What are Ticks? Ticks are blood-feeding ectoparasitic arthropods that can infest domestic animals, such as dogs and cats, as well as humans. These small insects are predominantly found in outdoor environments, such as lawns, forests, green spaces and parks, and can transmit a variety of serious infections and diseases, including Lyme disease, TBE or Tick-Borne Encephalitis, Ehrlichiosis and Babesiosis.
But let's take a closer look at how to identify and extract a tick.
1. Preparation:
Before proceeding with the tick removal, it is essential to properly prepare the work area and make sure you have all the necessary materials available. Gather the required materials, which will include a pair of fine-tipped tweezers (which we will recommend later in the article), a pair of disposable gloves, and an alcohol-based disinfectant.
2. Identification:
Correctly identifying a tick is the first essential step to safe and effective removal. Ticks can vary greatly in size, color, and stage of development. They can appear as small brown or black bumps on your pet's skin, and can sometimes just look like small scabs or bumps on your pet's skin.
Favorite areas for tick attachment include the animal's neck, ears, chest, and paws, especially between the nails and toes.
3. Removal:
- Stun the Tick: Once you have identified the tick, take some alcohol and throw it on the tick. Repeat this process 2 or 3 times over a few minutes while keeping an eye on the area in question. The alcohol will start to stun the tick and make it easier to remove it without resistance.
- Gently grasp the tick: wear disposable gloves to protect yourself from possible contamination. Use the fine-tipped tweezers (In the photo below) to grasp the tick's head as close as possible to the skin of our pet.
- Rotate the tick gently: With the tweezers firmly grasped around the tick's head, gently rotate the tick counterclockwise as if you were unscrewing a screw . This rotating motion is essential because it helps to gradually release the tick from the animal's skin without damaging the insect's mouth. Continue with this circular motion always in a gentle but firm manner.
- Gently pull upwards: Once the tick has loosened its grip, gently pull upwards, applying constant, gentle pressure, until it is completely out of the animal's skin. Be careful not to apply too much pressure to avoid crushing the tick during the removal process.
- Check the legs: Once you have removed the tick it is VERY important to check that the parasite still has all its legs attached to the body to ensure that no foreign body is left inside our pet. Check that there are 8 legs and that the two mouth tweezers are still intact when removed. In this case we can consider ourselves quite lucky and should not require any extra care or attention other than monitoring the area in the following days.
Here is a link to the best tick removal kit I have had the opportunity to try. >>> Tick Removal Kit <<<
It has different tweezers, both plastic and steel, each of them with a particular function depending on the size, the species and the point of the bite. For us it was super useful, both on cats and dogs and fortunately we had bought the kit previously as we often go out in the mountains and it is not uncommon to be bitten by ticks.
4. Cleaning:
After successfully removing the tick, it is important to thoroughly clean the bite area to prevent infection. Use a cotton ball soaked in alcohol-based hand rub to gently clean the bite area.
5. Monitoring:
After removing the tick, it is advisable and very important to carefully monitor the bite area for a few days. If you notice any signs of redness, swelling, irritation or infection, consult your veterinarian immediately for appropriate treatment.
6. Correct elimination of the parasite:
Dispose of the tick safely and properly. You can do this by placing it in a sealed bag before throwing it away, burning it, or soaking it in an alcohol solution to ensure it is killed before throwing it away.
7. IMPORTANT:
During the tick removal process, it is important to avoid squeezing or pulling the tick from the animal's skin. This may increase the risk of infection or cause the tick's mouthparts to rupture, which may require additional medical attention.
Conclusion: Removing a tick requires patience, precision, and care. By carefully following the steps and precautions outlined above, you can remove ticks safely and effectively, minimizing the risk of infection and health complications for your pet.
I hope this article has provided a detailed and informative guide on how to remove ticks safely and effectively. If you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to consult your trusted veterinarian.