Removing Dog Ticks and Fleas

Ever since I posted my tip on the Best Anti-Tick Solution for Dogs, I have to admit, I've been remiss in actually practicing this method. This year, when summer was about to end, I discovered a heavy infestation of ticks AND fleas on my pooch's coat. Even her eyelids were not spared from dog ticks. The fleas were almost everywhere but more especially in the dog's snout and face. In this area, the fleas are deep and difficult to find.


Removing Dog Ticks and Fleas

I've found that ticks are a bit easier to remove by hand than fleas. Ticks have hard bodies and constantly scratching them out from the dog's skin eventually dislodges them. Fleas, on the other hand, are softer and their bodies burst when crushed, leaving a bloody and sticky mess. So to remove an engorged flea, you need to carefully grasp the flea's body and then pull it out. Dog ticks that are hard to remove are those that attach to the dog's armpits, near the chest and inside the ears.


Differences between Ticks and Fleas

Ticks are arachnids, have 8 legs and look like tiny spiders with reddish-brown color. They can crawl quite fast. When fully engorged with blood, their flat bodies balloon to more than 10 times the original size and take on a grayish color. At this stage, they hardly move at all.

Fleas are generally black in color. They are insects and hence have 6 legs. They have much rounder bodies than ticks and are comparatively smaller.

Ticks Inside the Dog's Ear

The easiest method to pluck out dog ticks inside the ears is with a pair of tweezers. Be careful in inserting the tweezer. Use one hand to hold the dog's ear and expose the inside of the ear. With a furry dog, be sure to part the dog's ear hair outside so it's easier to spot the dog ticks inside the ear. Your other hand holds the tweezer and goes directly to pull out the tick. Avoid touching or scratching the inside of the dog's ear unnecessarily with the tweezer.

Other areas to look out are the folds of skin near the base of the ear as well as the tips and edges of the ears. These areas could easily be overlooked.


How to Kill Dog Ticks and Fleas

After pulling out dog ticks and fleas, kill and dispose them easily by dropping them in a small shallow can with a chemical that can kill them. Many use a common household item like kerosene. Since I have leftover termiticide, I use that. Just pour a little amount of the chemical in the can.

If you're pulling out ticks by hand, be sure to avoid getting dog hair with the ticks and then dropping the hair in the can. The dog hair inside the can could accumulate and allow tick to crawl out of the can using the accumulated hair as bridges.

To dispose of the dead dog ticks and fleas, I just let the contents of the can dry up and then dispose of the can's contents.


Preventing Dog Tick and Flea Infestation

Although I've mentioned the Best Anti Tick Solution for Dogs, I was able to spray this solution to the dog with much success in this article, Spraying Anti-Tick Solution on Dogs.