How to Safely Remove Ticks from Your Pet
Ticks are parasites that feed on blood and are capable of transmitting numerous diseases to both your pet and yourself. Removing a tick is easy if you do it right, but otherwise, it can be very dangerous because its head can stay inside the pet's skin and cause a serious infection.
Ticks like to hide, normally in areas with less fur. When looking for ticks on your pet, you will need to check everywhere, but pay special attention around and inside their ears, around their toes, face and neck, and under their arms and legs.
Steps to Remove a Tick
Follow these steps to remove a tick:
- Using tweezers, you must grab it at the base, as close as possible to the dog’s skin.
- Note the angle at which it got attached and gently pull the tweezers back. Do it calmly, because if you tighten the tweezers too much or pull too quickly, the head could get inside and cause infections to your dog.
- Insert the tick in a small container with alcohol. This will kill the tick and you will be able to provide your vet with it in case your pet starts showing signs of illness to help identify the disease.
- Disinfect the area by gently cleaning it with water and soap.
- Keep an eye on the spot where the tick was removed from.
Important Note
If the head of the tick gets stuck or after removing the tick the area gets inflamed or red, you should go to your vet or contact one of our Pet Experts and get customized advice by submitting a request through our Mavyn website.