Knowing how to remove a tick from your dog safely is an important part of responsible pet care. This vet-reviewed guide breaks down how to identify a tick, remove it correctly, care for your dog afterwards and help prevent future tick bites.

Key Takeaways

  • Remove ticks promptly: Use a specialist tick removal device to carefully remove the entire tick as soon as you spot one on your dog.

  • Check your dog regularly: Pay particular attention to the ears, head, neck, feet, armpits and groin after walks in areas where ticks are common.

  • Preventative treatment: Regular flea and tick treatments can help protect your dog against ticks you may not spot.

  • Know the risks: Some ticks carry diseases such as Lyme disease and anaplasmosis, so good tick prevention and prompt removal are important.

Looking for ongoing protection? Explore our over-the-counter flea and tick treatments for dogs.

What Would a Tick Look Like on a Dog?

Ticks are small parasites that feed on blood, and can look like a small lump or skin tag at first. They can initially be as small as a pinhead, but become larger as they feed, sometimes reaching the size of a small pea. They can be brown, grey, pink, purple, or blueish-grey in colour.

Ticks can be easy to miss, so it’s worth checking your dog carefully after walks, especially if you’ve been through woodland, long grass, moorland or other areas where ticks are common.

Pay particular attention to areas such as:

  • Around the head and neck

  • In and around the ears

  • Between the toes and around the feet

  • Under the front legs

  • Around the groin and tummy

tick on a dog

Other signs of ticks on dogs

While the most obvious sign is finding an attached tick, your dog may also show signs of irritation around the bite.

Look out for:

  • Excessive scratching or licking of one particular area

  • A small lump or bump on the skin

  • Redness or swelling around the bite

  • A tick that you can feel when stroking your dog's coat

  • Changes in behaviour or energy levels

How Do You Remove a Tick From a Dog?

Found a tick on your dog? Don't panic. The key is to remove it promptly and carefully using the right technique and a specialist tick-removal device.

Use a Tick Removal Device

The best way to remove a tick you’ve found on your dog is with a tick removal device. When successfully used, the tick is immediately off your pet. Most tick removal devices use rotation to slowly and safely twist the mouth, and tick with it, off your dog’s skin.

Note: It’s important to only use a specialised tick remover, and not a pair of tweezers or other household implements. The tick must be removed intact, and other tools may only remove the body and leave the head still in your dog’s skin (which can lead to irritation and infection).

Recommended Products

  • Vet’s Best Steel Tick Remover - a high grade stainless steel tweezers designed to remove embedded adult & nymph ticks.

  • Johnson’s Tick Remover - easy to clean plastic remover has 2 sizes of hooked twisters, one at each end, the appropriate size of hook to be used depending on the size of tick.

  • Ancol Ergo Dog Tick Tool - remove ticks from your dog's skin safely, by detaching ticks gently to ensure the whole tick is removed from the skin.

tick being removed from a dog ear

Tick Medications

If manual removal is not possible, such as due to the location of the tick or temperament of your dog, then medications are the next best option. It’s recommended to apply a medicative tick treatment anyway, even if you have manually removed a tick, as it is possible there are more ticks on your dog that you cannot find (such as under the coat).

These can take a bit longer to kill the tick, up to 48 hours in some cases, but depending on the product they can work very effectively at killing all ticks on your pet.

What to Do if the Tick Head Stays in Your Dog

If the tick head unfortunately is left in your dog’s skin due to an unsuccessful removal then try not to worry. The whole of the tick is required for transmission of tick borne disease so this risk is greatly reduced, however there is a chance of infection occurring.

Clean the site with a dog skin friendly antiseptic or warm salt water and monitor it closely. The body should expel the remaining tick parts naturally over time. If the area becomes red, swollen or you see discharge (especially if white/yellow/green) then contact your vet as antibiotic treatment may be required.

What to Do After Removing a Tick from a Dog - Disposal and Reporting

Safely dispose of the tick by either:

  • Submerging it in a small pot of alcohol and flushing it down the toilet

  • Surrounding it in sticky tape and put it in general waste

Avoid crushing it as this can release any tick borne disease it may have been harboring.

You can then report the finding of the tick to the UK government through the voluntary tick surveillance scheme. While there is no legal obligation to report it, your submission will help map the species of ticks found here within the UK.

close up of dog lying on the floor outside

Preventing Ticks in Dogs

“We are seeing an increase in tick-borne disease here in the UK due to the changing climate” VioVet vet, Dr Nicholas Garside BVetMed MRCVS, states. “It's important to be aware of how to remove and prevent ticks, to ensure our canine friends are protected against these diseases.”

There are several ways to reduce the chance of ticks attaching.

  • Apply tick preventative medications - depending on the product, these can eliminate ticks that latch on within 48 hours (before most tick borne diseases are transmitted)

  • Avoid taking your dog for walks in areas that ticks are known to habit

  • Give your dog a once over after a walk, checking the common locations ticks latch onto to see if there are any. Remove them with a tick remover if found.

Recommended Tick Medications

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Keep Your Dog Tick-Free

Knowing how to remove a tick from the dog safely means using the right tool, removing the tick carefully and monitoring your dog afterwards. Regular tick checks and preventative treatments can also help protect your dog from future bites.

Explore VioVet’s over-the-counter flea and tick treatments for dogs for ongoing parasite protection.

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Dog Tick FAQs

Dr Nicholas Garside answers your common questions about dog ticks.

How long do ticks stay on dogs?

Ticks latch onto the skin and detach after a full blood meal. It can take them anywhere from 3 days to 2 weeks for them to have their fill. Most fall off naturally within 3 to 6 days.

What do ticks do to dogs?

They feed on blood, attaching to the skin of dogs to fill their stomachs with a blood meal. The bite itself can cause slight irritation or infection, but the main risk is tick-borne diseases that some ticks carry. These can be bacterial infections, such as Lyme Disease (Borreliosis) or Anaplasmosis, which in some cases are fatal. It’s therefore important to remove and prevent against ticks where possible.

Are ticks dangerous to dogs?

The average tick bite can cause some irritation or possibly infection, both of which are usually easily controlled. The main risk is tick-borne diseases that some ticks carry. These can be bacterial infections, such as Lyme Disease (Borreliosis) or Anaplasmosis, which in some cases are fatal. It’s therefore important to remove and prevent against ticks where possible.

Written by: VioVet