Ticks: checks, safe removal & prevention

Where dogs encounter ticks

Ticks can attach during walks through grass, vegetation, woodland or areas used by wildlife. Distribution and activity vary with climate and region; a fixed season cannot guarantee safety. Check the whole dog after exposure, including around ears, neck, between toes and beneath limbs. Feel carefully through longer coats.

Remove with the right technique

Use a purpose-made tick-removal tool and follow its instructions: a hook-style twisting tool is used differently from tweezers. With fine-point tweezers, grasp close to the skin and withdraw steadily without crushing the body; do not twist tweezers. Ask your veterinarian to demonstrate if uncertain. Avoid oil, petroleum jelly, alcohol, burning or squeezing the tick to make it release. Do not dig into the skin for retained mouthparts.

After removal

Clean the area gently, wash your hands and note the date and location of exposure. Seek advice if you cannot remove the tick, the site becomes inflamed or your dog develops illness. Tell the veterinarian about recent tick exposure if there is fever, lethargy, lameness or other new signs. Tick attachment does not mean infection is inevitable, but removal does not guarantee disease prevention.

Protection is location-specific

Ask which products are suitable, which ticks or diseases matter locally and whether the product repels ticks or kills them after attachment. Continue checks even when using a preventative. Travel can change exposure: consult our regional-risk guide and travel planner. Existing outdoor tick guidance remains available.

Continue your care plan

Parasites & Preventative Healthcare · Keeping my dog healthy · New symptoms: find the right next step

Evidence and review

General information, not diagnosis or an individual treatment plan. Sources include veterinary professional guidance, veterinary charities and relevant regional parasite organisations. Clinical recommendations need individual veterinary interpretation.

• PDSA: using a tick-removal tool
• CAPC: ticks and forceps removal (US guidance)
• ESCCAP: ectoparasite-control guidance
• PDSA: Lyme disease

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