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Entry 122Filed under Breeding

How to Check Your Dog for Ticks After a Walk

Check your dog after outdoor time by feeling through the coat and inspecting common hiding places. Learn how to remove an attached tick and what to watch for afterward.
2-minute read By Animalso Team
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After outdoor time, check your dog by feeling through the coat for small bumps and inspecting common hiding places: the ears, eyelids, collar area, legs, toes, and tail. Make it a daily habit, remove any attached tick promptly with clean fine-tipped tweezers, and contact your veterinarian if your dog seems unwell or you need advice about local risks.

How to check your dog from nose to tail

Check your dog after walks and other outdoor time, and make a full tick check part of your daily routine. The CDC recommends checking pets daily, especially after they spend time outdoors (CDC: Preventing Ticks on Pets).

  1. Feel through the coat. With gentle pressure, run your fingertips over your dog’s body, parting the fur as you go. Feel for small bumps instead of relying on a quick visual scan; this can help when a thick or dark coat makes ticks difficult to spot.
  2. Inspect likely hiding places. Check in and around both ears, around the eyelids, under the collar, beneath the front legs, between each toe, between the back legs, and around the tail. Use your fingers to part the fur so you can see the skin.
  3. Check again if you find a tick. Look over the rest of your dog before finishing, and remove any crawling tick from the dog and its environment. Pets can carry ticks indoors, where they may later bite people (CDC: Preventing Ticks on Pets).
  4. Wash your hands. Wash after handling or removing a tick.

What to do if a tick is attached

Remove an attached tick promptly with clean, fine-tipped tweezers. The CDC’s guidance is to grasp it as close to the skin as possible and pull straight away with steady, even pressure. Don’t twist or jerk the tick, and avoid squeezing its body. Clean the bite area and your hands afterward (CDC: What to Do After a Tick Bite). Cornell’s College of Veterinary Medicine notes that the same removal rules apply to pets (Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine: Ticks).

A plain pair of fine-tipped tweezers is sufficient; the CDC says specialized tick-removal devices are available, but tweezers work well. If you cannot remove the tick easily or are unsure what to do, contact your veterinarian rather than pulling forcefully.

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What to watch for after a suspected bite

Pay attention to changes in your dog’s behavior or appetite after a known or suspected tick bite. Signs of tickborne disease may take 7–21 days or longer to appear, according to the CDC, so a dog that seems well immediately after a bite may still need monitoring (CDC: Preventing Ticks on Pets). Contact a veterinarian if your dog seems unwell or you have concerns.

Ask your veterinarian about prevention in your area

Tick species and disease risks vary by location, and the right preventive depends on the individual dog. Ask your veterinarian which tickborne diseases occur locally and which prevention product is appropriate. Veterinary-recommended options include collars, topical treatments, and oral preventives; a preventive does not replace checking your dog after outdoor time.

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Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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