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Community | Ask The Vet
ticks
09.08.2005my dog has one on her shoulder ,how should i remove it?
- pat weeks
Hello Pat Weeks,
Regarding your dog's tick, as its something which needs prompt action, hopefully you will have dealt with the problem satisfactorily by telephoning for advice or have visited your vet. Some general information about ticks and dealing with them in future may still be helpful. Ticks are more prevalent in the summer and live primarily on deer or sheep but they also wait in long grass and are attracted to anything that moves nearby. So when walking in the countryside a dog, or sometimes a person, can pick them up. Never, just pull an attached tick off to remove it. Safe removal requires pinching the head of the tick to make it release its mouth parts which it buries deeply and painfully into your pet's skin. If you just pull the tick body, this can leave the mouth parts behind in the skin causing irritation or sometimes a small abscess to form. Tweezers or a special tick hook available from vets make it much easier to remove ticks properly. If a tick is in a very sensitive location such as near an eye or ear you may need to visit the vet for this to be carried out. Ticks occasionally transmit a disease called 'Lyme Disease' so its worth always getting rid of them promptly to minimise the risk of transmission.
In addition to removing individual ticks, to repel or kill further ticks we also advise treatment of dogs or cats with Frontline spot-on or spray. This is available from vets and Frontline is licensed and effective in getting rid of these little beasts.
- The Barton Lodge Veterinary Team
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