How to check your dog or cat for ticks and remove one safely

Some ticks carry diseases such as Lyme disease, so the sooner you find and remove one, the better (PDSA). A tick check takes two or three minutes. Removing one is quick too, as long as you get the whole tick out and don't squeeze it.

Yes, the two methods disagree about twisting. Each one works with its own tool, so follow the method for the tool in your hand. What every source agrees on: grip as close to the skin as you can, and never squeeze the tick's body.

How to check for ticks

1. After each walk, run your fingertips slowly through the fur, feeling for small bumps.

   

   The CDC suggests a daily check, especially after time outdoors, using gentle pressure so you feel the skin, not just the coat. PDSA says to check after walks.

   You should see: nothing but skin and fur. Any small, firm bump is worth a closer look.

2. Check the places ticks like most: head, ears, armpits, belly, tail and toes.

   

   Use the table below as a checklist, and spread the toes apart to look between them.

   You should see: every area on the list checked, on both sides of the body.

3. Look closely at any bump: a tick has tiny legs where it meets the skin.

   

   Ticks are small, round and often shiny, and can be black, pink, purple or bluish grey. The body swells to about 1 cm as it feeds. They're often mistaken for skin tags, so look for legs near the skin (PDSA).

   You should see: either legs (a tick: remove it now) or a smooth lump with no legs (not a tick; mention it to your vet if it's new).

Where to check

How to remove a tick

1. Careful: never pull a tick off with your fingers, crush it or squeeze its body: it can break and leave the mouthparts in the skin (PDSA). Don't smother or burn it with petroleum jelly, nail polish, alcohol or a hot match; the Merck Veterinary Manual says these don't make it let go and may make it release more saliva.

   Get the tool right down at the skin, under the tick's body.

   

   Twister tool: pick the size that fits neatly under the tick and slide it under as close to the skin as possible. If the tick feels loose in the hook, use a smaller one (PDSA).

   Tweezers: grasp the tick as close to the skin surface as you can (CDC, Merck Veterinary Manual).

   You should see: the tool touching the skin, holding the tick where it's attached, not around its swollen body.

2. Take it out with one slow, steady movement.

   

   Twister tool: twist two or three times in one direction, without pulling, until the tick loosens, then slowly lift the tool away (PDSA).

   Tweezers: pull straight away from the skin with steady, even pressure. Don't twist or jerk (CDC).

   You should see: the whole tick, legs and all, in the tool, and a small red mark on the skin.

3. Get rid of the tick so it can't reattach.

   

   The CDC lists four ways: put it in a sealed container, wrap it tightly in tape, flush it down the toilet, or put it in alcohol. Don't crush it with your fingers (Merck Veterinary Manual).

   You should see: the tick sealed away, not loose on the floor or the sofa.

4. Clean the bite and wash your hands.

   

   PDSA suggests warm salty water for the bite. Wash your own hands with soap and water, rubbing alcohol or hand sanitiser (CDC).

   You should see: a clean, small mark. Check the rest of your pet for more ticks while you're there (CDC).

5. Look at the bite again over the next few days, and watch how your pet is.

   

   PDSA says to watch for redness, heat, swelling or discharge at the bite, and for lethargy or a poor appetite.

   You should see: the mark fading, and your pet eating and moving as normal.

If something goes wrong