What to Do If Your Dog Gets Bitten by a Tick? Proper Removal and Disease Prevention

Ticks are external parasites that dogs commonly encounter during outdoor activities. They attach to the skin to feed on blood and can transmit serious diseases such as Ehrlichiosis and Lyme disease. When you find a tick on your dog, proper removal technique is crucial—incorrect handling can actually increase infection risk. Learning to identify, remove, and prevent ticks is essential knowledge for every dog owner.

## How to Properly Remove a Tick

Once you discover a tick, the goal is to remove the entire organism intact, including the head and mouthparts buried deep in the skin.

Correct removal steps:

1. Wear latex or plastic gloves to avoid contact with the tick's body fluids
2. Use a specialized tick removal tool (Tick Twister) or fine-tipped tweezers
3. Position the tool as close to the skin surface as possible, grasping the tick's head
4. Pull upward slowly and steadily—do not twist or jerk
5. Disinfect the wound with alcohol or iodine after removal
6. Place the removed tick in a sealed bag or alcohol-filled container for reference if veterinary care is needed

## Mistakes to Absolutely Avoid

The following practices can significantly increase infection risk:

* **Bare-handed removal**: This can easily break off the mouthparts, leaving them in the skin, and may expose you to pathogen-containing body fluids
* **Squeezing the tick's body**: When an engorged tick is squeezed, its fluids can splash into the wound, increasing infection chances
* **Using fire, alcohol, petroleum jelly, or nail polish**: These methods can cause the tick to regurgitate blood containing pathogens back into your dog before dying

## What to Watch for After Removal

Even after successful tick removal, close monitoring is needed for the following month:

* Whether the wound continues to be red, swollen, infected, or forms a hard lump
* Whether your dog's energy and appetite are normal
* Whether fever, lethargy, limping, or other abnormalities appear
* Whether urine color darkens (a possible sign of blood disease)

If any of these abnormalities occur, inform the veterinarian when and where your dog was bitten by a tick.

## Diseases Ticks Can Transmit

### Ehrlichiosis

Ehrlichia is a pathogen that attacks white blood cells and platelets. After infection, the disease progresses through three stages:

* **Acute phase**: Fever, joint pain, fatigue, and anemia appear within weeks of infection
* **Subclinical phase**: Symptoms may temporarily disappear, but the pathogen remains dormant in the body for years
* **Chronic phase**: If the pathogen isn't eliminated, limping, eye inflammation, neurological symptoms, and kidney problems develop

Ehrlichiosis responds well to antibiotic treatment, though medication may be needed for several weeks. Earlier treatment yields higher success rates; prognosis worsens once the chronic phase begins.

### Lyme Disease

Lyme disease is caused by Borrelia burgdorferi and is a zoonotic disease transmissible to humans. Symptoms include:

* Fever and decreased appetite
* Joint swelling and limping
* Enlarged lymph nodes
* In severe cases, heart and kidney function may be affected

The good news is that ticks need to feed for approximately 12 to 48 hours before transmitting Lyme disease bacteria, making early detection and removal extremely important.

## How to Effectively Prevent Tick Bites

Prevention is always better than treatment. Here are effective prevention strategies:

1. **Use preventive medications regularly**: Monthly broad-spectrum external parasite preventives (spot-on or oral medications) are the most fundamental method
2. **Avoid high-risk environments**: Stay away from overgrown, unmaintained grassy areas
3. **Full-body check after outdoor activities**: Focus on areas behind the ears, neck, armpits, between toes, groin area, and around the eyes
4. **Part the fur layer by layer for long-haired dogs**: Ticks easily hide deep in the coat
5. **Consider Lyme disease vaccination**: If your dog frequently goes hiking or does outdoor activities, discuss this with your veterinarian

Owners should also wear light-colored long-sleeved clothing and pants when going outdoors, tuck pants into socks, and check themselves for ticks after returning home.

## The Importance of Regular Health Checkups

Veterinary clinics can screen for heartworm, Ehrlichia, and Lyme disease antibodies simultaneously through blood tests. Annual "4-in-1" or "6-in-1" blood screening is recommended, especially for:

* Dogs that frequently engage in outdoor activities
* Dogs that have been bitten by ticks before
* Dogs living in tick-prone areas

While ticks can be frightening, with proper prevention measures and timely, correct handling, you can significantly reduce your dog's risk of infection. Taking five minutes to carefully check your dog after each outing is a simple habit that protects their health.

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**References:**
* [HeroMama - What to Do About Dog Ticks](https://heromamapet.com/blog/dog-tick/)
* [Petmily - Getting Rid of Ticks to Prevent Ehrlichiosis](https://www.petmily.com/health/skin/ehrlichiosis-canine/)
* [Petmily - Watch Out for Lyme Disease on Outdoor Adventures](https://www.petmily.com/health/bone-and-joint/canine-lyme-disease/)
* [Litomon - Blood-Sucking Landmines on Cats and Dogs](https://litomon.com/blog/dog-cat-ticks/)
* [Pet Kingdom - Dog Tick Crisis](https://www.petkingdom.com.tw/blogs/pet-healthcare/20251003)

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