How to safely remove a tick from your dog?

It is necessary to regularly check whether ticks have taken up residence on the body, head, and tail of your dog because this mite can transmit various very serious diseases to it. Let’s see how to safely remove a tick to protect your dog’s health.

Tick: the diseases it can transmit to dogs

To avoid seeing your dog get sick from a tick, it is essential to inspect it when you return from an outing. This allows the tick to be removed without delay because it can transmit to it:

Borreliosis, the equivalent of Lyme disease in humans, can cause enormous damage to the health of the animal,

Babesiosis also called piroplasmosis which can be fatal,

A transitory paralysis or ascending paralysis with ticks, due to a toxin.

If the dog ingests a tick, he is at risk of suffering from a parasitic disease called canine hepatozoonosis.

Anti-tick hook to remove a tick from your dog: the best solution

No question of putting your dog in any danger. It is therefore necessary to remove the entire tick. This consists of checking that his mouth organ has not remained attached to the dog’s skin. Ideally, we use a very practical little accessory that only costs about ten euros: the anti-tick hook. The instructions for use are as follows:

• Start by setting up your dog calmly,
• Part the dog’s hair well to free the tick,
• Insert the hook between the dog’s skin and the mite,
• Carry out several turns of the hook as if you were screwing without pulling on the tick, which must unhook itself after a few turns,
• Check that all the mites have disappeared,
• Enclose the tick in a piece of tape so that it is completely imprisoned and throw the whole thing in the trash,
• Only after removing the tick, sanitize the skin area concerned exclusively with a disinfectant lotion for dogs,
• Disinfect your hands with a hypoallergenic hydroalcoholic gel, for example.

Repeat the operation in the same way until all ticks are eliminated.

Some people prefer to entrust this task to a pharmacist or veterinarian. Why not? The main thing is to act quickly and well so that the tick is safely removed and the health of the dog is saved.

There are products marketed in pharmacies and suitable for canines in the form of anti-tick lotions. They are applied directly to the mite which does not resist it since it dies in just a few hours.

To limit the risk of finding ticks in your dog, it is possible to act preventively. All you have to do is ask your veterinarian for a specific prescription to have the product best suited to your dog. This preventive treatment must be renewed regularly to remain active. This does not exempt you from checking your animal each time you return from a walk. But under no circumstances should an anti-tick product prescribed for dogs be administered to the house cat, as it can be fatal for the little feline.

The tick: what is it?

The tick is a giant mite, which measures between 3 mm and 1 cm. They are very present in spring and autumn, (but the risk exists all year round), especially in gardens, parks, forests, and in short places where the grass is high. During walks, the tick attaches itself to the dog to feed on its blood. There are three types of ticks in France:

• Ixodes: tick present throughout France
• Dermacentor: it lives more in meadows and on the banks of rivers, on the other hand, it is rarely found in the south-east of France
• Rhipicephalus: it is found a lot in kennels and gardens and especially in the southeast of France

The tick clings to the animal’s coat and will look for an area where the skin is thinner (ears, neck, etc.) to settle and take its meal.

Ticks pose real risks to your dog because of the diseases they can transmit. It is therefore essential to protect your dog (or your cat) against this parasite!

Why should ticks be removed?

It is important to inspect your dog after each walk to check his coat and make sure that a tick has not taken up residence in his coat, as ticks are responsible for serious illnesses:

– piroplasmosis: this is a very common pathology with approximately 140,000 cases each year. The tick’s saliva transmits a parasite that destroys the dog’s red blood cells, causing significant damage to vital organs. They can be deadly if left unchecked.

– Lyme disease: this disease is common to humans and dogs. It is difficult to diagnose and can occur several months after the tick bite and can leave serious sequelae (joint, neurological, or skin disorders)

– ehrlichiosis: this disease can be fatal.The bacteria carried by the crack multiply in the blood and beget high fever and

How do I remove a tick attached to my dog?

If you notice that a tick is attached to your dog, you must remove it as soon as possible. Ideally, you should use a very practical accessory: the anti-tick hook. It allows you to remove the entire tick. Above all, do not remove it by hand, or with tweezers, as part of it may remain in your dog’s skin.

Proceed as follows:

• Start by placing your dog in a quiet place and spreading his hair to release the tick. Put on gloves for safety.
• Insert the hook between the dog’s skin and the tick
• Make several turns of the hook (as if you are screwing something), but without pulling on the tick. It will unhook itself after a few turns
• Check that all of the tick has disappeared from your dog’s skin, then disinfect the area concerned with a disinfectant lotion for dogs
• Do the same and wash your hands with hydroalcoholic gel
• The tick must be trapped in adhesive tape or an airtight box and thrown in the trash

If you do not have the equipment or if you do not feel able to remove the tick from your dog, go to the veterinarian urgently.