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What is the best way to remove ticks from a dog2007-11-25 2:52:06

Don't bite off more than you can chew. I know you want to help, but honestly the vet is your best bet at this point.

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Wow, that's terrible! The puppy will need to see the vet as it is almost surely anemic from all the tiny vampiric ticks sucking it's blood ! Even if you got all the ticks off, the puppy still needs vet attention.

It will probably need fluids and may need antibiotics as well.

Get some Frontline or Advantage if the puppy is over 8 weeks to keep ticks off. If the ticks came from the yard, you probably need to spray your yard. Keep any pets out of the yard the day it is sprayed. Keep the puppy in the house till the yard is safer. I prefer my dogs to live in the house anyway. They play and go potty outside, but live with me inside. So with Frontline, I rarely see any pests on them.

The way to remove a single tick is to wear gloves and using tweezers gently grasp the body of the tick right near the skin. I keep a gently pull going while I rotate the body of the tick slightly counter-clockwise. The head will normally release and you can drop the tick into a bowl of alcohol to make sure it's dead.

If the head stays behind it's not a huge deal, just disinfect the bite area and let the vet know. Depending on where you live ticks can carry disease.

If you use flea and tick shampoo, it must stay on for a good 10 minutes before you rinse it off. Even then, you'll usually end up picking the ticks off by hand.