This Is the Only Way to Remove a Tick From Your Dog
Your dog loves brush-filled woods and fields full of tall grass - and so do ticks. These teeny-tiny parasites can latch onto your pup and sometimes transmit serious diseases unless you take the proper precautions. Here's what every pet owner needs to know about identifying and removing ticks, plus how to recognize tickborne illnesses like Lyme disease.
Why do ticks bite dogs?
"Ticks are obligate parasites," says Robert B. Kimsey, Ph.D, an entomologist with the University of California, Davis. "They subsist solely on blood; they don't even drink liquid water." Their potential hosts include wild animals, humans, and of course, pets.
Dogs can easily get them in rural and suburban areas - especially in tall grasses and thick brush - but they can also pick up ticks in public parks or even urban areas if another host brings them there.
Can a tick bite make a dog sick?
Yes, ticks can transmit diseases like Lyme disease, ehrlichia, anaplasmosis, babiosis, bartonella, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever, says John de Jong, DVM, a veterinarian in the Boston area and the current president of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA).
This happens when an infected tick bites a dog and proteins in its saliva get into the dog's bloodstream and cause problems, he explains. Some of the manifestations of these diseases can get quite serious without proper treatment.
"Lyme disease can be very detrimental to kidney function, and can cause what's called Lyme nephropathy," Dr. de Jong says. "It's a destruction of the kidneys, and eventually they will fail and the animal will die."
However, it's important to remember that not all ticks carry pathogens and certain diseases predominantly occur only in specific parts of the country, Dr. Kimsey stresses. Taking the right preventative measures (more on that in a minute) will also protect your pet from tickborne illnesses.
What are the symptoms of tickborne illnesses for dogs?
The clinical signs for tickborne diseases like Lyme, ehrlichia, and anaplasmosis generally share a lot of similarities, Dr. de Jong says. They include:
Swollen joints
Pain
Lameness, like favoring one leg over the other
Loss of appetite
Fever
Neurological issues, including seizures
Of course, talk to a veterinarian if you're concerned about the health of your pet. They can perform tests to identify or rule out a disease.
As for the tick bite itself, you'll often find engorged ticks latched on around the neck and ears, but Dr. de Jong has found them everywhere on dogs in his practice. You may also notice some redness, swelling, and scabbing after removing a tick from a dog.
How do you remove a tick on a dog?
The best way to remove a tick on a dog is to pluck it off as fast as possible, Dr. de Jong and Dr. Kimsey agree. Here's how:
Grab a pair of fine-tipped tweezers. "They also sell commercial tick removers, but basically they all do the same thing," Dr. de Jong says.
Grab the tick really, really close to the pet's skin - as close as possible.
Gently pull straight out to get the tick free.
Finding and removing ticks quickly is important because it affects the likelihood of disease transmission. "The tick actually has to bite the dog and stay attached for a minimum of 24, but typically 48, hours before the proteins that cause Lyme disease transfer from the tick into the dog's bloodstream," Dr. de Jong says.
For that reason, he does not recommend using other methods like covering the tick with rubbing alcohol or vaseline, which won't make the tick unattach on its own.
"The first form of saliva that the tick elaborates is actually a glue," Dr. Kimsey explains. "It actually attaches the mouthparts to the surrounding tissue. The tick can't back out on of its own volition."
And definitely don't try another popular myth: the hot match. You could singe your dog's fur or even burn its skin. If the mouthparts (or what some people call the "head") get left behind during the removal process, don't worry. It may cause a little swelling, but usually after a while it will resolve itself, Dr. de Jong says.
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How can you prevent tick bites on dogs?
There are two ways to prevent ticks from transmitting illness to your dog: "You should be vaccinating your dog for Lyme disease and using a good preventative," Dr. de Jong says. "Nothing's 100% and you just want to make sure your animal is fully protected."
Yep, that's right - unlike humans, dogs can get vaccinated for Lyme disease. Your vet may decide to administer the vaccine depending on where you live. (Lyme disease is predominantly present in the Northeast as well as Minnesota and Wisconsin, according to the Centers for Disease Control.)
Preventative products add a second layer of protection. "If you're using a reputable tick preventative product like Nexgard, Frontline, or Advantix, the tick will ingest the blood and rapidly die," Dr. de Jong explains. And since it can take a day or longer for an attached tick to transmit a pathogen, these substances help ensure there's not enough time for that to happen.
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