My dog has a tick. Can I remove it myself or should I see a vet?

Related Answers from Veterinarians

• Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

  Veterinarian

  Great question! If you feel comfortable removing it yourself, I can give you instructions on how to do it, but if you want a vet to remove it, I would take Gia into the vet now to have it done. That's because it's very important to remove a tick as soon as possible to lessen the risk of disease transmission. You will need tweezers (with pointy ends), gloves, rubbing alcohol, and a jar or contained with a lid. It's important you wear gloves to remove this tick to prevent getting any diseases yourself from the tick. Be sure to keep Gia calm. Take the tweezers and grab ahold of the tick as close as possible to Gia's skin, but don't pinch her skin. Pull the tick out with using a straight motion, do not twist or jerk the tick because you don't want to leave any parts of the mouth behind. Also make sure not to crush or squeeze the tick, you don't want fluids to splash around as those also contain infectious material. After you pull the tick out, examine Gia's skin to make sure there aren't any parts of the mouth left behind. If there are, you will need to take her into a vet right away. Kill the tick by placing it in a container filled with rubbing alcohol, and keep the tick in case Gia starts showing signs of a tick borne disease for the vet to examine later. Signs include lethargy, lameness, reluctance to move, joint pain, fever, swelling of the joints, anorexia, and swollen lymph nodes. It can take up to two to five months for symptoms to appear. You can use antiseptic wipes to clean the area where the tick bit Gia if you got all the mouthparts out. Monitor her for signs of tick borne illness over the next weeks, and bring Gia into the vet right away if you see any.

  

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