Ticking Time Bomb: How to Safely Remove a Tick

Ticks are more than just a nuisance. They are highly efficient parasites designed to attach, feed, and transmit disease, often without you or your pet even noticing. They’re a “ticking time bomb” because the longer they remain attached, the greater the risk of transmitting harmful pathogens.

The good news is that with the right knowledge and a calm, methodical approach, you can reduce your pet’s risk. Let’s walk through exactly what you need to know, from finding ticks to removing them, and safely monitoring your pet afterward.

Where Ticks Like to Hide on Your Pet

Before you can remove a tick, you need to find it, and ticks are experts at hiding. They prefer warm, moist, and protected areas of the body. The most common hiding spots include:

But ticks can attach themselves almost anywhere. That’s why I recommend doing a full-body check every day, especially during peak tick season from April to September.

Use your fingertips to gently feel for small bumps across your pet’s entire body. Often, you’ll feel a tick before you see it.

Step-by-Step Full-Body Tick Check

1. Start at the Head
   Gently feel around the ears, eyelids, and under the chin. Ticks love thin skin and hidden folds. If your pet has long hair, take your time and be thorough.
2. Move to the Neck and Collar Area
   Remove your pet’s collar and inspect underneath; this is a common hiding spot.
3. Check Legs and Axilla
   Lift each leg and examine the warm, protected skin of the axilla (armpit area) and belly.
4. Inspect Belly and Groin
   These soft, warm areas are prime tick territory.
5. Examine the Paws
   Spread the toes and check between each digit. This is one of the most commonly missed areas.
6. Don’t Forget the Tail and Rear
   Check around the base of the tail and under it.

How to Safety Remove a Tick from Your Dog

Grasp the tick very close to your pet's skin with a tick removal tool or a pair of tweezers.

Carefully pull the tick's body away from the skin, making sure you've grasped the entire tick.

Once it's off, carefully transfer it to a sealed plastic bag if advised by your veterinarian.

Disinfect your pet's skin with soapy water or diluted povidone iodine (Betadine). I also recommend applying a drop of lavender oil, mixed with a carrier oil, to the bite.

Monitor the tick attachment site for several days.

Accuplex Tests Can Detect Tickborne Disease

An Accuplex test is a blood test for dogs that screens for several common tick-borne diseases simultaneously. Think of it like a multi-check screening your vet runs if your dog might have been exposed to ticks¹.

It can detect diseases such as:

• Lyme disease
• Anaplasmosis
• Ehrlichiosis
• Sometimes Rocky Mountain spotted fever (Enhanced Accuplex™)

Ticks can carry diseases that don’t show symptoms right away, so this test helps catch problems early.

What Is a 4DX Test?

The 4DX test is one of the most common yearly tests vets run during a dog’s wellness exam. It’s a yearly check for heartworm and tick-borne diseases.

It’s a quick blood test that checks for four things:

1. Heartworm disease
2. Lyme disease
3. Anaplasmosis
4. Ehrlichiosis

An Accuplex or 4DX test can identify exposure to common tick-borne pathogens. If the screening test is positive, follow up with confirmatory testing to determine whether an active infection is present. Early identification allows you to intervene before clinical illness develops, which significantly improves outcomes. Testing every 6 months in endemic areas is wise.

The Accuplex and 4DX tests are screening tests that check for exposure to tick-borne diseases. If your dog tests positive, it’s important to follow up with a QC6 test to determine if your dog is actually infected.

What Is QC6 Testing (for pets)?

A QC6 test is a follow-up blood test used to confirm and measure the severity of a Lyme disease infection. It detects specific antibodies against Borrelia Burgdorferi. Most dogs exposed to Lyme bacteria mount an effective immune response to the bacteria and clear it effectively (just like exposure to other bacteria; a resilient immune system clears the infection without an issue). Just because a dog’s immune system has been exposed to the bacteria does not mean they’re infected, so completing this follow-up test is crucial to avoid unnecessary antibiotic use.

