I Found a Tick on My Dog: What Should I Do Next?

If you found a tick on your dog, remove it as soon as you can using fine-tipped tweezers or a proper tick-removal tool. Grasp the tick close to the skin, pull steadily, clean the area afterward, then check your dog carefully for any others.

First: Is the Tick Attached?

Before removing anything, take a close look.

A tick may be:

• crawling through your dog's coat

• sitting on the surface of the skin

• firmly attached and feeding

If it is simply crawling, remove it before it has a chance to attach.

If it is attached, remove it promptly.

Ticks that have been feeding for longer may look larger and more rounded than newly attached ticks.

How to Remove a Tick From Your Dog

You do not need a complicated technique.

Fine-tipped tweezers work well, although a purpose-made tick removal tool can also be useful.

Using tweezers

1. Put on gloves if you have them.

2. Part your dog's fur so you can clearly see the tick and skin.

3. Grasp the tick as close to your dog's skin as possible.

4. Avoid squeezing the swollen body of the tick.

5. Pull upward using slow, steady, even pressure.

6. Do not jerk or twist the tick.

7. Once removed, clean the bite area and wash your hands.

The goal is to remove the tick cleanly without crushing it or leaving it attached longer than necessary.

Should You Twist a Tick When Removing It?

Not when using tweezers.

With tweezers, pull steadily away from the skin rather than twisting or jerking.

Some commercial tick-removal tools have their own instructions and may use a different movement, so follow the directions supplied with the tool.

Do not apply a twisting technique intended for a specific removal tool when you are simply using tweezers.

What If Part of the Tick Stays in the Skin?

Sometimes the tick's mouthparts can remain behind.

If you can easily remove the remaining piece with clean tweezers, you can do so carefully.

If it does not come away easily, avoid repeatedly digging into your dog's skin trying to remove it.

Keep the area clean and monitor it.

Retained mouthparts are generally less concerning than leaving the living tick attached, and aggressive attempts to dig them out can cause additional skin damage.

Speak with your veterinarian if the area becomes swollen, painful, increasingly red or develops discharge.

Do Not Use Petroleum Jelly, Heat or Nail Polish

There are plenty of old home remedies for removing ticks.

Avoid trying to make a tick detach by using:

• petroleum jelly

• nail polish

• alcohol applied to the attached tick

• essential oils

• a lit match or other heat source

These methods delay removal and may irritate the tick.

The safest approach is much simpler: physically remove the tick promptly with tweezers or an appropriate tick-removal tool.

What Should You Do With the Tick After Removing It?

Do not crush a live tick between your fingers.

You can place it in:

• a sealed container

• a sealed plastic bag

• alcohol

• tightly wrapped tape

If you want to keep it for possible identification, put it in a sealed container and note the date you found it.

This can sometimes be useful if your dog later becomes unwell and your veterinarian wants to know what type of tick was involved.

Check Your Dog for More Ticks

Finding one tick should prompt a full-body check.

There may be another one hiding elsewhere in the coat.

Run your hands slowly over your dog's body and look carefully around:

• in and around the ears

• around the eyelids

• underneath the collar

• neck and shoulders

• under the front legs

• groin

• between the back legs

• between the toes

• around the tail

Ticks can be particularly difficult to spot on dogs with long, thick or dark coats.

Should You Be Worried if You Find One Tick?

Finding a tick does not automatically mean your dog will become sick.

However, ticks can transmit disease, which is why prompt removal matters.

The amount of risk depends on several factors, including:

• tick species

• where you live

• how long the tick was attached

• diseases circulating in your area

• your dog's health

• whether your dog has appropriate tick protection

You may not know exactly when the tick attached, and that is okay.

Remove it promptly and monitor your dog afterward.

What Should You Watch for After a Tick Bite?

Keep an eye on your dog over the following days and weeks.

Contact your veterinarian if you notice changes such as:

• unusual tiredness

• reduced appetite

• fever

• weakness

• limping or joint discomfort

• unusual bruising or bleeding

• swollen or painful joints

• changes in behavior

• redness or swelling that worsens around the bite

• any other sign that your dog seems unwell

Signs of tickborne illness do not always appear immediately after the tick is removed.

If your dog becomes significantly unwell, contact your veterinarian rather than waiting to see whether the symptoms disappear.

What If Your Dog Has Lots of Ticks?

One or two ticks that you can clearly see are very different from a heavy infestation.

If your dog has numerous attached ticks, especially if they are difficult to remove or your dog seems weak or unwell, contact your veterinarian.

Heavy tick infestations can cause skin damage and, in severe cases, contribute to complications such as anemia.

A veterinarian can also check difficult areas such as inside the ears and determine whether additional treatment is needed.

Why Did My Dog Get a Tick if They Are Already Treated?

Finding an attached tick does not always mean your dog's tick treatment has failed.

Some tick treatments work after the tick attaches and begins feeding rather than preventing every tick from getting onto the dog.

The tick then needs to be exposed to the active ingredient before it dies.

This means you can occasionally find an attached tick even when treatment is being used correctly.

What matters is whether:

• the treatment is appropriate for the tick species involved

• it was given or applied correctly

• your dog is within the correct weight range

• treatment is still within its protection period

Do not automatically give another dose just because you find an attached tick.

Should You Give Another Tick Treatment?

Not without checking first.

If your dog is already using a flea and tick treatment, find out:

• which product it is

• when it was last given

• how long it is intended to last

• which tick species it covers

Giving another product or an extra dose may create unnecessary overlap.

If you think the previous treatment was missed, applied incorrectly or is no longer providing appropriate protection, check the product directions or speak with your veterinarian before adding another treatment.

Where Did the Tick Come From?

Dogs usually encounter ticks outdoors.

Common areas include:

• long grass

• brush

• wooded areas

• leaf litter

• trail edges

• rural properties

• areas regularly visited by wildlife

Ticks do not jump or fly onto dogs. They typically wait on vegetation or other surfaces and attach when an animal brushes past.

Dogs that hike, hunt, camp or spend significant time outdoors naturally have more opportunities for exposure, but even an ordinary walk can result in a tick.

How Can You Reduce the Chance of Finding Another Tick?

A few habits can help.

Check your dog after outdoor activity

A quick full-body check is particularly useful after hiking, camping or walking through grass and wooded areas.

Keep tick treatment on schedule

If your dog uses tick protection, record when the next treatment is due.

Keep the yard maintained

Trim long grass, clear heavy leaf litter and reduce dense vegetation around the areas your dog regularly uses.

Check yourself too

If your dog picked up a tick during a walk or outdoor trip, you were in the same environment.

Check your own clothing and skin, particularly after time in wooded, brushy or grassy areas.

Found a Tick? Remove It First

Finding a tick on your dog can be worrying, but the first step is straightforward:

Remove the tick promptly.

Use fine-tipped tweezers or an appropriate tick tool, avoid squeezing the tick, clean the bite area and then check your dog's entire body for more.

Afterward, keep an eye on both the bite site and your dog's general health.

If your dog becomes unwell, has a heavy tick infestation, or you are unsure whether the tick was removed properly, contact your veterinarian.