Found a tick on my 6-week-old puppy. What's the best way to remove it?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! There is no need to take him to the vet due to the ticks. Be sure to get him in to the vet soon though for vaccines, start heart worm and flea/tick medications and to have him dewormed. Bring a stool sample. If he hasn’t had any vaccines yet he should be seen next week. If he has received his first vaccines (DHPP) the he needs it boosted 3-4weeks later. Good luck!

It is likely you will not see clinical symptoms for any tuck borne disease this soon if Otis were to contract one of the diseases. I would recommend starting a flea and tick preventative such as Nexgard and have Otis monitored for tick borne diseases once yearly. The test is cheap and your vet can run it in the hospital. It is a simple snap test that takes 15 minutes to run. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.

No, if you got the tick off within a day they generally don’t get sick from ticks. If there is any question you can get a tick infection test done at your veterinary clinic. I recommend starting a veterinary oral tick and flea prevention product when he’s old enough, like Bravecto or Nexgard so he doesn’t get more ticks. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Boa.

You should remove all the ticks with tweezers and then apply a flea and tick preventative spot on suitable for young puppies or Frontline spray (which is suitable for puppies). These are available at your veterinarian or in a pet shop.

The best way to get rid of ticks would be to use an oral tick preventive like Nexgard or Simparica. You give him a tablet and the ticks will die. If you use it every month, it will prevent the vast majority of ticks from attaching to Oli. If you cannot get one of these products, wash him in a flea and tick shampoo. Make sure to read the directions carefully as it often requires you to leave the shampoo in contact with the skin for 10 minutes or so. Each product is different and will tell you the appropriate directions. Brushing him will also help. In some parts of the world, ticks can transmit diseases. I recommend to call your local veterinarian and ask if any further action needs to be taken. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry you are going through this. It sounds like they started the vaccination earlier than usual. Usually the second round of vaccines is applied at around 10-12 weeks. However, you should be ok as long as you continue the vaccine schedule as recommended by a veterinarian. The next step is having them provide you with a vaccine record. If you have recently started using Frontline, then it is fair to give it a few weeks to see if it helps. If you see ticks it is important to remove them. If you see more fleas, I recommend a product called Capstar which can help kill a lot of fleas at once. I do think that it would be best to have Teddy evaluated by a veterinarian sooner than 3 weeks as he is likely due for the next round of vaccines. Good luck and have a great day!

Most flea and tick medications should not be used until 6-8 weeks of age and will say the age on the package. If you are having a flea problem I recommend using a flea comb to comb out any fleas. I dip it into a bowl of water with a drop or two of Dawn dishwashing soap. This will kill the fleas. As far as ticks go again I would just check Princess over daily and remove any you see with tweezers. When you go in for her first vaccinations at six weeks your veterinarian can help you decide on a flea and tick product that works well in your area and is safe for small dogs such as Princess. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you get answers to your veterinary questions.