Removing a Tick

What is a tick?
Ticks are blood sucking parasites. Most live in damp areas on plants and climb onto animals from time to time to feed. Your pet can pick them up on their coat while running in long grass or woodland areas. Once on your pet ticks can take a big bite of skin and hang on! When they first get onto your pet they will be small about the size of a pin head, but as they engorge themselves with blood they start to swell. Within a few days they will be the size of a pea. This is often when you will notice them. Occasionally they will be mistaken for a bluish wart or growth. Once the tick is finished feeding (about a week) it will let go and drop off of your pet on its own

Will tick harm my pet?
While the ticks are feeding, the skin around them reacts and can be quite sore. Sometime the skin becomes infected. Tick can also carry diseases like lymes disease, which can be passed to your pet.

Should I remove the tick?
Most animals will not remove the tick themselves even if it makes them sore. The longer the tick in on your pet the more sore the skin will get. If there are only one or two ticks on your pet, you can remove them yourself; however, if there are more your veterinarian can help. It is essential to take great care when removing ticks to insure the jaws of the tick are not broken off and left in your pet’s skin. If they are, they can cause a serious skin infection or reaction (tick granuloma)

How do I remove a tick?
The head and jaws of the tick must be removed from the skin along with the body. You may have had plenty of advice from well meaning friends about the way to remove a tick (i.e. burn it off with a match, suffocate it with butter etc.) Your veterinarian can give you a spray on or spot on solution that can be applied to the skin to kill the ticks. Once dead the tick will drop off on its own accord. The only reliable method to physically remove a tick is to grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible with a pair of tweezers, then twist and pull firmly while rocking it back and forth. There are specially designed tick removers that are very effective and can be purchased at larger pet stores.

Should I put anything on the skin after removing the tick?
In most cases all soreness or swelling will go down in a couple of days. If the skin is very red you can use a mild antiseptic cream to soothe it. If the reaction looks very red or weeping and does not get better in a couple of days have your veterinarian look at it.

How can I stop my pet from getting any more ticks?
Your veterinarian will be able to advise you on the best tick prevention for your pet. Remember after any outdoor activity to always check your pet over thoroughly and remove any tick that you find.

If you have additional questions or concerns about ticks and your pets, contact Ark today.

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