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Ticks on Dogs: How to Find, Remove and Prevent Them

By the Dog Health Handbook team · Updated · Fact-checked against current veterinary references (see sources)

Key takeaways

  • Remove ticks promptly with fine-tipped tweezers and a steady, straight pull.
  • Don't twist, squeeze, burn or smother a tick with petroleum jelly or alcohol.
  • Watch for illness for several weeks: fever, lameness or lethargy.
  • Wobbly back legs can be tick paralysis. Go to a vet now.
  • Use tick prevention year-round and check your dog after walks.

Table of Contents

Research Where to check How to remove Tick or skin tag Diseases Prevention FAQ Sources

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Ticks attach to dogs in grass, brush and woods and feed on their blood for several days. They can spread serious infections such as Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis.1,2 If you find a tick on your dog, remove it promptly: grasp it as close to the skin as you can with fine-tipped tweezers and pull straight out with steady, even pressure. Don't twist, squeeze or burn it, and don't smother it with petroleum jelly, nail polish or alcohol.3,4,1 Then watch your dog for signs of illness over the following weeks, and keep him on year-round tick prevention.5,1

Go to a vet now if your dog has:

  • Wobbly or weak back legs that are getting worse, or trouble standing, breathing or swallowing. This can be tick paralysis. Search the whole body for ticks on the way.6

Call your vet if, in the weeks after a tick bite, your dog has:

  • Fever, lethargy, poor appetite, lameness that shifts between legs, or swollen joints or lymph nodes5,7,8
  • Unusual bruising, nosebleeds or other bleeding9,2
  • A red, swollen or sore bite site, or a tick head you can't remove10,11

What the Research and Guidelines Say

  • Remove ticks quickly. Lyme bacteria usually need at least 24 to 48 hours of feeding to pass to a dog, but Ehrlichia and Rickettsia can pass in as little as 3 to 6 hours.1,12,2
  • Signs can take weeks. Tick-borne disease may not show for 7 to 21 days or longer, and Lyme signs can take weeks to months.5,13,8
  • Most Lyme-exposed dogs never get sick, but some develop fever, lameness and, rarely, serious kidney disease.7,13,8
  • Year-round prevention is recommended. Ticks can be active whenever the temperature is above about 40°F.1,8

Where to Check Your Dog for Ticks

After walks in grass or woods, run your hands over your dog and look closely in and around the ears, around the eyelids, under the collar, under the front legs, between the back legs, between the toes and around the tail.5,11 A tick that has just attached looks flat; one that has fed for a few days is swollen and rounded.10 Some young ticks are as small as a poppy seed.12 For photos, see tick bite pictures.

How to Remove a Tick From a Dog

  1. Wear gloves if you can, and don't handle the tick with bare fingers.1,10
  2. Grasp the tick as close to your dog's skin as possible with clean, fine-tipped tweezers.3,1
  3. Pull straight out with slow, steady, even pressure. Don't twist, jerk or squeeze the tick's body.3,4 If you use a tick-removal tool, follow its instructions.14
  4. Clean the bite with soap and water or an antiseptic, and wash your hands.4,3
  5. Put the tick in a sealed container with rubbing alcohol, or tape it up. Many vets suggest keeping it in case your dog becomes ill.3,11

What not to do: don't use a hot match, petroleum jelly, nail polish, oil or alcohol on an attached tick. These don't make it back out and may make it release more saliva into the bite.4,3,14 If part of the head stays in the skin and doesn't come out easily, leave it and let the skin heal, and call your vet if the area gets red or swollen. Don't dig for it.4,11 For ticks near the eyes or mouth or deep in the ear, ask your vet to remove them.11

Tick or Skin Tag?

An attached tick has legs near the skin at one end. A skin tag or wart is part of the skin and has no legs. If you can't see legs, have your vet check it before trying to pull it off.15 See warts and skin tags on dogs.

