Found a tick on your dog? Take it off now. Use fine-tipped tweezers or a tick-removal tool, grab the tick as close to the skin as you can, and pull straight out with slow, steady pressure. Skip the petroleum jelly, the match and the essential oils. Then keep an eye on your dog for the next few weeks, because the diseases ticks carry can take that long to show.
Spring is when most people start finding them. In the US, ticks are most active from April to September, though exposure can happen in any month (CDC). That gap between "tick season" and "tick risk" is why the Companion Animal Parasite Council (CAPC) recommends tick control all year, not just when the weather warms up.
What ticks on dogs look like
Ticks are arachnids, related to spiders and mites rather than insects, so adults have eight legs. They go through four life stages (egg, larva, nymph and adult), and every stage after the egg needs a blood meal.
What you actually see on a dog depends on how long the tick has been feeding:
- Recently attached: flat and shaped like a seed, with the legs easy to see.
- Feeding for several days: rounded and swollen with blood ("engorged"), so the legs almost disappear next to the body. A fed female American dog tick can stretch to about half an inch long.
- Nymphs: tiny. A blacklegged (deer) tick nymph is about the size of a poppy seed, which is why they are so easy to miss.
A tick sits with its mouthparts buried in the skin and its body sticking out. If a new "bump" on your dog has legs at the skin line, it is a tick.
Where dogs pick up ticks
Ticks wait on grass, brush and low plants and grab on as an animal brushes past: tall grass, overgrown fields, leaf litter and the border between woods and lawn. Any dog that goes outside can pick up ticks, but hunting dogs and dogs that roam are the most likely to come home carrying them.
One species breaks the outdoor rule. The brown dog tick can live and breed indoors, in homes and kennels.
Where to check your dog after every walk
The CDC recommends checking pets for ticks daily, especially after time outdoors. Run your fingers slowly through the coat, feeling for small bumps, and look closely at these seven spots:
- In and around the ears
- Around the eyelids
- Under the collar
- Under the front legs
- Between the toes
- Between the back legs
- Around the tail
Some ticks prefer the head, neck and shoulders; others settle under the tail and near the anus. Brown dog ticks often attach around the ears or between the toes. In dry parts of the western US, the spinous ear tick hides deep in the ear canal, where owners often miss it, so a dog that keeps shaking its head or scratching an ear after time outdoors needs an ear check.
Long or dark coats make all of this harder. Good light and a fine-tooth comb help.
How to remove a tick from a dog
Remove it as soon as you find it. Speed matters: some tick-borne infections, such as ehrlichiosis and Rocky Mountain spotted fever, can pass to a dog within 3-6 hours of the tick attaching, while Lyme disease usually takes 24-48 hours (CAPC).
You need: gloves, fine-tipped tweezers or a tick-removal tool, a small sealable bag or container, soap and water, and good light. A helper with treats makes it easier.
- Put on gloves. Ticks can pass infections to people too, so don't handle one with bare hands.
- Part the fur so you can see where the tick enters the skin.
- Grip the tick right at the skin. Grasp it with the tweezers as close to the skin as possible, and avoid squeezing the tick's body.
- Pull straight out with slow, steady pressure. Don't twist or jerk, which can snap off the mouthparts. If you use a hook or twister-style tick tool, follow the tool's own instructions.
- Save the tick. Put it in a labeled, sealed bag or container so your vet can identify it if your dog gets sick later (VCA). Never crush a tick between your fingers.
- Clean up. Wash the bite area and your hands with soap and water.
- Note the date and where you think your dog picked it up. If signs show up later, that helps your vet.
Testing a saved tick doesn't tell you whether your dog is infected, though. The CDC points out that a tick carrying a germ doesn't mean the bite passed it on, and a negative result can give false reassurance (CDC). Your vet decides what, if anything, needs testing.
What not to do
- No petroleum jelly, nail polish or other "smother it" tricks. Painting a tick is not a reliable, quick or safe way to make it let go.
- No heat. Holding a match or hot nail to a tick is risky and doesn't work well.
- No essential oils. Essential oils used against fleas and ticks can poison pets. Tea tree, pennyroyal, eucalyptus and wintergreen oils are among those known to poison dogs, and cats are even more sensitive (Pet Poison Helpline).
