How to Properly Check Your Pet for Ticks

 

Ticks are tiny parasites that attach to your pet’s skin and feed on their blood. Finding them quickly is important because they can spread diseases to both pets and people. To check your pet for ticks, use your hands and eyes to carefully search every part of their body, paying special attention to places where ticks like to hide. Here’s exactly how to do it in detail:

 

Choose the Right Setting and Time

 

• Pick a spot with good lighting so you can see small ticks easily. Natural daylight works best.
• Calm your pet first—give treats if needed, or do the check when your pet is relaxed (like after a walk).
• Grab a fine-tooth comb if you have one, but hands and eyes are most important.

 

Use Your Hands and Eyes: Two Techniques Together

 

• Start by gently running your fingers through your pet’s fur, pressing down enough to feel the skin.
• Go slowly. Ticks feel like little bumps, from the size of a pinhead to a small pea.
• Separate the fur as you go and look closely at the skin—use a comb to part the hair if it’s thick or long.
• If you feel or see anything unusual (a bump, dark spot, or small lump), stop and look closely.

 

Search Ticks’ Favorite Hiding Places

 

Ticks prefer warm, hidden, and hard-to-reach areas. Always check these spots thoroughly:

• In and around ears (check inside and behind them)
• Around and under the collar and harness area
• Under the front legs (armpits) and between the back legs (groin area)
• Between the toes and pads of the feet
• Under the tail and around the anus
• On the face, around the eyes, and under the chin
• Anywhere the skin folds (like the neck or belly creases)

 

Check After Every Trip Outdoors

 

• Ticks are most common in grassy, bushy, and wooded areas. Always check your pet after walks, hikes, outdoor play, or visits to the park.
• Even if your pet takes tick medicine, it’s still possible for ticks to bite and attach before dying, so physical checks are always necessary.

 

What Does a Tick Look and Feel Like?

 

• Unfed ticks are flat, oval, and very small (like an apple seed).
• Once they start feeding, ticks swell and become rounder and paler, like a tiny grape or mole.
• Ticks have a hard “shell,” so they feel firmer than scabs or regular bumps.

 

If You Find a Tick, Don’t Panic—Remove It Properly

 

• Do not squeeze or twist the tick with your fingers.
• Use clean, fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to your pet’s skin as possible.
• Pull upward, slowly and steadily, without jerking. Don’t leave the mouthparts in the skin.
• Disinfect the bite area and your hands afterward.
• Monitor your pet for any signs of illness for the next few weeks, and contact your vet if you have concerns.

 

How Often Should You Check?

 

• As often as possible during tick season (spring through fall), or year-round in warmer climates.
• For pets that go outside daily, quick checks after each outing plus a longer, full-body check at least once a week is best.

 

Extra Tips for All Pet Owners

 

• Keep your pet’s hair trimmed short if possible—it makes checking easier and gives ticks fewer places to hide.
• Wash your hands after each check, even if you didn’t find a tick.
• Use tick-prevention treatments recommended by your veterinarian.

 

By carefully using your hands and eyes—and knowing where ticks usually hide—you can protect your pet from these harmful parasites. Make tick checking a gentle, regular habit, and your pet will stay safer and healthier.