Once you’ve pulled a tick off your dog, you need to kill it quickly and completely. The CDC recommends four reliable methods: submerging it in rubbing alcohol, wrapping it tightly in tape, flushing it down the toilet, or sealing it in a closed container. Each one works, but some are better than others depending on whether you want to save the tick for testing afterward.
Four Methods That Actually Kill Ticks
Ticks are surprisingly hard to kill. Their flat, tough bodies can survive being squeezed between your fingers, and simply tossing one in the trash won’t stop it from crawling back out. Here’s what works.
Rubbing alcohol: Drop the tick into a small cup or jar of isopropyl alcohol. This kills it within minutes and has the added benefit of preserving the tick if you later decide to send it to a lab for disease testing. Keep a small container of alcohol nearby during tick checks so you have it ready.
Tape: Fold a piece of clear packing tape or duct tape tightly around the tick, pressing it flat so the tick is completely sealed inside. This traps and suffocates it. It’s a good field option when you’re outdoors and don’t have alcohol handy.
Flushing: Drop the tick into the toilet and flush. This is the simplest disposal method, but it means the tick is gone for good. You won’t be able to retrieve it for identification or testing.
Sealed container: Place the tick in a jar, pill bottle, or zip-lock bag with a tight seal. On its own, the tick will eventually die, but adding rubbing alcohol speeds things up considerably. A sealed container is also the best choice if you want to save the tick.
What Not to Do
Crushing a tick between your bare fingers is the most common mistake. Ticks can carry bacteria and parasites in their body fluids, and squeezing one creates a direct path for those pathogens to reach you through any small cut or crack in your skin. If you must crush a tick, use a tissue or paper towel as a barrier, then wash your hands with soap and water immediately.
Don’t try to burn a tick off your dog with a match or lighter. The heat doesn’t make the tick release faster, and you risk burning your dog’s skin. The same goes for coating an attached tick with petroleum jelly or nail polish. These folk remedies can irritate the tick and cause it to regurgitate saliva into the bite wound, which is exactly how disease transmission happens. The safest approach is always to pull the tick out with fine-tipped tweezers, grasping as close to your dog’s skin as possible and pulling straight up with steady pressure.
Saving a Tick for Testing
If you live in an area where Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, or other tick-borne illnesses are common, saving the tick for laboratory testing can give you a head start on treatment. To preserve a tick properly for testing, place it in a zip-lock bag with a small piece of damp paper towel. Seal that bag inside a second zip-lock bag. Do not crush the tick, and don’t put it in alcohol or petroleum jelly, as those substances can interfere with the lab’s ability to detect pathogens.
Several university labs across the country accept tick submissions. Costs and availability vary by state. The University of Maine, for example, charges $20 for residents and returns results within about three business days of receiving the sample. The Connecticut Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory is another option. Your vet can often point you to the nearest testing facility.
Clean the Bite Site
After the tick is off and disposed of, wash the bite area on your dog’s skin with soap and water. Then apply rubbing alcohol or a pet-safe antiseptic to the wound. Wash your own hands thoroughly as well, even if you used tweezers. The bite site may stay slightly red or raised for a day or two, which is a normal skin reaction and not necessarily a sign of infection.
Tick Species and What They Carry
Not all ticks pose the same risk. The species you’re most likely to find on your dog depends on where you live, and each one carries a different set of diseases.
- Black-legged (deer) tick: The primary carrier of Lyme disease. Also transmits anaplasmosis, babesiosis, and Powassan virus. Found primarily in the Northeast, upper Midwest, and mid-Atlantic states.
- American dog tick: Spreads Rocky Mountain spotted fever and tularemia. Common across the eastern two-thirds of the U.S.
- Brown dog tick: Unusual because it can complete its entire life cycle indoors, meaning infestations can happen inside your home. Responsible for Rocky Mountain spotted fever in the Southwest.
- Lone Star tick: Spreads ehrlichiosis and several viral diseases. Found throughout the southeastern U.S. and increasingly moving northward. Recognizable by the single white spot on the female’s back.
- Rocky Mountain wood tick: Carries Colorado tick fever and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Found in the western U.S. at higher elevations.
Knowing which tick you removed helps your vet assess risk. If you can’t identify it yourself, saving the tick (using the damp paper towel method above) lets a lab do it for you.
Signs of Tick-Borne Illness in Dogs
Symptoms of tick-borne diseases in dogs typically don’t appear right away. For Lyme disease, the most common tick-borne illness, signs usually show up two to five months after infection. That long delay means you may not connect a tick bite in June to symptoms appearing in October.
Watch for limping that seems to shift from one leg to another, fever, loss of appetite, unusual fatigue, swollen joints, or swollen lymph nodes. Limping that changes legs is particularly characteristic of Lyme disease in dogs. If your dog develops any of these signs in the weeks or months following a tick bite, let your vet know about the bite history, as it can significantly speed up diagnosis and treatment.