How to Remove a Tick From a Pet

By eHow Pets Editor

Instructions

Things You’ll Need:

Tick remover
Rubbing alcohol

Step 1:
Purchase a tick removal kit from a pet store or your veterinarian's office. A tick remover looks like a split piece of metal. Such devices may have magnifying lenses on them so you can easily see the tick.
Step 2:
Position the tick remover behind the tick. Slide it forward so that the tick ends up inside the split. Keep sliding; as the split narrows, the tick remover forces the tick up and out of the pet's skin.
Step 3:
Investigate other tick removal devices. Some look like miniature crowbars; these allow a twisting motion that works with the split removal method described above. Others look like a clamp with a pressure-mounted hinge. Grab the tick around its mouth, squeeze the clamp and firmly twist and pull away the tick.
Step 4:
Use items you already have around the house. Try a flea comb; slide its teeth under the mouth of the tick. Pull backward and gently lift the tick away. You may also use tweezers to remove a tick, although you run the risk of squeezing the tick's body and forcing infectious fluid back into your pet.
Step 5:
Kill the tick by placing it in rubbing alcohol after you have removed it; avoid using petroleum jelly or lit matches to dispose of the tick.

Tips & Warnings

If you do not have any tools available to remove a tick, you can get rid of it manually. Grasp the tick firmly and twist it approximately 3 1/2 turns in one direction. The tick should eventually let go. Do not pull the tick straight out; this may leave the tick's mouth or other body parts embedded in your pet's flesh and can cause problems later.

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