How to Successfully take out a Tick

Tried and true tip- I'm writing this to help others who have had the unfortunate problem of getting a tick out their beloved dog's skin. (My friend used this same trick on her son with the same success.) I got this tip from a friend. It worked for me, but I take no responsibility for the outcome if you do it. To find out what my veterinarian recommends keep reading the whole article.

As my friend told me I got a cotton ball and soaked it in nail polish remover. I put the ball on the tick for two minutes. The tick did not like the smell of the nail polish remover so it started backing up. That’s when I took a clean pair of tweezers and counter clock wise turned and pulled the tick out at the base of the skin. I got the whole head of the tick and its body out. I then flushed the tick down the toilet. If you are worried the tick might not have really gotten flushed then first put the tick in a plastic container of ½ water and ½ rubbing alcohol to kill it. Then flush it. Dab bitten area with rubbing alcohol or antibacterial ointment.

My veterinarian recommends using a Q-tip with rubbing alcohol on a tick instead of nail polish remover. However, the first time I tried this the Q-tip did not have enough rubbing alcohol on it to cut off the tick’s air supply on its body (ticks breathe through their body). So I got a cotton ball, put rubbing alcohol on it and placed it on the tick to suffocate it. I kept it on for 5 minutes. The tick started coming out somewhat. I pinched the skin near it with my forefinger and thumb, then with a tweezers I pulled tick out successfully. However, when my dog got another tick I only kept the rubbing alcohol on for one minute before pulling. This time the head was left in. I called my Vet. He said to dab area where tick head was with rubbing alcohol for three days to make sure it did not get infected. He said the head should gradually come out and my dog should be okay, but that I should watch area for infection. End result: My dog did not get an infection and the tick head did come out in about two weeks.

My Vet Does Not recommend using a burnt match on a tick to get it out. You do not want to accidentally burn your dog (or your child). For puppies it is best to take tick out when they are sleepy and not moving around. Have someone hold wiggly puppy while you take tick out. If in doubt about how to take tick out, or if you are scared you might do it wrong, let a veterinarian (or docter) take it out. Where I live my Vet said there is not any outbreaks of Lyme disease, Rocky mountain fever, or other tick carrying diseases. But you should call your Vet in your area to see if there is a problem with these diseases. If so, your Vet will probably recommend that your dog gets a blood test if a tick bites them. If your child gets a tick call their docter to see if they should have a blood test!