How to Remove a Tick
At some point in time you will probably find your dog or cat will pick up a tick or two. Ticks are common in nearly all continents, so it is not uncommon for them to latch onto your pet. If you do come across one when grooming your cat or dog don’t panic as they are fairly easy to remove with fine tipped tweezers or one of the specially designed tools readily available on-line or at your local pet store.
How to remove a tick
Before removing a tick you will want to put on a pair of latex surgical type gloves to prevent any infections the tick may carry from being transmitted to you.
Using a pair of fine tipped tweezers, or one of the commercial tick removal tools, grasp the tick by the head as close to the skin as possible. Being careful not to squeeze the body, pull the tick steadily and firmly straight out without twisting.
Some people prefer to remove ticks by hand as they feel that they can more easily gage the amount of pressure needed to remove the tick without damaging it. Whether you choose to use tweezers or your fingers the principle is the same.
Once the tick has been removed place it in a jar with some alcohol, or insecticide to kill it. Do not crush it as the tick may harbour infections in it’s body. Flushing them down the toilet also will not kill the tick.
Check the area on the animal where the tick has been removed to make sure that all the tick has been removed, and if you wish, apply a little antiseptic cream to the area. You may notice a red skin reaction around the area, which is not uncommon. Keep an eye on the area over the few days, and if it doesn’t begin to heal up, or gets worse, then take your pet to your local vet for a check-up.
Always remember to wash your hands thoroughly after removing ticks.
What not to do when removing a tick.
Do Not try to burn out a tick with a match or cigarette. You will more likely burn yourself or your cat or dog, than remove the tick.
Do Not apply surgical spirit, nail polish remover or Vaseline to the tick as this may cause the tick to regurgitate is gut and salivary gland contents into your cat or dog increasing the risk of disease transmission.
Do Not squeeze the ticks body as this again will increase the risk of disease transmission into your pet.
Do Not crush a tick in your hands. Any disease that the tick may carry could easily be passed on to you if you do so.