- No digging. If the mouthparts stay in the skin, leave them. The spot usually heals with time. Call your vet if it turns red or swells.
When to let your vet do it
If your dog has a lot of ticks, go to the vet promptly rather than working through them at home. Heavy infestations damage the skin and raise the risk of anemia (blood loss) and tick paralysis, and some dogs need a stay in the clinic. The same goes for a tick deep in the ear canal, or anywhere you can't get a clean grip.
After you remove it: signs to watch and when to call
Most bites cause no lasting problem; the worry is what the tick passed on. Signs of a tick-borne illness may not show up for 7 to 21 days or longer after a bite, so watch your dog's energy, appetite and walking for at least three weeks (CDC).
Call your vet now if you see:
- weakness or wobbliness that starts in the back legs, or a dog that can't get up
- a change in bark or voice, gagging, or a change in breathing
- nosebleeds, blood in the urine or stool, or unexplained bruising
The first two can be tick paralysis, caused by a toxin in tick saliva. It usually starts about 5-9 days after a tick attaches, and finding and removing every tick usually brings improvement within a day. Bleeding signs can mean a tick-borne infection has dropped the platelet count.
See your vet soon (within a day or two) for:
- fever, low energy or not wanting to eat
- limping, especially lameness that shifts from one leg to another, or swollen, painful joints
- a bite site that turns red or swells
- several ticks found at once, or a dog covered in them
Mention it at your next visit if:
- you removed a tick and your dog is well. CAPC recommends testing dogs every year for tick-borne infections, especially where they are common, so ask your vet about a yearly screening test (CAPC).
Which diseases dog ticks carry, by region
Which germs a tick carries depends on its species and where you live, so tell your vet where you walked.
Disease in dogs | Main ticks | Where in the US it's most common | Common signs in dogs |
|---|---|---|---|
Lyme disease | Blacklegged (deer) tick, western blacklegged tick | Northeast (especially New England), upper Midwest, Pacific Coast; reported in every state | Often none; fever, poor appetite, swollen or painful joints, shifting lameness; a kidney form is serious |
Anaplasmosis | Blacklegged ticks; brown dog tick (A. platys) | Northern Midwest and Northeast | Often none; fever, bleeding tendencies, lameness |
Ehrlichiosis | Brown dog tick, lone star tick, blacklegged tick | E. canis: Southeast and Southwest; E. ewingii: Southeast and south-central states | Fever, swollen lymph nodes, low energy, poor appetite, bleeding from low platelets |
Rocky Mountain spotted fever | American dog tick, Rocky Mountain wood tick; brown dog tick in parts of the Southwest | Parts of North America (in people, the brown dog tick spreads it in the Southwest and along the US-Mexico border) | High fever, poor appetite, swollen lymph nodes and joints, vomiting, diarrhea, coughing |
Tick paralysis | Mainly Rocky Mountain wood tick and American dog tick | Where these ticks live | Back-leg weakness spreading forward, voice change, breathing changes |
A few things the table can't hold:
- Lyme disease in dogs is often silent, but the form that affects the kidneys is one of the most serious and is often fatal (Merck Veterinary Manual). Our guide to Lyme disease in animals and people covers it in more depth.
- Anaplasmosis usually causes no obvious illness; when it does, the deer-tick form can make a dog lame. More in our post on anaplasmosis in dogs.
- Ehrlichiosis turns chronic (long lasting) in some dogs.
- Rocky Mountain spotted fever isn't limited to the Rockies, and up to 10% of infected dogs die from it (Merck Veterinary Manual). It doesn't spread directly from dogs to people, but people can be infected by fluid from a crushed or blood-filled tick, which is why gloves matter.
Check your area. The Companion Animal Parasite Council (CAPC) publishes parasite prevalence maps showing what share of tested dogs in your state or county tested positive for exposure to Lyme disease, anaplasmosis and ehrlichiosis. That measures exposure, not how many dogs are sick, but it shows what's circulating near you.
Common US dog ticks
Beyond the blacklegged ticks in the table (eastern US, plus a western cousin on the Pacific Coast), these are the ticks you are most likely to find on a US dog (CDC):
- American dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis): widespread east of the Rocky Mountains, with a related species to the west. Also carries tularemia.
