If your dog has a strong reaction to a sting or bite, this needs treatment straight away. Check your dog for any swelling around the face or throat, drooling, or difficulty breathing if you suspect a bite or sting.
Countryside walks can, rarely, include risk of bee and wasp stings, or in some grassy areas tick bites.
Removing a tick properly
If your dog happens to get bitten by a tick, it's important to remove the tick safely and promptly. A proper tick remover or fine-tipped tweezers can work far better than fingers, which tend to squeeze the tick's body. Note that squeezing the body of the tick could push infected fluid back into the bite! Grip as close to the skin as possible, right at the tick's head, and twist and pull straight out in one steady motion.
The reactions worth worrying about
Following a bee or wasp sting, it's important to check for reactions. Most stings cause brief pain, with swelling and discomfort that settles on its own within a day. Be alert for any swelling around the face or throat, hives, sudden weakness, or changes in breathing. Any such strong reaction to a sting needs prompt attention.
Signs to watch for
Step by step
Find a proper tick remover
A tick hook or fine-tipped tweezers works far better than fingers, which tend to squeeze the tick's body.
Grip close to the skin
As close to your dog's skin as you can manage, right at the tick's head, not its body.
Twist and pull straight out
A steady twist and pull, not a yank, brings the whole tick away in one piece.
Check the mouthparts of the tick came away too
A tiny dark speck left behind usually works its own way out, but keep an eye on the spot over the next day or two.
Clean the area and watch it
Mild redness is normal for a day or two. Increasing swelling, heat, or your dog seeming off calls for a vet check.
A quick check after every walk through long grass catches most ticks before they have been attached long enough to pass anything on.