Chances are that you went hiking with your dog or let your dog roam around the backyard and they picked up a tick along the way. Ticks are bad for your dog for several reasons because ticks carry different types of diseases including Lyme Disease and burrow deep into your dogs skin. Once a tick digs into your dogs skin, they are extremely difficult to remove because their mouth is full of hooks.
Once a tick latches on to your dogs skin, if you use tweezers to pull the tick out you essentially have to break every hook on their mouth in order to remove the tick. Using tweezers to remove a tick is difficult to do successfully because most of the time the body will detach from the head and the head will be left stuck in your dog. In addition, if you use tweezers to remove a tick from a dog, you often times crush the tick and force the tick’s bodily fluids inside your dog which can cause various infections. Using a tweezer to remove a tick from your dog is extremely difficult to do correctly. Hence, why we wrote the article “How to Remove a Tick from a Dog Without Tweezers?” Below we offer several ways of removing a tick from a dog without tweezers.
I’ve personally tried all these methods on wood ticks and have been successful. Many people have been reporting that wood ticks are easier to remove than deer ticks. However, these are my recomendations for “How to Remove a Tick from a Dog Without Tweezers?”
Tick Removal Tools
If you’re reluctant to use tweezers to remove a tick because they often times break off the tick head or smush the tick guts inside of your dog which can cause infections then your best bet is to use a tick removal tool for your dog. There are several low cost tick removal tools for your dog that are extremely effective and often times allow you to not break the tick head off while you remove the tick.
My personal favorite tick removal tool that I always have on hand is the TickCheck Premium Tick Remover Kit. This kit comes with a two tick remover tools that target smaller ticks and larger ticks that latch onto your dog. I have found that the tick removal tool easily removes ticks by sliding the “fork” underneath the ticks head and prying upward. They even include a tick identification card to help you identify what tick is on your dog. A tick removal tool is the best option to remove a tick from a dog without tweezers.
There are also various other tick removal tools for dogs that work better than tweezers. They are all low cost and you should have them on hand if you regularly take your dog hiking.
If you’re still not interested in using a tick removal tool, below are some ways on how to get rid of dog ticks with home remedies. Removing ticks with home remedies isn’t a 100% guaranteed success rate, but people have found that they were able to remove ticks from their dog without a tweezer.
How to Remove a Tick from a dog with Vaseline?
Some pet owners use vaseline to remove ticks dogs. Essentially, the idea is that if you fully cover the tick with vaseline it will cause them to suffocate since ticks breathe through their skin. While this is true, this process takes a little bit of time since ticks have a slow metabolism and breathe slowly. Once the tick suffocates it will back itself out of the hole that is burrowed in your dogs skins in order to prevent itself from dying.
To use vaseline to remove ticks dogs, completely cover the tick with vaseline and wait. It is recommended that you wait several minutes up to an hour to see if the tick will remove itself. While is not a 100% guaranteed success rate, it is recommended that you at least try since removing a tick with tweezers often breaks the head of the tick or injects further diseases in your dog.
How to Remove Ticks with Cotton Ball?
There are several home remedies that you can use to remove ticks with a cotton ball. A cotton ball makes it easy to apply various liquids on the tick in order to remove them from your dog. The idea is that you dab a cotton ball with a liquid that the tick does not like in order to suffocate it. The tick should remove itself after the liquid is applied to the cotton ball.
Removing a Tick with Dish Soap
Removing a tick with dish soap is straightforward, but doesn’t always have a 100% success rate. However, it is worth a try because it is extremely simple. All you have to do to remove ticks with cotton ball and dish soap is to place the dish soap and cotton ball directly on the tick. You have to wait anywhere from 2 to 10 minutes to remove a tick with dish soap, but the idea is that the dish soap suffocates the tick and they remove their head from your dog’s skin. There have been several reports that Dawn Dish Soap works the best to remove ticks. However, there is no secret ingredient in Dawn Dish Soap so any dish soap should work.
Olive Oil to Remove Ticks
In addition to dish soap, you can also try to use olive oil to remove ticks from your dog. To remove ticks with a cotton ball and olive oil, simply put olive oil onto the cotton ball and place the olive oil on the tick. Wait anywhere from 1 to 10 minutes to see if the tick will remove itself. If the tick doesn’t end up removing itself, we recommend that you try an alternative method to remove the tick.
Tick on Dog Symptoms
- Constant head shaking as if your dog is irritated. If a tick has burrowed into the head of your dog or ear canal then your dog may shake it’s head constantly.
