How can I tell the difference between a tick and a regular skin bump?

A tick usually feels like a small, firm, slightly raised bump that doesn't move when you touch it, and if you part the fur you'll typically see legs or a distinct body shape rather than smooth skin. Unfed ticks are tiny — sometimes poppy-seed sized — while an attached, feeding tick swells and becomes more oval and grayish over a few days. If you're not sure whether something is a tick, a wart, a skin tag, or a scab, it's reasonable to ask your veterinarian, especially if the bump changes size or your pet seems bothered by it.

My dog has thick fur — do I need special tools to check?

A flea comb helps a lot on dense or long coats, since it parts the fur as you go and makes it easier to feel and see the skin underneath rather than just the surface hair. Work in sections — start at the head and ears and move systematically toward the tail — rather than trying to cover the whole dog at once. Good lighting matters too; checking in a dim room makes it much easier to miss a small, dark tick. It takes a bit longer than a quick pat-down, but it's the difference between an effective check and a token one.

Do indoor cats need tick checks too?

Strictly indoor cats have much lower exposure, but it's still worth an occasional check, especially if there's any chance of contact with the outdoors — an open window, a porch or catio, or another pet in the household that does go outside and could carry a tick in. Indoor-outdoor cats need the same daily-in-season checks as dogs, focused on the same hiding spots: ears, neck, armpits, belly, groin, and between the toes. When in doubt, a quick weekly check costs little and catches problems early.

What if I find several ticks on my pet at once?

Remove each one individually using the same fine-tipped-tweezer technique, working calmly rather than rushing, and keep checking until you've covered the whole body. A pet with multiple ticks attached at once has a higher combined risk of blood loss and disease exposure, so it's a good reason to call your veterinarian, particularly if your pet seems tired, is reluctant to move, or has pale gums. Multiple ticks can also be a sign it's time to revisit your pet's tick-prevention plan with your vet.

Daniel Brady · NH-Licensed Pesticide Applicator · License #782664

|Reviewed by Daniel Brady

How Do I Check My Pet for Ticks Properly?

Easy — make it a daily after-outdoors habit

After time outdoors, run your fingers slowly over your pet's entire body, feeling for small bumps, then part the fur to look. Concentrate on where ticks hide: in and around the ears, around the eyes and lips, under the collar and neck, the chest, armpits, belly, groin, tail base, and between the toes (AVMA). Ticks can be as small as a poppy seed before feeding, so use both your eyes and your fingers, and take extra time combing through a long-haired pet's coat. Check daily during tick season and remove any attached tick promptly with the correct tweezer technique.

At a Glance

Short answer: Run your hands slowly over your pet's whole body, then part the fur to look, focusing on the ears, neck, armpits, belly, groin, tail base, and between the toes — the spots ticks actually hide.
This is about: Ticks
Why timing matters: attachment time drives disease risk

How it is done

The short of it

The verdict on ticks

Easy — make it a daily after-outdoors habit

Run your hands slowly over your pet's whole body, then part the fur to look, focusing on the ears, neck, armpits, belly, groin, tail base, and between the toes — the spots ticks actually hide.

Time is the risk

The tick risk clock

A tick check isn't just about spotting ticks — it's a timing tool. Because most tick-borne pathogens need many hours of attachment to transmit, finding and removing a tick the same day it attaches is one of the most effective things you can do for your pet.

Attachment time → transmission risk

The longer it feeds, the higher the risk — so remove it early.

Found and removed same-day

Generally the lowest-risk scenario — most pet tick-borne pathogens need at least 12–24 hours of attachment, per AVMA.

Missed for a day or more

Rising risk the longer a tick goes undetected and continues feeding — this is exactly what daily checks are designed to prevent.

Engorged when found

Suggests a longer, undetected attachment — worth watching your pet more closely over the following weeks.