Diseases Ticks Can Spread

  • Lyme disease, spread by black-legged (deer) ticks. Most exposed dogs stay healthy, but some develop fever, shifting lameness, swollen joints and, rarely, kidney disease.7,13 See Lyme disease in dogs.
  • Ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis, which can cause fever, lethargy, poor appetite, weight loss and bleeding problems.2,9
  • Tick paralysis, caused by a toxin from some female ticks. It starts with weak back legs and can spread to the whole body. In North America, most dogs improve within 24 hours once all ticks are removed.6,1

Your vet can run a quick in-clinic blood test for common tick infections, and may recommend regular screening if you live in a tick area.7,2 See also tick diseases in dogs.

How to Prevent Ticks

  • Use a tick-control product year-round, chosen with your vet. Options include oral chews, spot-ons and collars.1,8,13 Never use a dog product on a cat.5,16
  • Check your dog daily in tick season and after outdoor walks.14,5
  • Keep grass and weeds short and avoid tick habitat such as long grass and brush where you can.10
  • Ask your vet about the Lyme vaccine if you live in or visit a Lyme area. It's used alongside tick control, not instead of it.8,7,13
  • Check yourself too. Dogs can bring ticks into the house, and the same ticks bite people. Showering soon after coming indoors and drying clothes on high heat help.17,12,8

See also skin parasites on dogs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I worry if I find a tick on my dog?

Remove it promptly and watch your dog for the next few weeks. Most tick bites don't cause illness, but call your vet if your dog becomes unwell.

How soon after a tick bite can a dog get sick?

Often 1 to 3 weeks, and Lyme disease can take weeks to months.

Can I use alcohol or petroleum jelly to remove a tick?

No. Use fine-tipped tweezers and a steady pull. You can put the removed tick in alcohol.

What if the tick's head stays in?

If it doesn't come out easily, leave it and let the skin heal. Don't dig for it. Call your vet if the spot gets red or swollen.

Can ticks spread from my dog to me?

Dogs don't give people Lyme disease directly, but they can carry ticks into your home that may then bite you.

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Sources and further reading

This article was rewritten and fact-checked on October 20, 2026 against current veterinary references and specialist guidelines:

  1. Companion Animal Parasite Council. Ticks. CAPC Guidelines, updated March 2023.
  2. Companion Animal Parasite Council. Ehrlichia spp. and Anaplasma spp. CAPC Guidelines, updated June 2015.
  3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Don't Wait: Remove Attached Ticks ASAP (Tick Removal Fact Sheet). CDC, 2025.
  4. Levin ML. Tick Removal. Merck Veterinary Manual (professional version), reviewed June 2025, updated July 2025.
  5. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Preventing Ticks on Pets. CDC, May 15, 2024.
  6. Cope RB. Tick Paralysis in Animals. Merck Veterinary Manual (professional version), reviewed October 2023, updated September 2024.
  7. Companion Animal Parasite Council. Lyme Disease. CAPC Guidelines, updated May 2019.
  8. Cornell Richard P. Riney Canine Health Center. Lyme disease. Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine.
  9. Barnes C, Williams K, Llera R, Ward E. Ehrlichiosis in Dogs. VCA Animal Hospitals, updated July 30, 2025.
  10. Moriello KA. Ticks of Dogs. Merck Veterinary Manual (pet owner version), reviewed June 2018, updated September 2024.
  11. Bledsoe S; reviewed by Higgs V. How To Remove a Tick From a Dog. PetMD, updated June 1, 2023.
  12. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. How Lyme Disease Spreads. CDC, September 24, 2024.
  13. Labato MA. Lyme Borreliosis in Animals. Merck Veterinary Manual (professional version), reviewed May 2026, updated August 2026.
  14. European Scientific Counsel Companion Animal Parasites. Control of Ectoparasites in Dogs and Cats. ESCCAP Guideline 03, 7th edition. ESCCAP, January 2022.
  15. Berman-Thacker E. Skin Tags on Dogs. PetMD, May 9, 2023.
  16. Feline Veterinary Medical Association. Permethrin Poisoning and Cats. FelineVMA (formerly AAFP), June 2024.
  17. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Preventing Tick Bites. CDC, August 28, 2024.

About this article

Last updated : fully rewritten using the CDC, Companion Animal Parasite Council guidelines, the Merck Veterinary Manual, European parasite guidelines, Cornell and VCA.

This page is for general information and is not a substitute for an exam by your veterinarian.