Step By Step Guide How to Check Your Dog For Ticks and Safely Remove Them
Spring is quickly approaching, and the warmer weather may cause you to take some longer walks with your dog. Enjoying the outdoors is part of spring, and there is no reason you should let the threat of ticks keep you and your dog indoors. Instead, learn how to check your dog for ticks now and begin practicing and getting ready for when daily tick checks become necessary. Knowing how to check your dog for ticks and safely removing them is how you can ensure you and your dog enjoy a happy spring and summer in the great outdoors.
How to Check Your Dog for Ticks
1. Get your dog relaxed.
It is easiest to check your dog if he is relaxed and lying down. Begin petting and massaging him so he lies down and becomes calm. You can use this time to check for scraps and bumps. A new bump under all that fur can sometimes means there is a tick there.
2. Comb over his fur with a fine comb.
Take a fine comb and begin combing through his fur. Lift the fur as you do so you can inspect the skin. Look for any signs of ticks.
3. Use your fingers to feel.
If you don’t visually see any ticks, use your fingers to brush under the fur and feel for any swellings. These swellings may be where a tick has latched on.
4. Be thorough.
You want to check your dog’s entire body. This includes around the ears, his under body, under the entire tail, under the chin, and in between paws. Leave no portion unchecked. Ticks like warm hidden areas on your dog.
5. Remove any ticks you find at once.
Should you find a tick, you want to remove it at once. Dab the tick and the surrounding area with an antiseptic to clean the area. Using clean tweezers, grab the tick as close to the skin as possible and pull. You want to get the entire body of the tick and not leave any inside the skin. There are different tools out there that can help you do this and ensure you do not leave the ticks head embedded in your dog. No matter how you chose to remove the tick be sure to squish it and dispose of it. Clean the area well when done.
Always see a vet if any reddening appears or swelling, or if you are unsure you got the entire body.
With these tips on check your dog for ticks and safely remove them you can ensure a safer Spring and Summerfor your dog, free from ticks and the problems they bring!
such good info and a great reminder!
Coco’s Mommy recently posted..Yahoo! Answer’s Guest Blogger…Coco’s Mommy!
We love the spring and summer months but we HATE ticks. Thanks for the tips.
M. K. Clinton recently posted..Yawning from the Bayou
It is SO difficult to check for ticks on a long, thick furred dog (like two out of three of mine!) Thankfully, we only need worry when we travel. You have a great list of places ticks hide to check but I would add under the collar. They’ll also crawl inside of ears and last year Huxley had one attempt to at he to his lip! Yuck. My favorite removal tool is a tick spoon. They’re cheap and light and thoroughly remove the entire bug. I don’t feel confident using the tweezer method.
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thanks for sharing.. especially for dogs like Siberian husky who have a double coat fur making it very difficult to find ticks. keep up the good job 🙂
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When Parker lived on the farm, she and the other ferals would get a lot of ticks. One day the inside cat got one; he scratched me when we tried to remove it (it took two or three of us). Parker was sitting on my lap, looking where Kitty had scratched me. “That scratch? I got that when I tried to take a tick off Kitty” — upon hearing those words, Parker jumped off my lap. When she realized I didn’t mean take a tick off of her, she came back.
Trimming her claws is not as bad as taking a tick off, but she is starting to put up more of a fight when I try that and she’s not asleep.
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