Removing a Tick from a Pet

According to Drs. Foster and Smith:

"To remove a tick, use a pair of fine-tipped tweezers. To dislodge it, grab the tick by its head and pull directly outward. Cleanse the bite wound with an antiseptic and remember to wash your hands afterward."

Apply Tea Tree Oil to the live tick or leech and surrounding skin. Leave for 20 minutes. The tick may fall off. If not, remove it carefully (make certain no part of the tick is left in the skin). Continue applying the oil to the bite three times per day for up to seven days.

To the person 'living in the woods' where do you find 'Cloud 9 Herbal Dip'?

Ooh, don't pull it out - it'll break apart and leave its head in there (I know, it sounds gross.) Rubbing alcohol has always been the best method for us.

Our hospital emergency room removed ticks from a young woman's hair by coating the tick with KY Jelly. The tick let go immediately and was remved. Can also use Vasoline Petroleum Jelly.

We always use alcohol. It makes them turn loose.

I foster dogs, we counted on 8 new dogs that came in, 56 ticks on all 8. We used a thick dish soap, like ajax, it suffocates them and is antibacterial for the wound. If it does not work I heard rubbing alcohol also works good.

I used to be a groomer and when I found ticks we smothered a cotton ball in alcohol and covered the tick with it for a second or two and then used tweezers to pull the tick off. Always use a "twisting" motion and pull gently. If they are stubborn about coming off, having another person hold the cotton ball over the tick while you are grasping with the tweezers and pulling, usually helps a lot.

While everything I have read suggests using tweezers to slowly pull the tick out while spinning it (as if unscrewing it), we have found it very helpful to drop a few drops of tick repellent on the tick first. Since pulling the tick out too quickly may cause the body to be removed while leaving the head in your pet (possibly causing infection), it is difficult to take the necessary time. The repellent encourages the tick to let go much more quickly. As none of the repellents from our veterinarian worked as a preventative on our labrador retriever due to our heavily wooded area, we have used Cloud 9 Herbal Dip, a natural product, for 6 years with great success. Sterilize the tweezers as well as the wound site afterwards. Alcohol works fine.