Pet Health: How to Remove a Tick from a Cat or Dog

You're petting your beloved fido or fluffy when you notice a small bump, perhaps an insect bite or something minor but then you gasp. It's a tick! What do you do? First, don't panic. Ticks are serious business but they're also easy to remove. When you come across one of these pests on your pet, it's important to remove the tick as quickly and efficiently as possible.

How to Remove a Tick from a Pet

Whenever working to remove a tick, wear gloves to protect yourself from any potential bacteria or diseases that may be present. Also, use a fine tipped pair of tweezers or specialized tick removal devices, rather than your fingers. Be gentle when removing the tick, as you don't want to crush the tick and cause it to inject more bacteria-carrying saliva into your pet's skin.

To remove, start by grabbing the head of the tick where it is attached to the pet with the tweezers. Never grasp the tick by the body due to the aforementioned reasons.

Do not pull violently, but rather pull the tick outward in a firm and gentle but steady motion. Never wist the tick, as this could cause it to grasp onto the pet more firmly or release more saliva and bacteria into the wound.

Once the tick has been removed, immediately place it into a jar of alcohol and seal it. Alcohol will kill the tick, whereas squishing it will release bacteria into the environment.

Be sure to follow up by cleaning the wound using the appropriate pet-safe disinfectant. If necessary, your veterinarian may recommend a cream or other product for anti-inflammation or irritation that may have occurred to the area. In some instances, the area may develop a welt or other physical (but temporary) deformation. Some pets may have a tiny spot where the fur never grows back, this is due to a reaction of the skin with the tick's saliva. This loss of fur is cosmetic and generally not a cause for concern.

Myths about Removing a Tick

Holding a match up to the tick is one of the most commonly spouted remedies for removing a tick easily. The thought is that by heating the tick up, it will naturally "back off" and flee from the danger. Unfortunately this is not necessarily true and may instead result in the tick latching on more firmly or injecting more bacteria-carrying saliva into the pet.

Smothering the tick using petroleum jelly or other mediums also does not work, resulting in the same issues that would occur when using the match method.

It should also be noted that flushing a tick down the toilet after removal does not kill the tick. Instead, use the alcohol method mentioned above to ensure the tick has been destroyed. For pets, it may be best to hang onto the tick in the alcohol and bring it to the veterinarian, especially if the dog or cat develops illness following the incident.

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Resource(s):

Drs. Foster & Smith: How to Remove a Tick

Entirely Pets: How to Safely Remove Ticks From Your Pet

About.com: How to Remove a Tick From Your Pet or Yourself