Home » Dog Care » Dog Health & Wellness » Dog Treatments

Removing Ticks from Dogs: What You Should Know

By Daniel Lewis
Published on 01/02/2024
Reviewed by Dr. Monica Sanders

Tick Bites in Dogs Often Go Unnoticed

Dog owners are familiar with it: Your dog loves to roam through tall grass or bushes and often brings back small, unwelcome bloodsuckers from his explorations. Ticks are active from February to October and generally when temperatures are around 42,8°F or higher. Escaping them can be challenging.

Especially in the dense, long fur of your four-legged friend, ticks can hide well. Often, they crawl over the dog’s body first, making them easier to spot. Therefore, it’s worthwhile to check your dog’s fur after every walk. Also, take a look at the head, as ticks like to attach themselves here. During your dog’s regular coat care, it’s also beneficial to check his skin for ticks. Even puppies are not spared. Therefore, it’s best to get your furry friend used to patient stillness early on to search him stress-free.

Removing Ticks from Dogs: How to Do It

Have you discovered a tick on your dog? Then, without hesitation, it’s best to remove it before it attaches or, more precisely, before it bites. If that has already happened, there are special tick tweezers, hooks, or tick cards for removal, but you can also use tweezers.

Our tips for removing ticks from your dog:

First, pull back your dog’s fur so that the tick is not covered.
Be very gentle to avoid accidentally squeezing the tick. Applying pressure can allow pathogens inside the tick’s body to enter the wound and infect your dog.
Do not treat the tick with oil or nail polish, as it can still release disease-causing agents into the wound under stress.
Use the tick tweezers or one of the tools and grab the tick as close to the insertion point as possible.
Remove the bloodsucker gently by turning it (the direction doesn’t matter), making sure to remove it along with the head and biting tool.
Even though it’s not pleasant, it’s best to crush the removed tick before disposal. Ticks are very robust; they can survive for up to three weeks in water and crawl back up from pipes.
After successful removal, it’s helpful to disinfect the area with disinfectant or alcohol. This soothes your furry friend’s irritated skin because a tick bite can quickly lead to a small inflammation.

Which Home Remedy Works Best Against Ticks in Dogs?

To spare your furball from ticks, there are several possibilities. Besides chemically synthetic methods, some home remedies can be effective against these little bloodsuckers. If in doubt, it’s best to consult your veterinarian about what to consider with tick remedies. Especially in the puppy phase, you should carefully inform yourself about what your furball tolerates and what might be too early.

We introduce three home remedies that may reduce the risk of ticks and also serve as healthy dietary supplements.

Black Seed Oil: A superfood that you can use as a natural repellent is black seed oil. It helps strengthen your pet’s immune system and supports coat health. Mixed into the food, black seed oil enhances your dog’s vitality and forms a scented film on its skin due to the particularly high content of essential oils. It can also be distributed in your pet’s fur.
Coconut Oil: Coconut oil is also considered an absolute superfood for both humans and dogs. It can be mixed into the food or applied to your pet’s fur. Coconut oil contains lauric acid, which is said to deter ticks, causing them to drop off. Rub your furball’s ears, neck, and back with the oil before going for a walk.
Rock Rose Herb: Rock rose is a flower native to the Mediterranean, which secretes a strongly scented, aromatic resin. Rock rose tablets can be easily mixed into your dog’s food or eaten in soft snacks. The essential oils, similar to black seed oil, form a scented film on your furball’s skin and are supposed to repel ticks.

Are Ticks Dangerous for Dogs?

Ticks are usually not dangerous for your dog. If a tick is not discovered, it usually falls off on its own after a few days. However, some particularly stubborn bloodsuckers can cling to your furball’s skin for up to two weeks. The bite can lead to an inflammatory reaction in the skin. The wound itself can also become inflamed. In most cases, these small, local inflammations resolve on their own. However, when the tick transmits diseases to your dog through its bite, it can become dangerous.

Which Diseases Are Transmitted by Ticks?

Various diseases can be transmitted through a tick bite. Whether your dog is infected can be tested earliest after 10 days. The following four diseases can be life-threatening and should, therefore, be treated by a veterinarian.

Lyme Disease, transmitted by bacteria, leads to severe joint inflammation and paralysis in your dog. Fever and lethargy can occur.
Anaplasmosis is also a bacterial disease that results in anemia, fever episodes, and bleeding from body openings.
With Babesiosis, your dog suffers from feverish episodes, difficulty breathing, and vomiting. Untreated, the disease can end fatally.
FSME: Frühsommer-Meningoenzephalitis causes meningitis in your furry friend. The central nervous system is affected.

When Should My Dog See a Vet After a Tick Bite?

About 7 to 14 days after a tick bite, initial symptoms of an infection may become apparent in your furball. If you notice the following signs in your dog, you should seek veterinary treatment as soon as possible. In individual cases, these symptoms may only appear months later: