How to remove dog tick?!?

N71

Stroking my springer spaniel last night, if felt a lump in the hair on his ears. Looking closer, it looks like a white bulb, pea sized. My friend tells me its a tick - how do you remove them, and what is it?

blossomsuz

Ticks normally live on sheep, they are a little creature that bury their head in the animals skin and drink their blood. The best way to remove them is to get a vet or nurse to do it as if your are inexperinced you can leave the head inside the animal which will cause an infection, you can also buy tick hooks from your local vet.

I would take your dog to the vet that way you can be sure it is a tick and be shown how to remove them properly in case it happens again in the future

djtonyb

Cover it completely with vaseline. They breath thro their skins and they will drop off when they can't breath.

Well at least this was the information given to us recently at hospital during a rash of them in the Guides at camp

skintmostofthetime

I was told surgical spirit got rid by RSPCA some years ago. Use a wad of cotton wool

eira

Tick hooks -like a kind of needle threader with a wire loop-work like a charm.You hook the loop over the tick's head and it comes away in one piece. Be very sure you don't touch the tick and flush it away when you've removed it. You can buy them in pet shops for about £3.50

N71

Thanks for all your help.

I've booked him into the vets this afternoon - I'm a weak-bellied wimp and the thought of touching it myself is making me feel ill!!

Cazzdevil

My cat had one when I lived at home, we phoned the vet and they told us to soak a bit of cotton wool in alcohol (vodka or gin, some spirit like that), cover the tick for a few seconds with the swab then tug it off sharply, no need to touch the tick.

The alcohol effecticely weakens their grip on the animals skin, if you try and pull them off without doing this it can often leave their legs behind. It's simple to do though, no need for a vet.

Minerva_2

I have tried both the vaseline and the alcohol, both of them worked fine and the tick died and dropped off, whatever you do, don't try to pull off a live tick, as it will leave its head in place and will it may then become infected.

Minerva

scottishsuz

I pull ticks off of horses and farm cats on a regular basis. You just have to give it a really sharp tug with your nails right down as close to the skin as possible, never left a head in yet.

Do feel a bit ill when they are large or on me. Yuch, I squish them with a brush if they are really big or my foot if they are smaller once they are off.

Toothpaste will do the same as vasaline and alcohol.

Discodee

well I worked as a vet nurse for many years and I wouldn't advise anyone to pull one off their petunless they are 100% sure of what they're doing

Hope it all goes ok for you N71

WeirdoMagnet

N71 wrote: »

Looking closer, it looks like a white bulb, pea sized. My friend tells me its a tick - how do you remove them, and what is it?

I may be wrong, but it doesn't sound like a tick to me. The couple I've removed from our dog have been black (unless mine were already filled with blood) and much smaller than a pea. And more oval shaped than round. Hope your dog is ok. Let us know what the vets diagnosis is.

Georgie