Removal · field guidance

Removing a tick from a horse

Check ears, mane, tail-head, girth area, and underbelly daily in tick season; mechanical removal at skin level still applies on a 1,000-pound patient.

Steps

schema.org/HowTo
  1. 01
    Have a handler hold the horse calmly; work on the side opposite any sudden movement.
  2. 02
    Check the inside of the ear pinna, throatlatch, mane, tail-head, girth, and underbelly — common attachment sites.
  3. 03
    Part the hair and use long-handled fine-tip tweezers or a tick hook designed for livestock.
  4. 04
    Grasp at skin level, pull straight out (tweezers) or rotate 2-3 turns (hook).
  5. 05
    Apply a dilute chlorhexidine rinse to the bite and dispose of the tick in alcohol.
  6. 06
    Note the date — equine piroplasmosis and anaplasmosis can take days to show.

Diseases this can help prevent

1 known
Bourbon virus disease

Wild facts

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