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how to find a tick on your pet
What to know about finding ticks on cats and dogs, plus what to do if you find one.
Ticks can carry some pretty nasty diseases. It’s worth checking for ticks on your pet on a regular basis to help keep them safe (even when they’re on year-round flea and tick control).
What are ticks?
- Small parasites
- Feed on blood
- Bite people and pets
- Can spread Lyme disease and other diseases
What you need to tackle ticks on pets
- Good lighting
- Fine-point tweezers or a tick-removal tool
- Rubbing alcohol to drown pulled ticks
- A plastic baggie to store drowned ticks
- A friend to help (if possible)
- Your pet
How to identify a tick
- Feel for small bumps under fur
- Examine any lump or bump
- Look for tiny to bean-sized brownish lumps
When to look for ticks: Spring, summer, winter, fall
Ticks live in every state of the United States, and different states have different species. Not all of them target the same animals or carry the same diseases, but none of them are good news.
Although ticks are most active in the summer, they can bite all year long. We suggest giving your pet a nose to tail check on a regular basis whenever they go outdoors.
Where to look for ticks on your pet: Don’t forget ears and rears!
Ticks can latch on anywhere, but they most commonly attach to the easiest place they can grab. Because ticks tend to hang out on long grasses, this often means faces, feet, and tails are fair game.
You want to do a complete check. That includes both visible skin and under fur and fuzz.
On heads: Look around eyes and ears, under collars, and inside ears.
On bodies: Ticks are often found between the front legs, between the back legs, and on tails.
On feet: Check between the front and back toes.
How to know if it’s a tick: What do ticks look like on pets?
Scan your pet’s body for little dark lumps. These can be sized anywhere from a little ballpoint-pen-sized dot to a bean-sized lump.
Ticks are very good at going unnoticed. It can help to look for areas where hair has been pushed away to make room for the tick’s body.
How to safely remove ticks from dogs and cats
Home remedies for ticks can be dangerous
Be aware that many different things can look a bit like a tick, including pet nipples. If you’re not sure what that bump is, please first consult with your vet.
Also, be aware that commonly found home “remedies” for ticks aren’t safe and don’t work. Never use any kind of industrial or personal chemical on your pet, including:
- fingernail polish
- petroleum jelly
- a hot match
- gasoline
Use tweezers or a pet-safe tick tool to safely remove ticks on pets
Your goal is to get a tick off in one piece. Recruit a friend (if you can) to help hold your pet still while you remove the tick.
- Arm yourself with a tick-removal tool or a pair of fine-point tweezers. (If you’re using tweezers, don’t use them on yourself again, even if you clean them.)
Use a small amount of rubbing alcohol — a full soda bottle cap works fine — to drown the ticks once they’re off your pet.
Keep a clean plastic baggie on hand to store the tick(s) after you’ve drowned them in the rubbing alcohol. Mark the baggie with the date; your vet will want to examine those ticks if your BFF shows symptoms like joint pain, lameness, and fever in the next few weeks.
- Grasp the tick near its head and pull it off in one steady, smooth motion.
- Don’t grab the tick by its round hind end. You want to get as close to the part buried in your pet’s skin as you can.
- Avoid twisting your tweezers — this can leave tick mouth parts in pet skin.
- Don’t go fishing for tick parts in the skin if you accidentally leave some behind. Keep an eye on that spot for a few days in case of infection.
- Drown ticks in rubbing alcohol and store them in your dated plastic baggie. Make sure to clean any newly tick-free areas on your pet.
- After you’re sure you’ve found all ticks on your pet, give your very good BFF a small treat and thoroughly wash your hands.
Your veterinary team can help with tick treatment and prevention
Big or small, just started feeding or engorged with blood, all ticks and tick bites can possibly transmit disease. If your pet won’t stand still for an examination, much less let you remove ticks, contact your veterinary team.
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How Banfield can help with pet skin and coat care
We’re here to help your pet’s skin and coat be happy and healthy. From external parasites to skin problems to skin allergies and bumps or wounds, our vets can help with informed diagnoses and action plans to help your pet.
Get veterinary care for external parasites like fleas, ticks, and mites. From flea infestations to tick bites to ear mites and more, our vets can check out skin and coat cooties and recommend appropriate treatment. We’re happy to walk you through your options for year-round parasite control to help your pet!
Is your pet always itchy? Do you think your pet has a skin allergy? Causes for cat or dog itching and scratching can go more than skin deep. We can help figure out what’s causing your pet’s discomfort and suggest medications and treatments that can help your pet be more comfortable in their own skin.
See us for help with bald spots, shedding, greasy skin, and dandruff. Many pet health issues can affect your pet’s beautiful skin and coat. Whether it’s a flea allergy, dermatitis, seborrhea, allergies, anxiety-based issues, or other health concerns, our vets here to help with diagnosis and treatment.
Does your best furry friend have a cut or wound? Do you think they may have a tumor? Give us a call! Our vets can evaluate strange lumps and bumps and let you know if you can stop worrying. We can also help with wounds or direct you to the best resource to immediately help your pet.