- Constant scratching or licking of sensitive areas. Ticks tend to like warm moist places where dogs can often lick or scratch themselves. A dog may become irritated with at tick and begin to lick or scratch themselves in the sensitive area.
- Scabs on your dog. When ticks burrow onto your dog, they look like scabs. Conduct a close examination to make sure that they aren’t ticks.
- You find a tick around the house. Chances are if there is a tick roaming around your house that he came off your dog. Make sure there are no other ticks on your dog.
- Abnormal behavior. Is your dog whining more than usual? Does your dog look happy? A change in behavior is sometimes a sign that there is something wrong with your dog.
Ticks are usually big enough to spot by their pet owner. Simply run your hand over your dogs body and check for any abnormal lumps on their body. Ticks will feel like small bumps on your dogs body. Common places for ticks to attach to your dog are the arm pits, belly area, head, neck, ears, or feet.
Conclusion: How to Remove a Tick from a Dog Without Tweezers?
Removing a tick from a dog without tweezers is simple with a good tick tool. We recommend removing a tick from a dog without tweezers because tweezers are extremely difficult to use. Often times you of inject the diseases into your dog by squishing the tick. In addition, the body almost always breaks away from the head, leaving the head of the tick embedded in your dog which is an uncomfortable situation for your dog. In addition, this makes your dog prone to various infections. Using a tick tool is the best way to remove a tick from a dog without tweezers.
FAQ for How to Remove a Tick from a Dog Without Tweezers?
How to Remove Tick from Dog with Alcohol?
Alcohol shouldn’t be used to remove ticks from a dog. However, alcohol can be used to clean the surface of the tick bite after you remove the tick to prevent infections. Alcohol is great at removing and killing bacteria that causes infections, but alcohol is not great for removing ticks.
Where do Ticks Lay Eggs?
Ticks will lay their eggs just about anywhere including inside of your house and outdoors. Ticks lay eggs inside of people’s houses near baseboards, on carpet, furniture, or rugs. In addition, they will also lay their eggs outside of your house typically on soil, leaves, or branches. Ticks lay thousands of eggs at a time typically in the spring timeframe after they have reached a two-year maturity. A common misconception is that ticks lay eggs where they attach to their host. Ticks have to detach from a host in order to lay their eggs so you should never find tick eggs on your dog.
How Long do Ticks Live?
It depends on the type of tick, but deer ticks can live up to three years or more. The whole lifecycle of a deer tick typically takes about two years to complete before they can reproduce. A tick’s survival entirely depends on their environment and availability to attach to a host.
Can Ticks Live in Carpet?
Yes, ticks can live in carpet. In fact, carpet is a good nest place for ticks to lay their eggs. Ticks typically prefer to lay their eggs on soil, branches, or leaves but if there is a suitable host inside of your house they can lay their eggs on carpet and live in carpet. You will rarely see a tick infestation in your house since they are relatively easy to get rid of with pesticides, but it does happen if you’re not careful or a clean person.
Do ticks live in trees?
Ticks typically do not live in trees. Instead, ticks prefer tall grass, dense bushes with branches sticking out, or tall grass vegetation. Ticks need high humidity to survive which is why you typically won’t see them in home lawns or in trees.
Is it a tick or skin tag on dog?
Ticks or skin tags on dogs often look the same. One quick way to tell the difference is that a skin tag will usually be the color of your dogs skin. On the other hand, a tick is often reddish or brownish in color and will have legs. If you have a magnifying glass or a phone that can zoom in you can quickly tell if the bump is a tick due to the legs and body sticking out of your dog. In addition, ticks may be multiple colors. Skin tags won’t have a leg or body and they won’t be moving around.
Does vaseline remove ticks from dogs?
Yes, vaseline suffocates ticks, but this process could take a very long time due to the slow metabolic rate of ticks. Removing a tick from a dog with vaseline is not the recommended method for removing a tick. Instead, try using a tick removal tool instead of removing a tick with vaseline.
Does tea tree oil repel ticks?
Various rumors have been spreading that tea tree oil can repel ticks. However, the television station KARE did their own research to prove that there is no proof that tea tree oil can act as a repellent for ticks. Walking through long grass or any tick infested areas can still lead to tick bites. In addition, the FDA and CDC has not recommended that tea tree oil be used to repel ticks. Instead, it’s better to use lemon eucalyptus or DEET to repel ticks.
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Garrett loves animals and is a huge advocate for all Doodle dog breeds. He owns his own Goldendoodle named Kona. In addition, he volunteers at the Humane Society of Silicon Valley, where he fosters dogs and helps animals. Garrett enjoys writing about Doodles and believes that dogs can teach humans more about how to live than humans can teach a dog.
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