Dog ticks are not only very uncomfortable for your furry friend but can also be detrimental to his health in the short and the long run. The poor thing will keep scratching but the stubborn tick will stay put and soon enough, painful wounds will crop up. Therefore, because these ticks are very difficult to remove, you have to make sure that you carry out the task as precisely as possible. The following tips will help you out with dog tick removal.
Dog Tick Removal
Ticks usually bury themselves deep into the dog’s skin and suck out the blood till they are removed. So the first step is pulling it out. For this, you will need a large cotton ball, some oil and regular tweezers. What you need to do is apply pressure with the cotton on the tick for about a minute and then use the tweezers to get a good grip on the tick’s head. The mechanism here should be identical to the one you use when you are removing a blackhead from your face! Once you are sure that your grip is strong, you have to make sure that you don’t move your hand too much or twist the tweezers as you may end up beheading the tick. If you do that, the ticks head will fall back into the tiny opening and your pet will get very sick very fast. When you are sure that the body AND the head is out, the next step is cleaning the area thoroughly with a disinfectant or rubbing alcohol.
The question of how to remove a tick from a dog is usually answered very vaguely but if you want to do it right, it is imperative that you keep all the above mentioned points in mind. That being said, you should never make the mistake of using your hands instead of your tweezers. This will not only make it impossible for you to get a hold of the tick’s head but will also be an open invitation to a gigantic number of diseases.
Other tips to remember in regards to Dog tick removal
The last point to remember is that removing a tick from a dog can take a lot of work and if you don’t know how to go about it, you will definitely end up doing it wrong and put your pet in danger. You can always refer to the internet for additional tips or ask your vet how to go about it. If your pet is particularly prone to ticks, it may be because you aren’t washing him properly. It may help to use special shampoos, conditioners and powders. The great news is that they are easily available!
As they say, prevention is better than cure especially when it comes to dog tick removal. If you want to keep your pet safe all through the year, look for the best sprays and ointments in the market. You can try more expensive products such as Frontline Plus which is very popular in the world of dog ticks and fleas or get equally good but cheaper products such as PetArmor to keep ticks at bay. I have tried PetArmor on my American Pit Bull Terrier with great success, both of these solutions lasts for a month per application. Your pet will not like it but you have to tell him that it’s for his own good.