How to Remove a Tick

One. Make sure it’s a tick.

Skin tags can sometimes be mistaken for ticks, so before you take any action, it’s important to confirm that you’re dealing with a pest and not a benign part of your dog’s body. Look for these tick characteristics:

• Eight legs
• A black, tan, or brown body (sometimes after feeding on an animal, they can turn gray)
• A size anywhere from 1 millimeter to 1 centimeter long

Two. Gather supplies. 

• Tweezers or a tick remover device*
• Latex gloves, or gloves made of a latex alternative, to protect your hands
• Rubbing alcohol
• Dog-friendly antimicrobial wound spray or ointment
• A small jar or container with a lid
• Tweezers with a slanted or flat edge

*Use a fine-point tweezers to avoid tearing the tick and spreading possible infections into the bite area.

Grasp the tick with your tool. 

Start by holding your tool in your dominant hand, and use your other hand to part your dog’s fur around the tick. Then:

• If using tweezers, grasp the tick as close as possible to your dog’s skin. Be careful to avoid pinching your dog’s skin, which could make them jump.
• If you’re using a tick scoop, key, card, tick-removal hook, or twister, firmly press it against your dog’s skin as close as possible to where the tick is. The tick should be inside the opening in your tool.

Spread your dog’s fur, then grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible. Very gently, pull straight upward, in a slow, steady motion.

Remove the tick. 

• If you’re using tweezers, a tick scoop, key, or card, pull the tick straight back from your dog’s skin with a slow and steady motion. Keep slowly pulling until the tick lets go of your dog’s skin. Don’t twist or jerk the tick away, because that can leave behind tick mouthparts, which can cause inflammation and infection.
• If you’re using a tick twister, twist upward to release the tick.

Safely contain the tick. 

It’s a good idea to keep the tick in a secure container for several weeks after the bite. It can be helpful in case your veterinarian needs to know exactly what bit your pet and what illnesses the critter was carrying.

You can do this by dropping the tick into a small, sealable container containing rubbing alcohol to kill it; write the date you removed the tick on the container.

Don’t crush the tick with your fingers. This can expose you to infectious organisms in the tick. And remember to wear gloves when handling the tick for removal and containment.

Check the site of the tick bite. 

Examine the skin where you removed the tick immediately after removing it. If you have been successful in removing the whole tick, gently cleanse your dog’s skin with a small amount of pet-safe disinfectant  or soap and water.

What To Do If the Tick’s Head Is Stuck in Your Dog’s Skin

If there are any embedded tick mouthparts (or other parts) left behind in your dog’s skin, call your veterinarian and make an appointment with them to remove the tick’s head and mouthparts before it causes a skin infection.

Keep an eye on the area where the tick was embedded to ensure it heals properly. Most tick bites heal within two to three days. If signs of infection or inflammation (redness, discharge, swelling) occur, call your vet.

Watch for symptoms for several weeks. 

Monitor your dog for any signs of tick-borne disease for several weeks. Signs and symptoms are listed above.

Sources Cited:

American Kennel Club

Chewy