How to Safely Remove a Tick from a Dog

There are a lot of misconceptions and old wives' tales about how to remove a tick from a dog. According to veterinarian Dawn Ruben, all a dog owner needs for successful removal is a pair of tweezers, a bottle of rubbing alcohol and a small plastic container with a tight fitting lid such as an empty margarine container. You can also wear surgical gloves but the average dog owner may not have quick access to them. You may also need a friend to help hold the dog.

But I Pre-Treated My Dog

Dogs can still pick up ticks even if they have been pre-treated with sprays, medications or spot on treatments. Remember that not all flea prevention medications will kill ticks. One such medication is imidacloprid, best known under the brand name Advantage. Check your dog every day for ticks in the summer and fall, when vegetation is at their thickest. Be sure to check in the ear canals, too, because ticks can crawl in there.

Remember, ticks bury their heads into the bodies of their hosts. You need to remove at least the body of the tick as soon as possible. This tick decapitation will kill the tick. If you cannot remove both head and body of the tick, keep an eye on the spot where the head is. If it swells up, call your vet.

The Procedure

Gather tweezers or a special tick removal tool, a small plastic container with a tight fitting lid and rubbing alcohol. Place the grasping ends of the tweezers as close to the tick's head as possible. Pull the tick steadily off of the dog and towards you. Avoid twisting or turning the tick about. This will not help the tick to let go.

Place the tick in the plastic container, pour in rubbing alcohol to drown it and then place the lid on. Place the entire container in the garbage. Wash your hands with hot water and soap to ensure you did not pick up anything from the tick. Clean off the tweezers or tick removal tool with alcohol.

Do Not

Do not flush a live tick down the toilet. Ticks have been known to survive the flushing action and crawl back out of the toilet. They haven't survived millions of years to be defeated by such a simple device as a flush toilet.

Do not use a lit cigarette or match on the body of the tick. You can wind up really hurting the dog and the tick will not let go of the dog's body.

Do not paint fingernail polish on a tick. The tick will die, but its head will still be stuck inside of the dog and you will have to remove it anyway.

References

"Dog Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook." Debra M. Eldredge, DVM, et al. Howell Book House; 2007.

Pet Education: "Ingredients for Flea and Tick Control Products for Dogs: Mode of Action, Use and Safety." http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+2094&aid=598

Pet Place: "How to Remove and Prevent Ticks in Dogs." http://www.petplace.com/dogs/how-to-remove-and-prevent-ticks-in-dogs-2/page1.aspx