New Hampshire deer-tick diseases

What NH’s blacklegged tick can carry

Watch for itLyme disease
NH's most common pet tick-borne illness; most infected dogs show no clinical signs, but daily checks still reduce exposure.
Watch for itAnaplasmosis
Shares the deer-tick vector with Lyme; symptoms can include fever and joint pain.
Watch for itBabesiosis
Can cause anemia; less common than Lyme/anaplasmosis in NH pets but present.
Watch for itCytauxzoonosis (cats, mainly other regions)
A serious feline tick disease more common outside NH — daily checks are protective regardless of species.

Proper removal

Find a tick? Remove it right away with fine-tipped tweezers, grasping close to the skin — see the dog and cat removal pages for the full technique.

Calibrated from: AVMA; NH DHHS Tickborne Diseases

The full answer

The full picture

Run your hands slowly over your pet's whole body, then part the fur to look, focusing on the ears, neck, armpits, belly, groin, tail base, and between the toes — the spots ticks actually hide.

When to check

Check your pet after hikes, yard time, tall grass, wooded trails, or travel — ideally daily during tick season, and NH DHHS specifically recommends checking pets for ticks daily. Because NH's blacklegged tick is active on any day the ground isn't frozen or snow-covered, an outdoor or indoor-outdoor pet benefits from this habit well beyond the traditional warm-weather months.

Where ticks actually attach

Ticks favor warm, protected, hard-to-groom spots. Per AVMA, focus your check on: in and around the ears, around the eyelids and lips, under the collar and around the neck, the chest and armpits, the belly, the groin, the base of the tail, and between the toes. These areas get missed in a quick pat-down but are exactly where a tick is likely to settle in and feed undisturbed.

How to do it

Start with your hands — run them slowly over your pet's entire body, feeling for small bumps rather than relying on sight alone. When you feel something, part the fur to look directly at the skin. Ticks can be as small as a poppy seed before they've fed, so a quick glance can miss one; slow down and use a flea comb on long-haired pets to work through dense fur more thoroughly.

If you find one

Remove it promptly using fine-tipped tweezers or a tick-removal tool: grasp as close to the skin as possible and pull straight up with steady, even pressure, without twisting or squeezing the body. Clean the site afterward, then keep checking the rest of your pet — ticks rarely travel alone, so finding one is a good reason to look more carefully for others.

Remember this

Key takeaways

Check daily in tick season — hands first to feel for bumps, then part the fur to look.
Focus on ears, eyelids/lips, neck/collar, armpits, belly, groin, tail base, and between the toes.
Ticks can be as small as a poppy seed before feeding — go slowly, especially on long-haired pets.
Remove any tick you find right away with the correct tweezer technique, then keep checking for more.

Local Context

A year-round habit in New Hampshire

NH's blacklegged tick doesn't hibernate and quests on any day above freezing without snow cover, so a daily tick check is worth keeping up well past the traditional summer season. NH DHHS recommends daily pet tick checks as a core part of reducing exposure in a state with one of the highest deer-tick densities in the country.

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Southern New Hampshire

Daily checks catch ticks — yard treatment stops so many

A good tick-check habit finds what's already on your pet. Reducing tick pressure in the yard means there's less to find.

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Common Questions

Frequently asked questions

Sources(2)

[1]
AVMA — External Parasites
Where ticks attach on pets; check technique; transmission-time window
veterinaryverified 2026-07-14
[2]
NH DHHS — Tickborne Diseases
Daily pet tick-check recommendation; NH tick activity season
govverified 2026-07-14

Written & reviewed by

Verified

Daniel Brady

NH-Licensed Pesticide Applicator · License #782664 (NHDAMF, RSA 430)

Daniel Brady is the New Hampshire–licensed applicator behind Anchor Pest Services, a family-owned pest control company serving the Manchester area since 2017.

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Last updated 2026-07-14

Integrated Flea & Tick Control

Pair Daily Checks With a Lower-Tick Yard

Checking your pet catches what's already attached. Anchor Pest Services reduces tick habitat in the yard across southern and central New Hampshire, so there's simply less for your daily check to find. Family-owned since 2017, NH license #782664.