Ticks are blood-feeding parasites that are often found in tall grass and shrubs, wooded and forested regions where they will wait to attach to a passing host. They cannot fly nor can they jump as some people believe they are capable of doing and there are different species of ticks. Ticks are very common around the world and can easily attach to your dog's skin or your own skin. Once they attach, it is not that simple to take them off. Ticks are known to carry various diseases such as Lyme disease, Q fever, Colorado tick fever, tularemia, tick-borne relapsing fever, babesiosis, ehrlichiosis and Tick-borne meningoencephalitis, as well as anaplasmosis in cattle and canine jaundice.

A tick will attach itself to its host by inserting its chelicerae (cutting mandibles) and hypostome (feeding tube) into the skin. The hypostome is covered with recurved teeth and serves as an anchor. Many people in the past have recommended using different chemicals to suffocate or burn the tick once it attaches. These have be proven to be not so safe solutions to this problem. Some suggest rubbing the tick with salt, or mineral oils, or alcohol, or Vaseline Petroleum Jelly, or to burn the tick with a match. All these methods can lead to the tick dying before releasing its grip and regurgitating your dog's blood and other chemicals back into your dog's bloodstream. This is unsafe and can cause a serious infection. Also, trying to pull the tick with your hands can leave the tick's jaws still embedded in your dog's skin causing an infection.

The best way to remove a tick from your dog or a human is to use sterilized tweezers. Swab the tweezers with alcohol to disinfect them or put them over a flame. Also, rub the area around the tick with alcohol but do not apply alcohol to the tick. Approach the tick from the side and try to position the tweezers as close as possible to the skin and between the skin and the tick's jaws. Slowly and gently try to pull the tick and maybe even use a side-to-side motion when pulling to loosen its grip. Make sure that you do it slowly and do not try to rush it. It may take more than a minute to remove the tick as the tick will tire out and eventually completely release its grip. Do not jerk or yank on the tick as this can cause the head of the tick to separate from the body and leave the mouth parts still embedded in your dog's skin.

There are also different tick removers on the market now which you can purchase at your local store or online. They are usually made from plastic and do pretty much the same thing tweezers will do.

Once you have removed the tick successfully, disinfect the affected area with alcohol. If you notice any swelling or rash where the tick had attached itself, call the veterinarian, or in the case where you were affected, call your doctor. Make sure that you or your dog gets checked for Lyme disease or any of the diseases that ticks are known to spread. Lyme disease is usually also accompanied by fever-like symptoms. To prevent a tick from attaching itself to your dog or you, try to stay away from wooden areas or areas with tall grass as this is where ticks will wait to find their host. If a tick ever does attach, now you know how to safely remove it.