What the Results Mean

• Below 30 U/mL: Low antibody count; treatment is usually unnecessary if the dog has no symptoms.
• Above 30 U/mL: High antibody count; indicates an active infection requiring antibiotic treatment (doxycycline)

Monitoring the Infection

Veterinarians run the test again six months after treatment to ensure antibody levels have dropped, confirming the bacteria have been cleared.

If the QC6 test is mildly elevated but the dog doesn’t have any symptoms, many integrative and functional medicine vets use resveratrol (knotweed), Chinese skullcap, cat’s claw, berberine, curcumin, black seed oil and, most recently, Cryptolepis (a West African plant that’s used for malaria treatment) to assist the body in addressing potential early Lyme infection and repeat the CQ6 test in 8 weeks; if the titer rises antibiotics are prescribed, and if it’s normal, the body has successfully addressed the early infection.

If antibiotics are prescribed, always use a probiotic during antibiotic therapy and for 2 months after treatment.

Lyme Disease

The Companion Animal Parasite Council (CAPC) predicts an increased risk of Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, anaplasmosis, and heartworm disease in 2026, including in areas once considered low-risk².

According to the latest 2026 surveillance data, tick populations and the diseases they carry are exploding across much of the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently reported that emergency room visits related to tick bites are currently the highest recorded for this time of year since 2017 in nearly every U.S. region³. Lyme disease remains the most common tick-borne illness in America, with an estimated 476,000 human infections diagnosed and treated annually, while veterinary experts are also documenting expanding geographic risk for dogs.

For pets, the concern is especially significant because dogs are highly susceptible to Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, anaplasmosis, babesiosis, and several emerging tick-borne infections. Veterinary parasitologists now emphasize that ticks are becoming a year-round threat in many regions because blacklegged ticks can remain active anytime temperatures rise above freezing ⁴.

This year’s tick season has also generated widespread concern among veterinarians, pet owners, and outdoor communities because tick activity began unusually early in spring 2026. Across social media and veterinary forums, pet parents are reporting unprecedented numbers of ticks on dogs and cats, even in suburban yards where tick exposure was previously uncommon. In Ohio alone, Lyme disease cases reportedly surged from 415 in 2020 to nearly 2,800 by 2025⁵, a more than sixfold increase associated with milder winters and expanding tick populations.

One of the clearest indicators of the growing problem comes from national testing data. In 2022 alone, approximately 423,929 dogs in the United States tested positive for Lyme disease antibodies out of just over 11 million tests performed, according to CAPC surveillance data⁶. The northeastern U.S., upper Midwest, and parts of New England continue to report the highest positivity rates, with some regions showing more than 10% of dogs testing positive. Wisconsin alone has reported positivity rates of 7% or higher in tested dogs.

Veterinary experts are also seeing a significant increase in clinical cases and insurance claims related to Lyme disease. The expanding prevalence of Lyme disease in dogs is important not only for companion animal health but also because dogs function as sentinels for human exposure risk⁷. Studies consistently show that rising canine Lyme positivity often predicts increasing human Lyme disease cases in the same geographic regions. Researchers now consider canine surveillance data one of the most valuable early warning systems for identifying emerging tick-borne disease hotspots.

Natural Tick Prevention Strategies

Daily tick checks are one of the most effective tools available. I recommend using the same level of vigilance when checking for ticks on your two- and four-legged family members, especially after walks and any outdoor excursions. Engorged ticks occur most often when daily parasite checks are skipped. Always have a tick stick on hand for easy and safe removal.

Using natural deterrents every time you head into high-risk areas is also a commonsense strategy that reduces the need for ongoing chemical application during flea and tick season.

You can make homemade pest deterrents to keep on hand in your refrigerator, then spritz your dog or cat before they go outdoors (don’t spray their faces):

“Hybrid” protocols, or alternating chemical preventives with detoxification using natural deterrents, have enabled many pet parents living in very high-risk areas to reduce the number of pesticide applications by half (applying chemical products every other month instead of monthly) simply by rotating in natural deterrents. Some people also find amber collars and Tickless tags help reduce the number of parasites their animals have.

