Dogs, cats and other pets are always at risk of a tick bite – whether it’s from a stroll outside in the park, a trek through the woods, or from a brush against your leg when you’ve picked up a tick in the great outdoors.
Ticks can transmit very serious and even deadly diseases such as Lyme Disease, Ehrlichia and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, so a prompt removal can help reduce the risk of developing a disease or an infection from the actual bite wound.
Prompt tick removal can also help prevent the spread of ticks and tick borne illnesses to family members. So checking a pet each and every time he visits the great outdoors is vital to ensure the entire family's health.
“Regular use of a quality flea and tick preventative is your pet’s best defense against tick borne illnesses. But mistakes happen and owners forget to apply the preventative or it’s not applied properly. And a dog who isn't bitten by a tick can still carry them and transfer them to humans in the household. So it’s vital that every pet owner regularly checks for ticks and understands how to properly remove them,” explained Dr. Michael Levine, DVM. He also indicated that Lyme Disease vaccinations are now available for pets in many areas, providing one more line of defense against illness, though a vaccinated pet can still spread ticks to unvaccinated pets and human family members.
When removing a tick, it’s essential to use proper technique to limit the chance of disease and infection. Do not use anything other than tweezers to remove the tick. Burning the tick with a match, applying chemicals, petroleum jelly, alcohol or cold compresses will not cause the tick to back out. In fact, following these myths can drive the tick deeper into the skin and trigger the release of more potentially infectious saliva.
Dr. Levine offered the following tricks for effective removal, whether it's on a human or a pet:
- Begin and end this process by washing your hands with an anti-bacterial soap.
- Get a pair of tweezers, preferably slant-tipped tweezers, as these allow for a more precise grasp of the tick. The key is to avoid crushing the tick, as this can result in the release of the tick’s potentially-contaminated saliva into the bloodstream.
- When removing a tick, it’s important to grasp the tick at the base, as close to the surface of the skin as is possible. This will increase the chances that the tick is removed in its entirety.
- Once the tweezers are grasping the base of the tick, adjacent to the skin’s surface, pull the tweezers steadily and firmly away from the body. Avoid jerking and twisting.
- The tick must be disposed of properly to prevent another tick bite incident. Flushing the tick down the toilet is not sufficient. The tick can only be killed by placing it inside a jar of isopropyl alcohol.
- Once the tick is removed, examine the area closely to look for signs that part of the tick has been left behind. Black specks at the bite site suggest that part of the tick may still be embedded and if this is suspected, a medical attention is necessary as soon as possible. It is rare that a portion of the tick is left behind, but it does occasionally occur.
Following the removal of a tick, it’s vital to keep a close eye on the site of the tick bite and on the tick bite victim's overall health. Some minor redness, irritation and welt formation is to be expected for 24 to 48 hours following the removal of the tick, depending on how long the tick was affixed to the skin. Properly cleaning the area, and utilizing a hydrocortisone spray or cream at the site will help to minimize irritation.
For one full week following the tick removal, twice daily cleanings are necessary to avoid infection. Insect bites are prone to infection. Clean the area twice daily with betadine iodine, which is commonly found in the first aid section of the drug store. If a welt or other irritation is present, apply a thin layer of hydrocortisone cream or spray. Finally, apply a thin layer of antibiotic ointment to help minimize the risk of infection.
“I recommend writing a note on your calendar, noting the date when the tick was removed. If you begin to see symptoms of illness within a few weeks, there’s a very good chance that you’re dealing with a tick borne illness. Even further down the road, it’s vital to keep the tick bite in mind, as Lyme Disease and other diseases transmitted by ticks are difficult to diagnose,” explained Dr. Levine.
Common signs of tick borne illness include:
- Fever,
- Swollen Lymph Nodes
- Depression
- Weight Loss
- Lethargy
- Refusal to Eat
- Poor Appetite
- Stiffness
- Arthritic Symptoms
- Difficulty Walking or Jumping
- Discharge from the Nose and Eyes
- Edema
- Lameness in Limbs (with the lameness often shifting from limb to limb)
- Seizure
- Neurological Disorders
Notably, the symptoms exhibited by humans who have been infected with a tick borne illness closely mimmick those exhibited by a pet. So medical attention should be sought, whether it's a human or pet that's exhibiting signs of illness in the days and weeks following a tick bite.
The most common treatment for Lyme Disease and other tick borne illnesses consists of a lengthy course of antibiotics, in conjunction with supportive measures like pain management, fluids and nutritional supplementation.
Related Reading:
* Tips for Tick Control in Cats and Dogs
Mia Carter - Mia Carter - Journalist, Producer/Editor & Web Writer. Carter's work has appeared on CBS and CNN.com.
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