Ticks are blood-sucking parasites that can easily hop a ride on your dog or even on you. If your pet lives on a farm or near wooded areas, they are at higher risk of getting ticks than a dog who lives in a city. But even if your dog spends most of their time in the city or indoors, they can still get tick bites.

The best tick prevention for dogs is to keep them on tick medications. These medications are designed to kill ticks on your dog before they can hurt them.

What can kill ticks on a dog?

What's the best tick treatment for dogs? There are various tick medications for dogs, so it can be confusing to know which is the best one for your pet. In general, it depends on what type of tick medication is easiest to give your dog or cat. The effectiveness of any tick medication depends on your ability to administer it correctly.

Also, there are many kinds of ticks. Not every tick preventive medication kills every type of tick. When choosing a tick medicine for dogs, check the label to learn how many kinds of ticks a product is designed to kill. Ask your veterinarian if you're not sure what's best for your pet.

Oral tick medications

Oral tick medications are ones that you give to your pet by mouth. They usually come as a tasty, chewable tablet. Most of them need to be given once every month. But there is a newer medication called Bravecto that can be given once every 12 weeks.

With oral medications, ticks can still get onto your dog or cat and bite them. In fact, a tick must bite your pet and eat their blood before it will be killed. Oral tick medications work by making your pet's blood poisonous to ticks. Once the tick starts feeding, they will die and fall off before they have a chance to transmit any diseases.

Here are a few good oral tick medications, which are all by prescription only:

• Bravecto (fluralaner)

• Nexgard (afoxolaner)

• Simparica Trio (sarolaner / moxidectin / pyrantel

If your dog has a sensitive stomach when you give them anything new, then an oral tick medication may not be the way to go. You may want to look into topical tick medications instead.

Topical tick medications

Topical tick medications are ones that you put directly on your dog's skin. These preventive medications kill ticks and act as a tick repellant for dogs by preventing the ticks from biting your pet. You can apply topical medications to the skin on the neck and back of your dog.

Here are a few good topical tick medications:

• Bravecto (fluralaner)

• Vectra 3D (dinotefuran / pyriproxyfen / permethrin)

• Frontline Plus (fipronil / S-methoprene)

• K9 Advantix II (imidacloprid / permethrin / pyriproxyfen)

Most topical tick medications do not require a prescription. But Bravecto does need a prescription from your vet. Prescription tick medications tend to be more effective than those you buy over the counter. Ask your vet about the best options for your dog.

Most pets handle topical tick medications very well. But you may want to consider an oral tick medication instead if your dog has:

• Sensitive skin

• A history of breaking out

• Fur loss in the area where tick medication was applied

If your cat likes to groom your dog, then it is probably best to stick with an oral tick medication for your dog. Otherwise, you need to prevent your pets from grooming each other for at least 24 hours after you apply a topical medication. This will help prevent your cat from getting sick - dog preventive medications are toxic to cats and can be fatal.

Tick collars

Medicated collars can work for dogs to prevent ticks. Tick collars must make contact with your pet's skin to work effectively. Make sure you get the correct-size collar for your dog so it fits snugly but not too tight - you should be able to fit two fingers between the collar and your pet's skin.

It is also important to read the label of the tick collar and make sure you replace it as often as recommended. For instance, Seresto (flumethrin / imidacloprid), an effective tick collar, lasts for up to 8 months. But once you hit that 8-month mark, you need to take it off and put a new one on.

There have been reports of the Seresto collar causing sickness and seizures in some pets, but research hasn't proven this yet. If you are concerned, ask your veterinarian if a tick collar is right for your dog or if you should stick with oral or topical medications instead.

How to remove a tick from your dog

The best way to remove a tick from your dog is to use tweezers or a tick-removal tool. It's a good idea to wear gloves to protect yourself. Then follow these steps:

1. With the tweezers or a tick-removal tool, squeeze the head of the tick as close to your dog's skin as possible. It is important to grab the tick by the head to remove the whole tick. If a part of the tick's mouth or head is left behind, that spot on your pet can become itchy and infected.

2. Once you have a firm and gentle grip on the tick, pull the tick straight out of your pet's skin.

3. You may want to save the tick or take a picture in case your veterinarian needs to identify the type of tick later. To save the tick, put it in a plastic bag with rubbing alcohol.

4. After removing the tick, wipe the area on your dog where the tick was attached with a pet-safe antiseptic.

5. Don't forget to wash the tools you used to remove the tick and your hands when you're finished.

How to kill ticks

You've removed the tick from your dog: Now what? Try one of these options to kill ticks:

• Put the tick in alcohol or rubbing alcohol.

• Seal the tick into a piece of tape.

• Place the tick in a sealed bag or other container.

• Flush the tick down the toilet.

Are there any natural options to prevent or treat ticks?

Unfortunately, there are not many good natural options for preventing ticks. Of course, the most natural way to get rid of ticks is to do "tick checks" every day and manually remove any tick you see on your pet's skin or fur.

For dogs with long fur, this can be difficult to do. If your pet is prone to getting ticks, tick checks need to be done at least once or twice a day. If a tick is attached to your pet for more than a few hours, it can transmit diseases - such as Lyme disease or ehrlichiosis - to your pet.

You can also try to prevent ticks by making your yard less inviting to ticks. Consider the following to discourage ticks:

• Mowing the lawn on a regular basis

• Clearing away plant debris from the house

• Keeping plants trimmed and pruned

Tick treatments for dogs to avoid and that don't work

Keep in mind that many natural treatments you might see online to kill ticks on dogs don't work or can harm your pup. Avoid the following tick treatments:

• Essential oils: Many essential oils are toxic to pets. And there's no evidence that they help kill ticks.

• Apple cider vinegar or other vinegars: This is a popular suggestion to kill ticks. But it doesn't work to kill ticks on dogs.

• Plant-based oils: Oils made from plants - like tumeric, coconut, or orange oil - are unlikely to kill ticks. There is little evidence that they work.

• Dish soap: Dish soap is not an effective way to kill ticks. Stick with vet-recommended shampoos if needed, and focus on keeping your dog on preventive medications instead.

• Alcohol or rubbing alcohol: Alcohols should not be applied directly on your dog. You can use alcohol to kill a tick once it has been removed.

• Mouthwash: There is no evidence that mouthwash will kill ticks. Some veterinarians have expressed concern about using this human product on pets at all.

When to take your dog to the vet for ticks

If you notice a tick on your dog and aren't confident in how to remove it, you can certainly take your dog to the vet. But if you spot signs of tick-related illness in your dog, then you'll definitely want to take them to the veterinarian as soon as possible.

Different ticks can cause different infections and symptoms in dogs. If you notice any of the following symptoms, especially after finding a tick on your dog, call the vet:

• Pale gums

• Dark urine

• Lameness

• Joint pain

• Lack of appetite

• Fever

• Lack of energy (lethargy)

• Difficulty breathing

• Weight loss

• Coughing

• Abdominal pain

• Diarrhea

• Vomiting

• Swelling around the face or legs

• Eye or nose discharge

Frequently asked questions