- Brown dog tick (Rhipicephalus sanguineus): found worldwide and able to live indoors. Also spreads babesiosis and hepatozoonosis in dogs.
- Lone star tick (Amblyomma americanum): Northeast, South and Midwest. In people, its bite is linked to a circular rash called STARI, whose cause is still unknown, and to alpha-gal syndrome (a red meat allergy).
- Rocky Mountain wood tick (Dermacentor andersoni): Rocky Mountain states at higher elevations. Also carries Colorado tick fever in people.
- Gulf Coast tick (Amblyomma maculatum): mainly the Southeast. Spreads hepatozoonosis and a spotted fever group infection in dogs.
- Asian longhorned tick (Haemaphysalis longicornis): a newcomer to the US, found in a growing number of states. It has not been confirmed to spread disease in the US.
How to prevent ticks on dogs all year
Use a tick preventive, all year. CAPC recommends that all dogs stay on a tick control product year-round, for life (CAPC). Ticks peak in spring and summer, but some come out on winter days when the ground is above freezing, and brown dog ticks live indoors every month. Preventives come as spot-ons, chewable tablets and collars, and some flea products also control ticks. Ask your vet which product fits your dog and the ticks in your area; your vet chooses the product and dose.
Ask about the Lyme vaccine. Lyme disease is the only tick-borne disease dogs can be vaccinated against (CDC). In areas where Lyme is common, your vet may recommend it as well as tick control.
Never use a dog product on a cat. Cats are extremely sensitive to many chemicals. Don't put any tick product on a cat without asking your vet first.
Keep the yard less tick-friendly. Keeping dogs out of tick habitat is the most effective step, and the yard is where you have the most control:
- mow regularly and remove tall grass and weeds
- rake up leaf litter
- clear brush around the house and at the edge of the lawn
- put a strip of wood chips or gravel between the lawn and any woods
- keep play areas and dog runs away from yard edges and trees
Broad spraying of insecticide on vegetation is not recommended for wide use because of the environmental pollution and cost. For the bigger picture on fleas, mites and other parasites, see our guide to external parasite prevention for dogs.
Ticks on people
Dogs don't give people Lyme disease directly, but they can carry ticks into the house and yard, where the ticks then find you (CDC). After time outdoors, including your own backyard, check yourself and your kids (under the arms, in and around the ears, inside the belly button, behind the knees, in the hair, between the legs and around the waist), shower within two hours of coming in, and tumble-dry outdoor clothes on high heat. An EPA-registered insect repellent helps too; those products are for people, so ask your vet before using any product on a pet (CDC).
Remove a tick from yourself the same way: fine-tipped tweezers, close to the skin, steady pull. If you develop a rash or fever within several weeks of a tick bite, see a doctor and tell them when and where you were bitten (CDC).
Quick answers
My dog is on a tick preventive. Why did I still find a tick? Many preventives kill ticks after they attach, so finding one doesn't always mean the product failed. Remove it, save it, and mention it to your vet, who can check that the product matches your dog and your area.
Do cats get ticks? Yes. Cats tend to groom ticks off, so they show up where a cat can't reach, such as the head. Check with your vet before using any tick product on a cat.
Sources
- CDC: What to Do After a Tick Bite
- CDC: Preventing Ticks on Your Pets
- CDC: Preventing Tick Bites
- CDC: Where Ticks Live
- CDC: How to Prevent Mosquito and Tick Bites
- CDC: How Lyme Disease Spreads
- Companion Animal Parasite Council (CAPC): Ticks
- CAPC: Ehrlichia spp. and Anaplasma spp.
- CAPC: General Guidelines for Dogs and Cats
- CAPC: Parasite Prevalence Maps
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Ticks of Dogs
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Lyme Disease (Lyme Borreliosis) in Dogs
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Ehrlichiosis and Related Infections in Dogs
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Anaplasmosis in Dogs
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Ehrlichiosis in Dogs
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (Tick Fever) in Dogs
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Tick Paralysis in Animals
- VCA Animal Hospitals: Ticks in Dogs
- VCA Animal Hospitals: Can you take a tick off with petroleum jelly or nail polish?
- Pet Poison Helpline: Updates on Essential Oils
This article is for general information and is not a substitute for advice from your veterinarian.
