How to get a tick from a dog at home so that the head of the parasite does not remain and what to do next

Where are ticks found

Pests live everywhere, throughout the globe. The most dangerous species of these arachnids, ixodid ticks, live in forests, lawns and fields. Increasingly, they are found in forest park areas, on landscaped areas of yards, household plots.

Insects prefer dark places with high humidity.

For hunting, they are located on tall blades of grass and small, no more than one and a half meters in height, bushes. It is widely believed that mites live on trees. This is wrong. They cannot fly, jump high and move long distances.

How does a tick bite

The hypostome is covered with chitinous teeth, thanks to which the bloodsucker is firmly held on the skin. At the same time, the bite of the pest is practically not felt, since its saliva contains special enzymes that have an anesthetic effect.

Where do ticks most often bite?

As mentioned above, for a bite, the parasite chooses places with the most delicate and thin skin. Animals are most often bitten in the stomach, hind legs in the thighs, the area behind the ears, groin, neck. Bites in humans are most often found on the elbows, on the neck, under the knee, on the abdomen, and armpits.

Signs of a bite and why it is dangerous

The saliva of the pest may contain viruses of infectious diseases dangerous for the dog: piroplasmosis, borreliosis, Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis. These diseases are characterized by a severe course and are often fatal for dogs. In this case, the disease may not appear immediately, but within 3 weeks after the bite. The following symptoms should alert the owner:

• loss of appetite, refusal to eat;
• increased body temperature;
• lethargy, lack of interest in the outside world;
• discoloration of the mucous membranes: pallor or yellowness;
• nausea, vomiting, diarrhea;
• the appearance of blood in the urine.

If these signs appear, contact your veterinarian immediately.

When and where to look for ticks in fur

In addition, there may be mites on the wool that have not yet had time to stick.

How to properly remove a tick from a dog yourself

If a pest is found, it is necessary to remove it as soon as possible: this way you can reduce the risk of infection with a dangerous virus. For this, it is recommended to contact the veterinary clinic.

The doctor will quickly and painlessly remove the bloodsucker and give further instructions on the prevention of tick-borne infections.

If it is not possible to visit the veterinarian, the tick must be removed by yourself - there are several different ways to do this. Whichever method is chosen, the following general rules must be followed:

• the tick should not be touched with bare hands, it is necessary to protect the hands with rubber gloves, pieces of gauze or cloth;
• before starting the procedure, you need to prepare a container with a tight lid to place the pest there;
• after extraction, the wound must be treated with any antiseptic: iodine, alcohol, brilliant green, disinfectants from a pharmacy;
• you can’t press hard on the insect, pull it, pull it - it can be crushed, which increases the risk of infection.

How to remove a tick from a dog with oil, wax, alcohol or gasoline

This method causes controversy and refers mostly to folk. Most experts do not recommend this method for use. The tick is poured with one of the substances, after which, due to a lack of oxygen, it begins to suffocate, supposedly weakens its grip and disappears.

The insect will indeed die, but at the same time its oral apparatus will be relaxed and the infected saliva will penetrate into the blood of the victim in large quantities, which will significantly increase the likelihood of infection.

In addition, the laboratory may not accept such an insect for analysis due to the presence of foreign chemicals in its body.

How to remove a tick from a dog, depending on the location of the parasite

As mentioned above, pests prefer to bite in places with thin skin, often these are the eyes or ears. Removing a tick from these areas is very traumatic; when carrying out manipulations, precautions must be observed.

How to get ticks out of a dog's ear

The skin inside the ears is very soft, which is why it is so attractive to bloodsuckers. If the pest is not deep, then any of the above methods can be used to extract it. However, if he made his way deep into the auricle, only a veterinarian with the help of special equipment can extract it.

How to remove a tick from a dog under the eye

The difficulty in removing the parasite from this area is that most likely, the dog will not allow itself to be manipulated. It will shake its head and thrash out, which can cause you to inadvertently squash the tick or get the extraction tool in the dog's eye. Only two people need to remove the tick under the dog's eye: one will hold the head tightly, and the second will remove the parasite.

Removing a tick from a dog: what to do if the dog does not allow the parasite to be pulled out

If it was not possible to pull out the parasite, the dog is worried, does not allow manipulations, then, most likely, she is sick. It is necessary first of all to calm the animal and anesthetize the wound. Lidocoin solution is suitable for this.

There is no need to inject, just apply the product to the skin next to the bite.

Lidocoin can be used without a doctor's prescription, it will not affect the process of extracting the parasite and will not harm the health of the dog. It is better to carry out manipulations together: one will hold the dog, and the second will directly deal with the extraction.

How to remove the head of a tick from a dog if it remains after removing the tick

If a seal formed at the site of the bite a few days after removal, it means that the head was not completely removed and part of it remained under the skin, which caused an inflammatory process and suppuration. In such cases, you can not postpone a visit to the doctor. The wound needs to be cleaned, perhaps for this it will be necessary to make an incision.

Pulled a tick from a dog what to do next

The operation does not end after the removal of the parasite from the body of the animal. In order to minimize the risk of infection with tick-borne infections, it is necessary to do a few more manipulations.

When to go to the hospital after a tick bite

Particularly urgent treatment is required if the dog vomits, the temperature rises, the visible mucous membranes change color. Other manifestations that should be a reason to see a doctor:

• change in the color of urine, the appearance of blood impurities in it;
• decreased interest in games, lethargy, apathy;
• the appearance of hematomas, edema of unknown origin;
• rapid heartbeat and breathing.

The first manifestations of dangerous tick-borne infections are similar to the symptoms of other diseases, the diagnosis can only be made with the help of a laboratory test.

The veterinarian must be informed that a tick has been found on the body of the animal. If you do not seek help in a timely manner, after 5-7 days the animal may die.

Common mistakes when removing a tick

Seeing a dangerous parasite on the body of a pet, the owners often panic and act thoughtlessly. Most often, when removing a bloodsucker, the following mistakes are made:

The consequences of a tick bite in dogs

Often, by the time the first symptoms appear, owners forget that they found a tick on the body of a pet, which greatly complicates the diagnosis.

The piroplasmosis virus attacks red blood cells, its specific manifestation is the staining of urine in a dark color.

Other symptoms of the disease: high fever, lethargy. The disease develops rapidly, in the absence of therapy, the animal may die 5 days after the onset of the first symptoms. Often, along with piroplasmosis, a dog becomes infected with ehrlichiosis.

The virus infects the lymphatic system, the spleen, then the brain and lungs. As a result, the function of the bone marrow is suppressed, which ceases to produce enough red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets.

In an infected dog, pus is secreted from the eyes and nose, and lymph nodes are enlarged. When the brain is damaged, paralysis and seizures occur. The disease can disappear on its own or go into a chronic form, in which bleeding occurs periodically.

With anaplasmosis, red blood cells are affected, which causes severe anemia. The dog is rapidly losing weight, the visible mucous membranes become pale. Then there is thrombocytopenia. The dog may appear healthy after spontaneous recovery, but the disease becomes chronic, with frequent bleeding as a symptom.

Methods of prevention

In order not to have to remove the tick, and to deal with the consequences of the bite, it is necessary to protect the dog from the attack of dangerous parasites. Preventive measures:

• the use of special insecticidal and repellent agents: collars, drops on the withers, emulsions, etc.;
• avoiding walks in places with a possible accumulation of ticks;
• regular check-ups after walks.