 Based on information written by Ray of The Dog Rescue Pages
A tick looks like a tiny spider when it first jumps onto a dog but once it's attached itself
and is full of blood it becomes the size of a small pea and pinkish-silver coloured.
They can be found on any animal including humans.
The old advice of letting ticks fall off by themselves is now out of date as some now carry
the bacteria for Lyme disease which was first seen in the US about 30 years but is now in
the UK. It's regarded as a very serious problem in the US and can lead to arthritis and
heart problems. Only a small proportion of ticks here carry the disease but some areas are
worse affected than others. It takes at least 48 hours for the bacteria to be transmitted
to the animal so the usual advice now is to remove any tick as quickly as possible.
One way to remove them is to kill them first by covering with vaseline, cooking oil,
or grease, which causes them to suffocate or to spray with insecticide. After leaving them
for a while (a couple of hours) you can then pull them off with finger-nails,
tweezers or tick removers. Grip them as close to the skin as possible without squeezing the grey part,
and pull. Try to get the whole thing out including the jaws. When it's out, clean with
antiseptic and wash your hands.
Some people believe that using the above method may cause the tick to 'vomit' bacteria into the dog.
See the Placerville Veterinary Clinic
webpage.
If this is a concern try using a tool to remove the Tick. A plastic teaspoon with a slot cut into the bowl end
should work. Slide the slot around the jaws of the Tick then lever it off. See the link below for photo's.
Ticks are most common in summer so it's worth checking your dog over every time it's been
out. Often you can catch them before they get a chance to attach.
 Tick Removal Tools at the Placerville Veterinary Clinic
Pictures of removal devices. One of them looks like a plastic spoon with a slot cut into it.
Page updated: 24-04-2009
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