How Ticks Attach and Feed

Ticks are incredibly well-designed parasites. They have a one-piece body, crab-like legs for gripping, and specialized mouthparts with backward-facing barbs; essentially a biological harpoon.

Once they find a host, they:

• Cut into the skin
• Insert their barbed feeding tube
• Secrete a cement-like substance to anchor themselves
• Release saliva with anesthetic properties (so your pet doesn’t feel them)

This is why ticks can remain attached for days without detection. There are hundreds of tick species in the United States, and they thrive in a wide range of environments, from forests and tall grasses to suburban lawns and even urban parks.

Why Quick Removal Is So Important

Ticks don’t transmit disease instantly. In many cases, they must be attached for several hours to several days before pathogens are transmitted. However, here’s the problem: you don’t know how long the tick has already been attached. That’s why immediate removal is critical.

The sooner you remove a tick, the lower the risk of transmitting infections such as Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses.

What NOT to Do When Removing a Tick

I’ve seen just about every home remedy attempted over the years, and many of them make things worse.

Avoid these common mistakes:

• Don’t burn the tick with a match
• Don’t smother it with petroleum jelly or nail polish
• Don’t twist or jerk the tick
• Don’t squeeze the body

Squeezing is especially dangerous. It can cause the tick to regurgitate infectious material into your pet’s bloodstream.

Should You Save the Tick?

This might surprise you, but you should keep the tick.

Place it in:

• A sealed container or bag
• With a slightly damp cotton ball

Store it in the refrigerator. Different ticks carry different diseases, and identification can be helpful if your pet develops symptoms later. Do not store ticks in alcohol or wrap them in tissue, as this can make testing impossible.

What to Watch for After Removal

After removing a tick, your job isn’t done. Monitoring your pet is just as important. Watch for symptoms over the next 1 to 3 months, including:

• Fever
• Lethargy
• Loss of appetite
• Limping or stiffness
• Swollen lymph nodes
• Bruising

These signs may indicate a tick-borne illness and should be evaluated promptly by your veterinarian.

A Smarter Prevention Strategy

Prevention isn’t about fear; it’s about consistency.

Here’s what I recommend:

• Perform daily tick checks, including collars and hidden areas, carefully
• Avoid tall grass and dense brush when possible
• Keep your yard trimmed and clean
• Safely remove ticks immediately

The most powerful tool you have is early detection. Test with 4DX or Accuplex at least twice a year if your pup often has ticks, and immediately if any new symptoms appear. Ticks are remarkably efficient parasites, but they are not unbeatable. By understanding where they hide, how they attach, and how to remove them properly, you can significantly reduce your pet’s risk of disease. When you stay proactive, you turn a potential ticking time bomb into a manageable, preventable issue.

Final Thoughts

Nature gives us powerful tools to protect our pets, but they work best when used thoughtfully and consistently. Rotating natural flea and tick sprays helps prevent adaptation, supports skin health, and reduces chemical exposure.

Keeping your pet’s vitality and resilience strong also makes them less hospitable hosts to parasites, in general, so maintain your pet’s weight, feed a human-grade, nutritionally complete, fresh food diet, minimize environmental chemical stress, support a strong and resilient microbiome, and focus on creating a low-stress environment. When you combine this strategy with daily tick checks and regular screening, you create a level of protection that works with your pet’s biology, not against it.

Sources and References:

• ¹ Lymedisease.org
• ² DVM 360
• ³ CDC Data Tick Bites 2026 April
• ⁴ Auburn Univ Coll Veterinary Medicine
• ⁵ Axios Columbus
• ⁶ Companion Animal Parasite Council
• ⁷ Research Archives, Lyme Disease 2025

About Karen Shaw Becker, DVM, CVH, CVA, CCRT

Veterinarian Dr. Karen Shaw Becker believes biologically appropriate food and an animal's immediate environment are essential in determining health, vitality, and lifespan. She has spent her career as a wildlife and exotic animal veterinarian and small animal clinician, empowering animal guardians to make intentional lifestyle decisions to enhance the well-being of their animals.