Dog ticks: how to remove and prevent them

Dog ticks in Malaysia are mostly brown dog ticks, which can live and breed inside your house as well as on your dog. To remove one, use fine-tipped tweezers or a tick hook, grip the tick right at the skin and pull straight out with steady pressure. Do not twist, squeeze, burn or smother it with oil. Clean the bite and watch your dog for the next few weeks. Ticks in Malaysia spread blood infections known as tick fever, mainly Ehrlichia and Babesia. Signs are fever, tiredness, poor appetite, pale gums, nosebleeds or bruising, and they need a vet the same week. Prevention works best all year round: a monthly spot-on, a chew that lasts one to three months, or a tick collar, plus cleaning cracks, kennels and bedding at home. In Subang Jaya, PGH applies Advantix to dogs at hotel check-in for RM38 to 48, by weight.

This is general information from a grooming and boarding team, not veterinary advice. If your dog is a puppy, elderly, pregnant, unwell or on medication, ask your vet before using any tick product.

How do I check my dog for ticks?

Run your fingers slowly over the whole dog, feeling for small bumps the size of a sesame seed to a small bean. Ticks prefer warm, hidden spots:

• inside and around the ears
• between the toes and under the paw pads
• the neck and under the collar
• the armpits and groin
• around the tail and bottom
• around the eyes

Check after every walk in grass, fields or a park, and once a week even for indoor dogs. A tick that has fed for a few days swells to the size of a pea and turns grey. Short-coated dogs are easy to check. On a thick or long coat, use a comb and part the hair. Groomers often find ticks that owners miss, so ask yours to check during the bath.

How do I remove a tick from my dog safely?

1. Use fine-tipped tweezers or a tick removal hook. Your fingers squeeze the tick and push its contents into the dog.
2. Grip the tick as close to the skin as possible, by its head, not its swollen body.
3. Pull straight out with slow, steady pressure. Do not twist or jerk.
4. Clean the bite with a pet-safe antiseptic and wash your hands.
5. Kill the tick by dropping it in rubbing alcohol or sealing it in tape. Do not crush it with your fingers.
6. Watch the bite for a few days, and your dog for two to three weeks.

If a piece of the mouth stays in the skin, leave it. The body usually pushes it out, and digging causes infection. Do not use a lit match, petroleum jelly, nail polish or oil. They make the tick release more saliva before it lets go.

What is tick fever, and what are the signs?

"Tick fever" is the everyday name for blood infections spread by ticks. In Malaysia the most common are Ehrlichia canis and Babesia, both carried by the brown dog tick. Signs can appear days to weeks after a bite:

• fever, tiredness or sleeping much more than usual
• poor appetite or weight loss
• pale gums
• nosebleeds, bruising or small red spots on the gums or belly
• dark or red urine (Babesia)
• limping or swollen joints

See a vet promptly if you notice any of these, especially after you have found ticks. A blood test confirms the infection, and it is treated with medicine from the vet. Our list of vet clinics in Subang Jaya and USJ gives addresses and opening hours.

Which tick prevention works for dogs in Malaysia?

Option	How often	Notes
Spot-on with permethrin (for example Advantix)	Every month	Repels and kills ticks, fleas and mosquitoes. Toxic to cats: keep cats away from the dog until it is dry
Oral chew from a vet (isoxazoline type, such as afoxolaner or fluralaner)	Every month to every 12 weeks, by brand	Kills ticks after they bite. Easy for dogs that swim or are bathed often
Tick collar	Up to several months, by brand	Fit snugly, check the neck skin. Keep away from cats and children who chew
Tick shampoo or bath	Each wash	Kills some ticks on the day only

At PGH, flea, tick and mite prevention is compulsory for every hotel guest. If it is applied at check-in, Advantix for dogs costs RM38 to 48 and Advantage for cats RM25 to 35, by weight. Prices checked October 2026.

The Tropical Council for Companion Animal Parasites advises year-round tick prevention for dogs in tropical countries, because ticks breed all year in Malaysia's heat. Ask your vet which product suits your dog's age, weight and lifestyle.

Why do ticks keep coming back?

The brown dog tick is one of the few ticks that completes its whole life cycle indoors. Female ticks drop off the dog and lay thousands of eggs in cracks in walls and floors, behind skirting boards, in kennels and under furniture. If you treat only the dog, new ticks keep climbing back on.

• Treat every dog in the house on the same day, and keep it up all year.
• Vacuum cracks, corners, the dog's bed area and car seats, and throw the dust out.
• Wash bedding in hot water every week during an outbreak.
• Seal cracks in walls and around the kennel, and keep grass short in the garden.
• Call pest control for a heavy infestation. Tell them you have pets, and keep the dogs out until surfaces are dry.

Can a dog with ticks go to the groomer or a pet hotel?

Treat ticks before you book. A groomer or a hotel has to protect every other guest, and brown dog ticks that drop off can spread through a building. PGH may decline a pet that arrives with fleas, ticks or mites. Once your dog is on prevention and clear, book as normal. Read our vaccination rules for pet hotels and see the dog hotel and dog grooming pages. PGH is in USJ 21, Subang Jaya: how to get here.