Get Ticks off Dogs

The best solution to this problem is to take your dog to a local groomer or veterinarian. Most of them will remove the ticks for you. However, if you con't afford to take your dog to the vet or your in an area where there isn't one, you can try this method at home.

Steps

 * 1) Double check to see if your dog has ticks. Some ticks are very small, almost flea sized, while some are huge. Ticks come in many different colors. It's recommended you run a search engine image search on ticks so you can identify them easily.
 * 2)  Boil water and gather tools. You will want to have everything ready to use because you want to use the water as soon as it is done boiling.
 * 3)  Make sure your pet is in calm and happy state. Feed them treats or give them a bone or chew toy to distract them.
 * 4)  Use a high powered blow dryer on low heat to blow the hair flat until you can see the tick clerly.
 * 5) * If your pets fur is to thick dry using a fine toothed comb. Use the comb to separate your pets fur so you can see the skin where the ticks may be hiding.
 * 6)  Begin on the top of your dog's back and move down each side to towards their chest/belly. Be sure to search in or around their:
 * 7) * legs
 * 8) * between their toes and pads
 * 9) * under their legs, belly, chests and tail
 * 10) * ears
 * 11) * face
 * 12) * chin
 * 13) * the front of the neck.
 * 14)  When a tick is found keep the hair separated so you don't lose the tick. The tick won't move, they literally bury their heads in your pets skin. If you pull a tick off incorrectly, it's head will still be in your pet, causing disease or infection.
 * 15)  Use the cigarette lighter to heat up the tip of your forceps or tweezers. They don't need to glow red, about 6 seconds in the flame will do.
 * 16)  Very carefully place the hot end of the tweezers/forceps on the back side of the tick. Make sure to be careful not to touch your pets skin, it will burn. The tick should pop it's head out. It will usually hold still for a few seconds before it does anything else.
 * 17)  Grasp the tick with the tweezers and remove it from the dog. Drop the tick in the boiling hot water. Make sure it is submerged and can't get out. This is the cleanest option of killing ticks. If you don't have hot water, place it over the cigarette lighter for about a minute.
 * 18)  Repeat until all identified ticks are removed. Remember that some dogs can have as many as one tick or 40 ticks, so being meticulous and detailed in your search to ensure they are all removed.
 * 19)  Once finished removing ticks, flip the bowl onto a paper towel placed in the sink. Let the water drain through. Put another paper towel on top of the first. Disgard the ticks in an outdoor trash can or bury them in the ground.
 * 20) * Be sure to save a few in a plastic bag. If you take your pet to the vet to check for disease, take the tick samples with you to aid the vet in treating any possible disease.
 * 21)  Take your pet to the vet after tick removal to check for disease or infection. Don't wait for your yearly checkup, make an appointment as soon as possible. Ticks can carry a lot of nasty diseases.
 * 22) Check your pet regularly for more ticks.
 * 23) Make your pet and home an unpleasent place for ticks. Avoiding ticks is the most effective way to keep ticks off your dog.
 * 24) * Apply an effective and safe flea and tick control product to your dog. Consult with you vet before administering a new medication.
 * 25) * Keep your grass and weeds trimmed to below ankle height.
 * 26) * Secure your trash cans with strong lids and take out any rock piles and brushy cover. This helps keep awoay rodents that may carry ticks.
 * 27) * When hiking with your pet, stay on the trails and make sure that your pet remains with you.  Avoid wooded areas and long grasses where ticks are waitin.

Tips

 * Always have your pet inspected by a veterinarian after tick removal.
 * Check your pet for ticks regularly
 * Always check your pets for ticks after being outdoors for long periods of time such as camping, hiking, hunting or going to the dog park.
 * Keep your pet on a regular monthly flea or tick control. Consult a vet before administering product to be sure no health complications arise from the medication.

Warnings

 * Ticks carry disease. They can transmit this to both you and your pet.
 * Don't pull a tick out of your pet if it's head is still in your pets skin, this makes the problem even worse.
 * Always kill a tick immediately after removal.
 * Ticks left alive will reattach to your pets, you, and your family.
 * Do not use a flea/tick control medication without consulting your vet first, unless you have used it without complication in the past and your pets habitat/health have no changed since then. Many pets can experience liver problems with these medications and become fatal.
 * Be careful not burn or poke your pet.

Things You'll Need

 * bowl of very hot water
 * gloves
 * paper towels
 * cigarette lighter
 * straight or curved forceps or tweezers with a blunt edge.
 * fine toothed comb.
 * high powered hair dryer with a low temperature setting. (Optional)