A Beginner's Guide to Get a Tick off a Dog with Dish Soap

Ticks are a nuisance! They are blood-sucking creatures and are notoriously keen to drain your dog’s blood once they get embedded in the skin.

Moreover, they have the potential to pass on some severe tick-borne diseases. So, once you spot them on your furry friend, promptly remove them!

Tick removal can be a headache if you don't know the correct technique!

So, here is the guide on how to get a tick off a dog using dish soap with utmost ease and in no time.

Why are Ticks Dangerous?

Ticks are parasitic organisms having a one-piece body structure. They get attached to the host species with the help of their harpoon-like barbs. Moreover, their sticky secretion and crablike legs enable them to get hold of the host.

Wondering what they do after being attached to their host species?

Well, ticks avail themselves of a moist and warm shelter from their host and, in turn, bite and suck the blood of its host species! Once done with that, they drop off.

For some hosts, who get bit by ticks, the removal of ticks ends the saga. While for some, the real story begins here in the form of tick-borne diseases! Ticks transmit infectious illnesses which can be devastating, debilitating, and even life-threatening in some cases.

Moreover, if these infections are left untreated, they can have adverse effects on other parts of your pet's body, such as nerves, joints, and heart.

How to Know that Your Dog has Ticks?

To know that your dog has ticks, have a close examination of your canine companion.

After feasting on the host's blood, ticks are usually big enough to locate, and they appear like a small bump on your dog's skin. So, you can easily spot them!

Always run your fingers all over your dog's body when you are back from a walk to check for their presence. Ticks usually attach themselves to your dog's ears, neck, head, and feet. You will usually find them burrowed in these areas. So, keep a check!

How to Get a Tick off a Dog Using Dish Soap?

Now that you have figured out a tick on your furry friend and know how deadly they are, the next question is how to get rid of them quickly and effectively to curb the transmission of any infectious disease.

Never try to remove them with your bare hands. I repeat never!

It is because squeezing them with your hands can cause bacteria residing in their mouths to spill into the bloodstream of your fellow. It is how infectious diseases transmit! You don't want your dog to get through this. Do you?

So, let's walk into the complete step-by-step guide for the prompt and safe removal of ticks using dish soap!

1. Have Your Gloves on

Wearing a set of gloves while beginning with tick removal is the foremost step for safety precautions. Wondering why?

It is because you are dealing with ticks-the most effective disease carrier! If you don't want yourself and your family to acquire the fatal diseases associated with ticks, put on your gloves!

2. Relax Your Dog

Before starting with the tick removal process, make sure that your canine partner is in the most relaxed state of mind and can sit peacefully for a bit longer. Only then can you accomplish the task!

By doing so, you can get a good grasp of the tick to eradicate it. Otherwise, if you try to get it done with a yank, the head will probably remain latched on your dog's skin, which is responsible for causing infections. It can accelerate the spread of diseases without a doubt!

You are pondering upon how you can make your furry friend sit peacefully?

Go for a chewy treat or maybe a bone for your fellow. It will keep them occupied!

Now go ahead and remove the tick in one piece!

3. Figure Out the Tick

You can use alcohol or water and rub them into your fellow’s hair to make them flatten. Now you can part your canine companion fur where the tick lies to expose the tick. Keep the area flat with one hand, and you can use the other hand to apply the dish soap for tick removal.

Accomplish this step slowly for the successful removal of the tick. A tick will probably don't move from its place during the process.

Be cautious about the mouthpart of the tick buried in the dog's skin. The visible part is the abdomen. Never leave the mouthpart embedded while carrying out the removal!

4. Use the Dish Soap

Take almost half a cup of water and add three tablespoons of dish soap to make a mixture. Furthermore, shake it well and soak a cotton pad in the solution for a minute or more.

Now, in the next step, gently cover the tick with the help of a cotton pad. Moreover, hold the cotton pad tightly in place for almost two to three minutes. You will see that the tick automatically dislodges through the action of dish soap from the skin. Moreover, the tick will get stuck in the fibers of the cotton pad, and you can remove it!

5. Disinfect the Area of Tick Bite

Now that you have removed the tick, another essential step is to disinfect the affected area to hamper the spread of infections. Also, wash your own hands thoroughly as well!

You can use special antiseptics formulated for pets, or you can go for soap or an anti-bacterial cleanser. Wipe the area gently to mitigate the effect of tick bites. Don’t forget to moisturize at the end!

6. Tick Disposal

If you think that disposing of the tick in your dustbin or sink will put an end to it, then let me end this thought and tell you that you are wrong!

Do you know what the tick will do after being thrown in the dustbin or sink?

It will simply crawl out and bite your fluffy friend along with your family too!

You can get rid of the tick by killing it in the alcohol. Furthermore, another way can be to wrap it in tape and flush it in the toilet.

Moreover, you can also keep it dipped in alcohol to show to your vet to confirm whether the tick has the potential to cause deadly infectious diseases or not. In addition, you can look out for the symptoms in your canine friend as well!

Ticks can potentially harm your dog to a significant extent, without any doubt! Always adopt preventive measures for your fellow to save it from the pain of tick bites along with their deadly consequences. In this regard, you can also go for tools such as vacuum groomer, regular full body checkups, and tick sprays.

Your dogs are your loyal friends and priceless possessions. So, adopt all the possible measures to keep them safe from nasty creatures like ticks!