Ticks are parasitic blood-sucking arachnids, which means they can transfer blood-borne disease to your pet. Neem oil is a plant derivative with antiseptic qualities that can be used to repel and kill them. Fortunately for pet owners, it is available in shampoos. Neem oil works both as a pesticide and as a repellent. It is more useful as a pesticide for fleas than ticks, but works well as a tick repellent. Tea tree oil is more effective at killing ticks than neem oil, according to noordinaryhomestead.com.
Things You'll Need
- Tea tree oil
- Matches
- Neem oil/olive oil
- Neem oil-based shampoo
Instructions
Individual Ticks
Search your pet's coat for ticks attached to the skin. Do not immediately pull ticks off. The risk of their heads coming off and remaining attached to the skin is too great.
Apply undiluted tea tree oil directly to the tick. If it does not release, light a match instead, and let it burn for a few seconds. Then blow it out and apply it to the back of the tick, while you hold the tick with tweezers. Once it releases the skin, you can pull it off with the tweezers.
Disinfect the area with rubbing alcohol and destroy the tick (e.g., stepping on it and throwing it in the garbage).
Non-local Treatment
Shampoo pets with tick problems with neem oil-based pet shampoo. It can be purchased online. A link is provided in the Resources section.
Let the neem oil set in the pet's hair for 10 minutes to take effect on the ticks before rinsing off.
Dry the dog with a hairdryer, if it isn't scared by the sound. Then you can jump right into brushing out any ticks that may have released from the shampooing that aren't yet dead.