Dog Ticks

How to remove ticks on dogs

If you find your dog has been bitten by a tick, it’s important to know what to do. Learn how to get rid of ticks on dogs so you’re ready to act when it happens.

How do ticks get on dogs?

Your dog can get ticks from being outdoors. Ticks carry out what is called ‘questing behaviour’, crawling up low grass or shrubs and lying in wait. When your pet brushes past, the tick takes the opportunity to find a new home. Ticks can lie in wait like this for several months until they find a host.

How to find a tick

Ticks can be difficult to see because they are so small, especially when they first attach.

To find ticks, it is recommended to walk your fingers through your dog's coat, feeling the skin surface carefully as you go. Pay particular attention to those hidden or hard to reach areas like under the collar and chin, between the toes, paws, gum-line, lips, eyes and inside the ears. And don’t forget to feel along their body, making sure to check their belly, and then down the back legs and genital region, as ticks can be found there, as well as on the tail.

To learn more read our comprehensive guide on how to spot a tick.

Tick removal tools

A tick remover or tick removal tool will help remove a tick. These tools can either be tweezers or a specially shaped ‘hook’ which you buy from your vet or pet supplies store.

To remove the tick, grab the tick adjacent to your pet’s skin (at the tick mouthparts), twist the tick gently, then pull the tick away from the skin.

Take care not to squeeze the tick’s body as you pull it off your dog. Removed ticks may still be alive, so be sure they don’t escape to find another host to feed on.

How to remove a large tick from a dog

To remove a large tick from a dog, use tweezers or a tick removal tool. Grab the tick adjacent to your pet’s skin (at the tick mouthparts), twist the tick, then pluck the tick away from the skin. Take care not to squeeze the tick’s body.

How to get rid of small ticks on dogs

As with larger, engorged ticks, use tweezers or a tick removal tool to remove small ticks. Grab the tick adjacent to your pet’s skin (at the tick mouthparts), twist the tick, then pluck the tick away from the skin. Take care not to squeeze the tick’s body.

How do I find ticks on black dogs?

Regardless of the colour of your dog, to find ticks it is recommended to walk your fingers through your dog's coat, feeling the skin surface carefully as you go. Pay particular attention to those hidden or hard to reach areas like under the collar and chin, between the toes, paws, gum-line, lips, eyes and inside the ears. And don’t forget to feel along their body, making sure to check their belly, and then down the back legs and genital region, as ticks can be found there, as well as on the tail. Consider keeping your dog’s coat shorter in the spring so you can spot ticks more easily.

What do I do if a tick gets stuck on my dog when I pull it out?

Sometimes, despite your best efforts, part of a tick will get stuck in your dog as you try to pull it out. If this happens, don’t panic.

If the mouthparts of the tick are left in they are unlikely to cause a problem, however you should speak with your veterinarian for advice. Never dig around in the skin in the attempt to remove them yourself.

How to prevent your dog coming into contact with ticks

Unfortunately, if your dog likes to spend time outdoors, there’s no way to prevent contact with ticks. But you can help protect against ticks by checking your dog daily and using a proven tick treatment like NexGard^® for Dogs or NexGard SPECTRA^® for Dogs.

Just one monthly chew provides effective control of pre-existing paralysis ticks within 24 hours and provides protection for a full month against the three most common ticks infesting dogs in Australia, paralysis ticks, brown dog ticks and bush ticks.

PET-0155-2021