How do I remove a tick from my pet?

If you are comfortable dealing with ticks yourself, you may follow the following instructions to safely remove the tick. If you aren't comfortable removing the tick, the doctors and staff of Windmill Animal Hospital would be glad to take care of it for you.

Ticks seldom live long enough on dogs protected by Frontline to embed deeply; these ticks usually are dead when discovered, and are generally easy to remove. However, ticks on unprotected dogs can embed very deeply, and can be tough to remove. To rapidly remove the tick, you'll need Frontline spray. First, using a Q-tip or cotton ball, daub Frontline spray directly on the tick. Wait 15-30 seconds, to let the spray inactivate the tick. Then, using tweezers, grasp the tick's body gently, and exert SLOW steady traction to get the tick's head and mouthparts backed out of your pet's skin. Dispose of the tick by flushing it down the toilet.

Ticks embedded in your pet's ears, paws, and genital areas, plus deeply embedded ticks which cannot be removed by you intact, need to be attended to by one of the Windmill Animal Hospital doctors.

Very important: any dog found with ticks needs to receive a Lyme Disease vaccine booster, if he hasn't been vaccinated in the last two years. Dogs with ticks may also need Lyme disease testing, and oral antibiotics to prevent any tick-borne diseases from gaining a foothold.