During tick season, the likelihood of your dog picking up a tick on a walk is quite high.

These horrible little bugs can be quite scary if you haven't had to deal with them before, however, don't panic we're on hand to guide you through removing the tick safely from your pet. 

But first, what are ticks?

A tick is a parasite that attaches itself to a mammal and feeds off their blood. They have a black head, eight legs and their body gets bigger when filled with blood.

[tick filled with blood]

Why do we need to watch out for them on our dog?

There’s a possibility that ticks can give your dog Lyme disease, they will feed on your dog and drop off after a couple of days however in this time there’s a possibility they can pass on Lymes disease. So, it’s best to get rid of them asap, we show you how further below in this blog.

How can your dog catch ticks?

Although ticks are active throughout the year, they’re more prominent in grassy & woodland areas around spring & Autumn time.

They don’t fly or jump, instead they get stuck to your pet when their fur brushes past them.

How to remove a tick

1. Check all over your dog’s body and head – if your dog has one tick, the likelihood of them having another is quite high. So, run your hands gently all over their fur feeling for hard small lumps.
2. When you spot a bump – part the hair and check to see if it is a tick, you’re looking for a round shaped silver, white coloured ball. These can vary in size, if you catch them early on they will be quite small, the longer they have been on your dog, the larger they will get in size.
3. Purchase a tick remover or get a pair of tweezers – we advise purchasing some tick removers (see image below), they’re cheap and make the process much easier. You can get these online or from a local pet store. However, if you can’t get hold of these, a pair of regular tweezers will do.
4. Removing the tick – we have created a short video on our Instagram page to show you the simple steps to remove a tick, you can view this here (https://www.instagram.com/p/CcIOoB8ALqB/) 

[tick remover image]

However, here are the steps below:

1. Part the hair and identify the tick clearly
2. Use the tick remover tool or a pair of tweezers to get to the bottom of the tick, as close to the skin as possible
3. Then twist (DO NOT PULL THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT) until the tick falls out
4. Check the tick to make sure you have twisted the whole tick out, you want their legs and head too as this is the infectious part.
5. If you do not have the legs and head, you might have to revisit this technique to see if you can twist both of these out
6. Check the rest of your dog’s body and head for other ticks, plus if you have any other dogs too
7. Monitor your dog’s behaviour over the next couple of days, if they display any signs of Lyme disease, contact your vet.
8. Ensure you apply flea and tick treatment as per the course

What do you do if you think your dog has caught Lymes disease?

Look out for these signs:

• Depression
• Loss of appetite
• Fever
• Lameness
• Swollen and painful joints
• Swollen lymph nodes
• Lethargy

If you catch it early, Lyme disease can be treated with antibiotics. If you think your dog has Lyme disease, please do contact your vet asap, who will run tests and start treatment.

So there you have it, the first one is always scary, if you can only remember one thing from this blog, it is to twist!

We had one on our Olive’s eye last year, after you have removed a few they become very easy.

If this has helped you, please do share to help other fellow dog owners.

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