How To Get Rid Of Tick Bites On Your Dog

Having trouble removing one or many ticks from your dog? Here are some common home remedies to terminate and/or prevent these pests:

Step 1

First! Make sure your dog is actually being bothered by a tick. Look for these common symptoms before applying these treatments.

• Knots on skin
• Redness
• Burning
• Rashes
• Itching
• Swelling

Step 2

If your dog does have ticks after all, following are 5 home remedies to give a try!

Neem Oil - Add a few drops and a cup of water in a spray bottle then shake well. Then immediately spray if on your dog allowing it to dry. You can do this once or twice each day, but make sure to bath your dog as soon as it dries.

Tea Tree Oil - Put a couple of drops in your dog’s shampoo and wash 2-3 times each week. You can also add two or three drops to a spray bottle with a water and apply it 2-3 times weekly.

Apple Cider Vinegar - To make an apple cider vinegar spray, pour one cup of the apple cider vinegar into a bowl and then add four ounces of warm water. Stir in half a teaspoon of baking soda and salt. Pour into a bowl and shake well.

Mouthwash - Simply pour a generous amount onto a cotton ball or tissue and apply to the affected area.

Liquid Dish Soap - Pour dish soap into a bowl, then apply with a cotton ball to your pet and rinse thoroughly.

Step 3

There’s no harm in trying these 5 natural tick repellents and methods to remove the ticks from your dog: 

Vegetable Oil - Combine two drops of vegetable oil, 10 drops of peppermint essential oil, and 1 teaspoon of dishwashing liquid. Make sure to mix well and then apply to your pet once a week.

Garlic - Add ⅛ of a teaspoon of garlic to your dog’s food and this should act as a natural repellent for ticks. However, make sure not to give them too much because this can be somewhat harmful to your pet.

Baking Soda - Mix together half a tablespoon of baking soda and salt. Then combine this with 4 ounces of apple cider vinegar and pour it in a spray bottle to spray directly on your pet.

Apple Cider Vinegar - Put two tablespoons in your dog’s bowl and wait. This will increase the acidity in your dog’s blood, which will the repeal the ticks and even flees.

Make sure that you take care of the tick within 24-36 hours after the bite occurred and use tweezers when doing so. When removing the tick try to get the tweezers as close as you can to the skin, enclosing the head around the tweezers. Then slowly pull upward, away from the skin, and dispose of the tick in either an alcohol solution or by flushing it down the toilet. After the tick is gone, clean your hands and the bite thoroughly with water, soap or iodine, and rubbing alcohol.

It can be very easy to make a mistake during the tick removal process, so it is best to learn the actions you must avoid.

Don’t….

Put the tick in your trash bin or in the sink, because it will crawl out.

Crush the tick, because the fluids will put you and your dog at risk of getting an infection.

Try to remove part of a tick if it is still left in your pet after you have tweezed the majority out. It will fall on its own in time.

Burn the tick off with a match, because this can cause your dog to vomit.

Remove the tick with your bare hands, because you do not want your skin to come into contact with any harmful pathogens. If you must use your hands use gloves, paper towels, or any durable material, and wash hands thoroughly after removal.

Attempt to smother the tick with Vaseline or nail polish, because this can also cause your animal to vomit.

Step 4

Also, there are a few more tips on preventing ticks from entering your home!

Clean up all leaves and dead wood from the yard.

Vacuum entire home very regularly.

Keep your lawn cut short.

Shampoo your dog every few weeks.

Wash clothing and blankets in hot water.

Be sure to remove the ticks on your pet as soon as you see them. They can be very harmful to your dog’s health and even spread numerous diseases if not treated. These diseases include:

Lyme disease (carrier - Deer tick)

Babesiosis (carrier - Black-legged tick)

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (carriers - American dog tick, Rocky Mountain wood tick, and Brown dog tick)