Potentially carrying Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, babesia and a host of other dangerous diseases, ticks are dirty little arthropods that will suck the blood of your dog and possibly give it an illness. Ticks burrow their heads underneath your dog's skin and can be quite tricky to remove--especially when your dog doesn't want to cooperate. However, with a little diversion, and a whole lot of patience, it is possible to remove a tick from your dog.
Things You'll Need
- Dog treats
- Dog toys
- Tweezers
- Forceps
- Alcohol
Instructions
Give your dog treats, his favorite toy and lots of affection to distract it from what is going on. If your pooch is chewing or gnawing on a tasty treat or bone, it will likely be too busy to notice what you are trying to do. In addition, if your pet likes peanut butter, store some inside of the middle of the popular dog toy, the Kong. Your dog will likely spend a good amount of time trying to get as much of the gooey substance out of the Kong as possible. However, do not count on buying a lot of time. Some dogs are only distracted for a minute or two.
Hold your dog down in a way that is safe for both of you. Place your dog on its side and hold its legs in your hands---that is, hold the back legs with one hand and the front with another and have someone else try to remove the tick. Meanwhile, hold down its head by placing your arm on its face just above its throat. This will keep it from biting you. In addition, you can use your torso to help keep the dog down. If the dog begins growling, let it up and place a muzzle on it. If the dog starts having trouble breathing, let it up and contact your veterinarian.
Use tweezers or forceps, grab the tick as close to the dog's skin as you can. Once you have it in your grasp, carefully pull the tick all the way out. Check to see if you have removed all of its mouth parts. Do not squeeze the tick's body while it is inside of your pet, as you can release dangerous substances into your dog. Place the tick in alcohol to destroy it.
Place a tick preventative on your pet to keep ticks away. Some tick preventatives will actually detach the tick from the dog after application; therefore, read the instructions on your intended preventative.