Let’s face it, if you have a pet you’ll probably see a tick or two throughout your life. Depending on what area of the country you are in there are different types of ticks that look different and could potentially carry diseases.
The most common diseases transmitted by ticks are Lyme disease (so named after a county in the UK) and ehrlichiosis/anaplasmosis. The symptoms of all of these are similar, the big difference being that Lyme disease tends to last longer becoming a chronic infection. Luckily there is a vaccine for your dog to help prevent them contracting Lyme disease. Unfortunately, there is not a vaccine for people (any more). Some good news, if a tick is found they must be attached for 24-36 hours before they transmit the diseases to you or your pet.
A small point of order here: If your pet is on flea and tick prevention, it is important to remember that a tick must bite your pet in order to ingest the medication meant to kill it. So it is not uncommon to see some ticks on pets that are taking these preventatives. The important part is that once the tick bites it has ingested the medication and will fall off prior to being able to transmit any diseases.
If you find a tick on your pet you’ll want to get some supplies together to remove it. Don’t fall victim to some of the “old wives tales” out there. You do not want to use nail polish to paint the tick, or cover it with petroleum jelly, and certainly never use fire next to your pet’s skin as this could cause burns. Instead, grab a pair of good tweezers, fine point if you have them, a smooth sided container that the tick will not be able to get out of (it is okay to add a little rubbing alcohol to the cup, but is not necessary).
The Steps:
- Grab the tick as close to the skin as possible – we want to get the head of the tick that is buried in the skin.
- Pull firmly, but not quickly, straight up. Pulling too quickly could rip the head off of the tick, leaving it under your pet’s skin where it could potentially cause infection.
- Once the tick is out, drop it in the container and apply a small amount of triple antibiotic ointment to the place the tick was removed from.
Repeat steps 1-3 if there are multiple ticks.
- Once all ticks have been removed dump the ticks out of the container into your toilet and flush.
Never try to kill the ticks with your hands as this can release all kinds of nasty bacteria on to your hands!
- Wash your hands with soap and warm water.
There are commercial tick removal kits you can buy that may make removal of a tick slightly less intimidating, but will still take just as many precautions. I recommend the Tick Tornado. If you are unsure of how long the tick was attached to your pet, you will want to monitor for a few weeks, watching for signs of a fever or general signs of feeling unwell, as well as watching the area the tick was removed from for a rash. If any of these signs show up, even weeks later, a visit with your veterinarian will be in order.
Author: Cheryl Miller, RVT, CVBL, FFCP (Veterinary), VCC
If you’d like to schedule an appointment or discuss tick-related issues with your pet, please call or text us at (843) 966-3362. You can also schedule an appointment online. You can also schedule a virtual appointment directly with Cheryl here.
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References:
- Humane Society of the United States. “What to Do If You Find a Tick on Your Dog.” Offers straightforward advice on removing ticks with tweezers and monitoring your pet for signs of illness post-removal. Available at: https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/what-do-if-you-find-tick-your-dog.
- Hill’s Pet Nutrition. “How to Identify & Remove a Tick From a Cat.” Offers guidance on identifying and removing ticks from cats, including tools needed and safety precautions. Available at: https://www.hillspet.com/cat-care/healthcare/how-to-remove-a-tick-from-a-cat.
- PetMD. “How To Remove a Tick From a Dog.” Explains how to remove ticks from dogs using tweezers or tick-removal tools, with advice on handling difficult areas like ears or eyes. Available at: https://www.petmd.com/dog/parasites/how-to-remove-a-tick-from-dog-cat.