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London Dog Forum > Dog Health & Welfare > FAQs by Dog Owners > How can I remove a tick from my dog safely?
How can I remove a tick from my dog safely?
A recent e-mail to LDF was a timely reminder that the tick season is upon us. The enquiry was how should one remove a tick from a dog? Unfortunately the dog’s owner had made the mistake of trying to pull the tick off and inevitably the tick’s body was removed but the head remained attached to skin.
The tick inserts a syringe-like projection from its mouthparts known as a hypostome into the dog’s skin and through it injects a substance similar to cement plus an anticoagulant, which helps the tick remain in place and to engorge with blood. Hence the reason it is not a good idea to pull the tick away forcefully!
In the past, I have sprayed a tick with an insecticide (one that can be used on dogs, obviously) and once the tick is dead it can be removed fairly easily or simply drops off.
There are special tick removal tools you can buy. You place the head of the tool around the head of the tick as close to the dog’s skin as possible and gently remove by turning the tool in a clockwise motion. I have been told with good authority that smearing the tick with Vaseline (or butter but this is a bit messy!) to smother it can be very effective but always remove the tick with caution once it is dead by using a gently clockwise movement.
Please never try to burn the tick off with a cigarette or use any caustic materials on it that might harm the dog.
Naturally prevention is always better than cure, so avoid wooded areas, rough grazing or moorland where sheep or cattle are or have been grazed. The common British tick (Ixodes ricinus) tends to be seasonal from March until June and August to November. Spot on treatments against ticks are available and it is advisable to ask your vet to recommend you one of these if you are travelling abroad. Tick species abroad can infect your dog with Babesia canis and Ehrlichia canis and may cause paralysis.
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