Where to submit a tick removed from a dog? - briefly
Send the extracted tick to a veterinary clinic or local public‑health laboratory for species identification and pathogen testing. If those services are unavailable, forward it to a university or research institution with a parasitology program.
Where to submit a tick removed from a dog? - in detail
When a tick is removed from a canine, the specimen should be directed to a facility capable of accurate identification and pathogen testing. The most reliable options are:
- Veterinary diagnostic laboratories affiliated with veterinary schools or professional associations. These labs routinely receive arthropod samples, perform species identification, and run polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays for common tick‑borne agents such as Borrelia burgdorferi, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, and Ehrlichia canis.
- State or regional public‑health laboratories. Many health departments maintain programs for monitoring zoonotic vectors and accept submissions from pet owners and veterinarians. Contact the local health authority to obtain submission guidelines, packaging instructions, and required paperwork.
- Commercial diagnostic services specializing in veterinary parasitology. Companies offering mail‑in testing provide pre‑paid kits, detailed instructions for preserving the tick in ethanol, and rapid turnaround times for results.
Submission procedures generally include the following steps:
- Place the intact tick in a small, sealable container with 70 % ethanol. Avoid crushing or mutilating the specimen, as morphological features are essential for accurate identification.
- Complete the accompanying form, providing information on the date of removal, geographic location, host animal, and any observed clinical signs.
- Ship the package via standard mail or courier, following the laboratory’s temperature and labeling requirements.
If immediate testing is not required, storing the tick at 4 °C for up to 48 hours preserves DNA integrity. For longer storage, maintain the specimen in ethanol at room temperature.
Consulting the veterinarian who performed the removal can clarify the preferred laboratory and ensure that results are integrated into the animal’s medical record. Prompt submission enhances surveillance of tick‑borne diseases and supports timely treatment decisions.