The short version: use a tick twister or fine-pointed tweezers, get as close to the skin as possible, and pull straight out with steady pressure, no twisting (or twist if using a tick twister tool). Don't use vaseline, hot matches, or alcohol. Wash the area, monitor for a few weeks, and call the vet if you see redness spreading or your dog goes off colour.
That's the whole thing. Tick removal is one of those jobs that sounds intimidating but is genuinely simple once you've done it once.
What does a tick actually look like?
Before you panic, make sure it's a tick.
- Unfed tick: Tiny, flat, dark, about the size of a sesame seed. Eight legs.
- Fed tick: Bigger and rounder, sometimes mistaken for a small wart, skin tag, or nipple. Greyish or pale pink. Can be the size of a small pea after a few days.
Ticks have eight legs and a clear "head" buried in the skin. If it has six legs, it's an insect, not a tick. If you can pop it like a spot, it's not a tick.
In the UK, the most common species is Ixodes ricinus (the sheep tick / castor bean tick). They're most active April to October, peaking in late spring and autumn.
What you need
The kit:
- Tick twister (also sold as O'Tom Tick Twister), a small plastic tool, £3–5, available in pet shops and online. The single best tool for the job.
- Or: fine-pointed tweezers (the kind you'd use for splinters, not flat-tipped eyebrow tweezers)
- Antiseptic wipe or warm soapy water
- A small jar or sealed sandwich bag if you want to save the tick for ID
If you walk in tick country regularly (woodland, moorland, long grass), keep a tick twister in your dog walking bag. Always.
Step-by-step
1. Find the tick
Run your hands through your dog's coat after every walk in long grass or woodland. Common spots:
- Around the head, ears, and muzzle
- Under the collar
- Armpits and groin
- Between the toes
- Anywhere with thinner fur
You're feeling for a small bump that wasn't there before.
2. Position your dog
Most dogs don't love this part. Have someone hold the dog still, distract them with a chew or a smear of peanut butter on a lick mat, or do it while they're sleeping. The actual removal takes 5 seconds, getting the dog still is the harder bit.
3. Get as close to the skin as possible
This is the most important step. The bit you want to grip is the head of the tick, buried in your dog's skin, not the body.
With a tick twister: Slide the prongs of the twister either side of the tick, as close to the skin as you can.
With fine tweezers: Grip the tick at the base, right where it meets the skin. Don't squeeze the body.
4. Remove
Tick twister method: Once positioned, twist gently, a few rotations clockwise or anti-clockwise. The tick will let go and lift off cleanly. No pulling needed.
Tweezer method: Pull straight up with steady, even pressure. Don't twist. Don't yank. The tick will release after a few seconds.
The whole thing should take less than 10 seconds.
5. Check the tick came out whole
Look at the tick, you should see legs and a head. If the head's still in the skin (sometimes the body breaks off), don't dig at it. The body will usually work its way out on its own over a few days, like a splinter.
6. Clean the bite site
Wipe with a pet-safe antiseptic or just warm soapy water. A small red bump is normal and will fade over a few days.
7. Dispose of the tick
Don't crush a live tick on your fingers (any pathogens go everywhere). Either:
- Drop it in a sealed bag and bin it
- Drop it in alcohol (vodka, surgical spirit) to kill it
- Save it in a sealed bag if you want it identified, useful if your dog gets ill within a few weeks
8. Note the date
Write down when you found it. If your dog gets ill in the next 4–6 weeks, this date matters.
What NOT to do
A surprising number of myths persist. None of these work:
- Vaseline / nail polish / suffocation — the tick stays put longer and is more likely to regurgitate stomach contents into your dog (which is exactly how disease transmission happens)
- Burning with a match or hot needle — same problem, plus you might burn your dog
- Squeezing the body — squeezes pathogens into the bloodstream
- Twisting wildly with tweezers — breaks the head off in the skin
- Pulling at an angle — same
Tick twister or steady pull. That's it.
What to watch for afterwards
A clean tick removal is usually the end of the story. But for the next 4–6 weeks, keep an eye out for:
- A spreading red ring around the bite site (sometimes called a "bullseye rash"), possible Lyme disease marker. Less obvious on furry dogs than humans, so check the bite site over the next month.
- Lethargy, lameness (especially shifting between legs), loss of appetite, fever
- Swollen joints
These can indicate Lyme disease or other tick-borne illnesses. They're rare in UK dogs, but they happen, and early treatment is important.
If you spot any of these, take a photo of the bite site, note the date you removed the tick, and call your vet.
Prevention
Stopping ticks attaching is much easier than removing them.
- Spot-on treatments (Frontline, Advantix, Bravecto, Nexgard), most kill ticks within hours of attachment, before disease transmission
- Tick collars (Seresto, Foresto), last several months
- Tick sprays for short-term use in high-tick areas
- Mechanical: check your dog after every walk in long grass; brush them through with a flea/tick comb
Talk to your vet about which option suits, different products cover different parasites, and some interact with other medications.
When to call the vet
You don't need a vet for a normal tick removal. Call them if:
- The head broke off and is causing visible irritation
- The bite site looks infected (pus, heat, swelling that gets worse, not better)
- Your dog seems unwell in the weeks after
- You can't get the tick out at all (rare with a tick twister, but it happens with very embedded ones)
FAQs
Are ticks dangerous to dogs in the UK? Most tick bites are harmless, but a small percentage transmit Lyme disease, babesiosis, or other infections. Prompt removal massively reduces the risk.
Can ticks jump? No. They don't jump or fly. They climb up grass and shrubs and wait to brush onto a passing animal.
Will my dog give the tick to me? Ticks attached to dogs occasionally drop off and find a new host, including humans. Always check yourself after walking in tick country.
Can a vet remove a tick for me? Yes, but most vets will quietly point you towards a tick twister and a YouTube video. It's a £30 vet visit for a 30-second job.
My dog has a lump that isn't going down, is it still a tick? If you removed the tick days ago and there's still a bump, it could be a "tick granuloma", an immune reaction. Usually harmless and fades over weeks. If it gets bigger or weeps, see a vet.