To remove a tick from a dog at home, grip it as close to the skin as possible with fine-tipped tweezers or a tick hook, and pull straight out with steady, even pressure. Don’t twist, squeeze, burn or smother it. Then clean the bite, wash your hands, and keep an eye on your dog for the next few weeks. If your dog has many ticks, ticks in the ears, or seems unwell, see your vet.
What you need
- A tick remover: a tick hook or tick twister, or fine-tipped tweezers (not flat eyebrow tweezers).
- Disposable gloves. Ticks can carry infections that affect people too.
- A small jar with rubbing alcohol, or sticky tape, to dispose of the tick.
- Antiseptic suitable for dogs, or clean water and mild soap, for the bite.
- Good light and, ideally, a second person to hold your dog calmly.
How to remove a tick from your dog, step by step
- Keep your dog calm and still. Have someone hold and reassure your dog, or do it when your dog is sleepy.
- Part the fur so you can see where the tick enters the skin.
- Grip the tick close to the skin. With tweezers, grasp the tick’s head, as close to your dog’s skin as you can. With a tick hook, slide it under the tick’s body until the tick sits in the notch.
- Pull straight out, slowly and steadily. With tweezers, don’t twist or jerk. With a tick hook, follow the tool’s directions; most are designed to be rotated gently.
- Check the tick. Make sure the whole tick came out. A small dark speck left in the skin may be part of the mouth.
- Dispose of it safely. Drop it in rubbing alcohol, or seal it in tape. Don’t crush it with your fingers.
- Clean the bite and wash your hands thoroughly.
- Note the date. If your dog becomes unwell over the next few weeks, tell your vet when and where you found the tick.
If part of the tick stays in the skin, don’t dig for it. Clean the area and leave it; the body usually pushes it out within a few days. See your vet if the spot becomes red, swollen or infected.
What never to do
These popular methods can make the tick release more saliva and infection into your dog, or burn your dog’s skin:
- Don’t burn it with a match, incense stick or cigarette.
- Don’t use kerosene, petrol, turpentine or nail polish remover.
- Don’t smother it with oil, Vaseline or soap and wait for it to let go.
- Don’t squeeze the body or pull it off with your fingers.
- Don’t twist or jerk with tweezers.
Ticks in your dog’s ears and between the toes
Ears: ticks love the warm folds inside and behind the ears. You can remove ticks on the outer ear flap the same way. Ticks deep inside the ear canal need a vet: don’t poke tweezers into the canal.
Between the toes: spread the toes gently and check between the pads, where ticks often hide after walks. Remove them the same way. A post-walk wipe with a paw cleaner is a good moment to check. See how to clean dog ears at home and our guide to post-walk paw care.
Where to check your dog for ticks
Run your fingers slowly over your dog after every walk, feeling for small bumps. Look especially at:
- inside and behind the ears
- the neck, under the collar
- the armpits and groin
- between the toes
- around the eyes and under the tail
When to see a vet
- Many ticks, or ticks coming back every few days.
- Ticks inside the ear canal or near the eyes.
- A bite that becomes red, swollen or infected.
- Signs of tick fever in the days or weeks after a tick bite: fever, low energy, loss of appetite, pale gums, bleeding from the nose or dark urine. Tick-borne diseases such as ehrlichiosis and babesiosis are common in India and can be serious, so see your vet quickly.
Can you remove ticks from a dog permanently?
No single treatment removes ticks permanently. Ticks live in grass, soil, walls and bedding, so dogs keep meeting new ones. What works is a year-round routine:
- A vet-recommended preventive, such as a tablet, spot-on or collar, especially in tick season and tick-heavy areas.
- A repellent before walks. A pesticide-free spray such as Defense, with vetiver, hinoki cypress, eucalyptus and neem, helps deter ticks before they climb on. It does not kill or remove ticks that are already attached.
- A tick check after every walk.
- Regular baths with a gentle shampoo, which is also a good time to check the skin.
- Treating the home, because that’s where many ticks are waiting.
For how medicated and natural tick sprays compare, see the best anti-tick spray for dogs in India.
How to get rid of ticks in your house
If you keep finding ticks on your dog even indoors, they may be living in your home. The brown dog tick, the most common tick on Indian dogs, can complete its whole life cycle indoors, hiding in cracks and crevices.
- Wash your dog’s bedding, blankets and soft toys in hot water every week, and dry them in the sun.
- Vacuum thoroughly, especially along skirting boards, under furniture, sofa seams, curtains and corners. Empty the vacuum outside.
- Seal cracks in walls, floors and door frames where ticks hide.
- Treat the home with a pet-safe home spray, or for a heavy infestation, a professional pest-control service. Keep pets away until surfaces are dry, and tell the service you have pets.
- Keep the garden tidy: short grass, cleared leaf litter, and no overgrown corners.
- Treat every pet in the house at the same time, as your vet recommends.
Ticks on street and community dogs
Many Indians care for street dogs, which often carry heavy tick loads. The same removal method works, but wear gloves, work only with a dog that trusts you, and contact a local animal welfare group or vet for dogs with many ticks or signs of illness. Repellent sprays and preventives used on community dogs should be chosen with a vet.
What about home remedies?
Neem, lemon, vinegar and coconut oil are popular, but most have little evidence behind them, and some can irritate the skin. Our guide to natural tick repellents for dogs explains what’s worth using and what to skip. For removing an attached tick, the only reliable method is a proper tool.
