burner, or flush it down the toilet, but get RID of it safely first. Then put the iodine on the dog to prevent any infection.
Prevention is better than cure. So, if you're not treating the dog each month with something like Frontline Plus, or K-9 Advantix, or Revolution, you should start treating the dog each month when ticks can be in your area. In East TN, it's from March through October. -!-
The at home remedy that actually came from a vet and has worked multiple times is to slather the tic in vaseline, it has to be a lot and fully covered. Within a minute or so the tic should back it's way out because it can't breathe and you can use tweezers to grab it as it does. Then of course you have to kill it. Just don't pull it out though or you will only get part of it which can still infect your dog.
First, liberally coat the tick in either Vaseline or mineral oil. Wait 15-20 minutes. Then, very carefully and with a good pair of tweezers, grasp the tick's HEAD. The head of a tick is quite small compared to the body.
A few cautions:
1. Be sure to wait the full 15-20 minutes. The Vaseline or oil suffocates the tick.
2. If you pull from the BODY of the tick, you risk leaving the head in the dog's skin.
3. Please, please, please do NOT use lighters, matches, or any other source of heat. First, you risk injury to your dog. Second, mineral oil or Vaseline works better. Third, you risk making tick-removal a scary and traumatic event for your dog. Especially if you live in an area with a lot of ticks, you want to make tick-removal as painless and stress-free as possible.
Finally, start your dog on an anti-tick/anti-flea medication if your vet OKs it. Ticks can carry all sorts of diseases, and ticks are more than happy to feed on humans, too:)
You cant just pull the tick off, the head parts of a tick are the bits embedded in the dogs skin, therefore by just pulling you are going to leave the head and mouth parts in which can then lead to soreness, redness and possibly infection, which is not very nice for the dog!
To remove a tick you need to (with a tick remover hook) hook it through the tick and gently twist anti-clockwise (as they apprantly bury themselves in clockwise), this detatches the head and mouth parts through the twisting action. Then gently pull away from the dogs skin. If you think part might be left then gently bathe the area in salty water and if no improvement with regards to any redness etc, then i would advise seeing your vet.
I heard of a new way to remove a tick this year. You take pump soap and put a nice size blob on the tick and the surrounding area and cover with a soap soaked tissue or cotton ball. Let this sit for a few minutes or so and the tick kinda drowns and it just lifts off and no worries about leaving the head in. It's better than trying to burn it off or gas(don't do either of those please) or getting a tweezer and trying to pull it off and take the chance of leaving the head in.
Light a lighter until the metal part gets hot then touch it to the tick (be careful not to burn your dog), it will release its grip and you can pull it out. If youve alrady tried pulling it out and the head is stuck, you can either use tweezers, of if the dog is squirmish go to the vet. Then get him some flea and tick repellant.
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For the last 6 years, I've had working dogs. What I do when I find a tick is to take a tweezer that has a flat end rather than a pointed end. I place the tweezer so I can the end is against the dog's skin, with each side of the tweezer next to a flat side of the tick. I grab the tick firmly and pull. The ticks sometimes come out with a little dog skin in it's mouth, but they always come out easily.
I put some iodine on the spot where I removed the tick AFTER I kill the tick. You can drown a tick in soapy water, burn it in a gas stove burner, or flush it down the toilet, but get RID of it safely first. Then put the iodine on the dog to prevent any infection.
Prevention is better than cure. So, if you're not treating the dog each month with something like Frontline Plus, or K-9 Advantix, or Revolution, you should start treating the dog each month when ticks can be in your area. In East TN, it's from March through October. -!-
The at home remedy that actually came from a vet and has worked multiple times is to slather the tic in vaseline, it has to be a lot and fully covered. Within a minute or so the tic should back it's way out because it can't breathe and you can use tweezers to grab it as it does. Then of course you have to kill it. Just don't pull it out though or you will only get part of it which can still infect your dog.
First, liberally coat the tick in either Vaseline or mineral oil. Wait 15-20 minutes. Then, very carefully and with a good pair of tweezers, grasp the tick's HEAD. The head of a tick is quite small compared to the body.
A few cautions:
1. Be sure to wait the full 15-20 minutes. The Vaseline or oil suffocates the tick.
2. If you pull from the BODY of the tick, you risk leaving the head in the dog's skin.
3. Please, please, please do NOT use lighters, matches, or any other source of heat. First, you risk injury to your dog. Second, mineral oil or Vaseline works better. Third, you risk making tick-removal a scary and traumatic event for your dog. Especially if you live in an area with a lot of ticks, you want to make tick-removal as painless and stress-free as possible.
Finally, start your dog on an anti-tick/anti-flea medication if your vet OKs it. Ticks can carry all sorts of diseases, and ticks are more than happy to feed on humans, too:)
Good luck! No fire!
You cant just pull the tick off, the head parts of a tick are the bits embedded in the dogs skin, therefore by just pulling you are going to leave the head and mouth parts in which can then lead to soreness, redness and possibly infection, which is not very nice for the dog!
To remove a tick you need to (with a tick remover hook) hook it through the tick and gently twist anti-clockwise (as they apprantly bury themselves in clockwise), this detatches the head and mouth parts through the twisting action. Then gently pull away from the dogs skin. If you think part might be left then gently bathe the area in salty water and if no improvement with regards to any redness etc, then i would advise seeing your vet.
I heard of a new way to remove a tick this year. You take pump soap and put a nice size blob on the tick and the surrounding area and cover with a soap soaked tissue or cotton ball. Let this sit for a few minutes or so and the tick kinda drowns and it just lifts off and no worries about leaving the head in. It's better than trying to burn it off or gas(don't do either of those please) or getting a tweezer and trying to pull it off and take the chance of leaving the head in.
tweezers, get as close to the tick's head as you can, pull straight up. People who say "take the dog to the vet" thats dumb.
any kind of oil will make the tick back out of the dog, then you can remove it. oil suffcates the tick.
I got this "Ticked-off" spoon-like thing a year ago, and it works great. Much easier than tweazers and it has not left any tick parts behind.
Light a lighter until the metal part gets hot then touch it to the tick (be careful not to burn your dog), it will release its grip and you can pull it out. If youve alrady tried pulling it out and the head is stuck, you can either use tweezers, of if the dog is squirmish go to the vet. Then get him some flea and tick repellant.
How we were told to do it a few years ago on our dogs who had ticks as big as marbles!! ):P
You'll need a sottering iron, or a wood burner tool, heated.
and tweezers
Stick the heated tool to the tick CAREFUL of your pet!
After you burn the tick,
carefully extract it with tweezers trying to get as close to the head of it as possible. Sometimes it stinks.