by Laura Seddon

Created on: September 02, 2008   Last Updated: December 27, 2010

Deer ticks cause Lyme disease, Ehrlichia and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. The ticks also put your pet at risk for infection or abscesses from the tick bite. Every time your pet is outside, there is a chance of deer tick exposure. For yours and your pet's health it is important to regularly check for and remove ticks.

After an outing, go over your pet with a wide-toothed flea comb. It takes a tick about three hours to fully attach to a host, so you will be able to remove the tick before it has latched on. Be especially vigilant if your pet has been walking in tall grass or low shrubs, places ticks are most commonly found.

If the tick has already latched on to your pet, the tick needs to be removed. It is important to do this correctly so as not to injure your pet or risk infection. Do NOT try to burn off the tick or pick it off. You might hurt your pet, or cause the tick to empty its stomach contents into your pet blood-stream.

First, wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water. Wipe a pair of tweezers with alcohol. Now, use the tweezers to carefully grasp the body of the tick as close to the skin as possible. Pull very slowly. Don't tug or jerk. You want to allow the tick to release its mouth parts, so they don't stay buried in you pet's skin. Don't twist or turn the tick either, for the same reason. If you don't remove the entire tick, there is an increased risk of infection to your pet.

Once you have removed the tick, put it in a watertight container filled with rubbing alcohol. Label it with the date, and where your pet had been that day. Should your pet or someone in your family get sick, this will aid in diagnosis. Lyme disease, for example, may not present symptoms for as long as thirty days after a bite.

Be sure to wash the area where your pet was bitten thoroughly. After that wash your hands again. Clean the tweezers again, and wipe down with alcohol.

Keep an eye on the bite site for the next few days. If the area becomes red and swollen, or oozes pus, take you pet to the veterinarian. Be sure to bring along the preserved tick so that our vet can identify it. Also contact your vet if your pet becomes lethargic, loses appetite, or develops a fever.

By promptly and properly removing ticks from your pet, you protect not only your pet, but also all the people your pet likes to play with. Removing deer ticks is safe if you follow the simple steps outlined above.

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