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Ticks are in abundance throughout the warm weather months. These pests can carry Lyme disease and cause health issues for your furry pal. Ticks will attach themselves to dogs, humans, and other warm-blooded animals as well. These pests can hide easily on your dog's fur and skin, burying themselves and staying hidden, all the while they are feeding off of your dog's blood and embedding themselves into your dog's skin. If these pests go undetected and get their heads into your dog's skin, it can be very dangerous. You need to keep a close eye on your dog's skin and fur and remove any ticks you spot. Read on for information about how to remove these pests properly from your dog's skin.

Locate The Pest

Locating the tick can sometimes be difficult, especially if your dog has thick fur. Feeling for ticks can help you find them easier. They are usually found on the ears, chest, legs, and belly. Look in these areas first to see if you can find any ticks. Ticks are about the size of an apple seed, sometimes a bit larger. They are dark brown in color and have eight segmented legs with claws on the tips of them. They have pincers on their mouths, which help to feed them. They are shaped like a pear, with a smaller body close to their head and their bodies get wider at the back.

Removing The Pest

To help keep the pest from moving or from embedding itself further into your dog's skin, you can use a product such as petroleum jelly and spread it over the top of the tick and on your dog's skin. Using tweezers, gently pull the tick off of your dog's skin. You don't want to squeeze too hard, as you can inject the infection from the tick into your dog. Also squeezing it too hard may cause the tick to tear into two, leaving the important parts still on your dog. You want to remove the tick completely and all intact. 

Cleaning The Wound

The tick may have already bitten your dog, so you should use alcohol to clean the area and help to clean out the wound. If you see anything in the wound at all, such as any part of the tick embedded in your dog's skin, you should take your dog to the veterinarian for assistance in removing it completely and for other treatment options. 

Ticks can be very dangerous for your pets, as they can carry Lyme disease and other types of infection. Remove the tick from your dog's skin as best as you can to prevent further issues, and take your dog to the veterinarian for treatment after a tick bite.

For more information, contact a company like Clovis Veterinary Hospital P A.