Found a tick on your dog? How to remove it the right way
Remove attached ticks fast with fine-tipped tweezers or a tick tool, steady pressure and no home remedies. The CDC's steps, adapted for dogs.
The 30-second tick check finds ticks. This guide covers what to do when one has already latched on. The steps follow the CDC's tick-removal guidance, which is written for people but works the same way on dogs.
Do it now
The CDC's first rule is speed: remove an attached tick as soon as possible. The longer a tick feeds, the higher the chance of passing on disease. Don't wait for a vet appointment to get it out.
Step by step with tweezers
- Part the fur so you can see where the tick enters the skin.
- Grab the tick as close to the skin as possible with clean, fine-tipped tweezers, so you don't squeeze its body.
- Pull straight out with steady, even pressure. Don't twist or jerk, which can break off the mouthparts.
- If mouthparts stay behind, remove them only if it's easy. Otherwise, leave them; the skin will push them out as it heals.
- Dispose of the tick: seal it in a container, wrap it tightly in tape, flush it, or drop it in alcohol. Don't crush it with your fingers.
- Clean the bite and your hands with soap and water, rubbing alcohol or hand sanitizer.
- Check for more. Where there's one tick, there are often others.
Using a tick tool
Hook-style tools slide under the tick and lift it out without squeezing its body, which is easier than tweezers on a wriggling dog. Follow the tool's own instructions, and still check that the whole tick came out.
What not to do
The CDC warns against petroleum jelly, nail polish, heat or other substances to make a tick let go. These can agitate the tick and may push infected fluid into the skin.
After removal
Note the date and where on your dog the tick was. Over the following weeks, watch for lethargy, fever, lameness or loss of appetite, and call your vet if you see them. Then cut the odds of a next time with year-round prevention and a quick wipe-down after walks.
Compare prevention options in Best Flea & Tick Products and spot-on vs. collar vs. oral.
Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), "What to Do After a Tick Bite" and tick removal fact sheet (2025).