#remove tick

[animalsandtrees]

[dogency-blog]

Step-by-Step Tick Removal Instructions

Step 1—Prepare its Final Resting Place

Throwing a tick in the trash or flushing it down the toilet will not kill it, and it’s actually best to hold on to it for a while for veterinary testing in case your pet falls ill from the bite. Be ready with somewhere to put the tick after you’ve removed it—the best option is a screw-top jar containing some rubbing alcohol.

Step 2—Don’t Bare-Hand It

Put on latex or rubber gloves so you’ll never have direct contact with the tick or your pet’s bite area. Ticks can carry infective agents that may enter your bloodstream through breaks in your skin or through mucous membranes (if you touch your eyes, nostrils or mouth).

Step 3—Grab a Partner

You don’t want your pet squirming away before you’re finished, so if possible, have a helper on hand to distract, soothe or hold her still.Step 4—The RemovalTreat the bite area with rubbing alcohol and, using a pair of tweezers, grasp the tick as close to the animal’s skin as possible. Pull straight upwards with steady, even pressure. Place the tick in your jar.

Do not twist or jerk the tick! This may leave the mouth-parts embedded in your pet, or cause the tick to regurgitate infective fluids.

Do not squeeze or crush the body of the tick, because its fluids (saliva and gut contents) may contain infective organisms.

OR use the [amazon_link id="B000VUSV6Y" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ]Contech Tick Twister Pro[/amazon_link] which gives you a much better chance of removing the tick without breaking off the head.

Step 5—All that Remains

Sometimes, in spite of doing everything right, a tick’s mouth-parts will get left behind in your pet’s skin. If the area doesn't appear red or inflamed, the best thing to do is to disinfect it and not to try to take the mouth-parts out. A warm compress to the area might help the body expel them, but do not go at it with tweezers.Step 6—Clean UpThoroughly disinfect the bite site and wash your hands with soap and water (even though you were wearing gloves). Sterilize your tweezers with alcohol or by carefully running them over a flame.Step 7—Keep WatchOver the next few weeks, closely monitor the bite area for any signs of localized infection. If the area is already red and inflamed, or becomes so later, please bring your pet—and your jarred tick—to your veterinarian for evaluation.

    Tips & Warnings

You may notice a bump or redness of the skin after you've removed a tick from your dog. This type of reaction is caused by the tick saliva.

Hydrocortisone spray for dogs and cats is available in most pet stores.

Never use your fingernails to remove or dispose of a tick. Doing so can put you at risk of contracting disease.

Don't apply Vaseline, a hot match or alcohol. These may cause the tick to place more disease-carrying saliva into your dog's skin.

  Original Article