How to check your dog or cat for ticks — with your smartphone

TickSpot Guide · Updated July 2026

In short: On dogs and cats, ticks prefer spots where the coat is thin and the skin is soft: head, ears, neck, armpits, belly, and the insides of the legs. A quick check after every walk finds most ticks before they attach — and with the camera it's easier than feeling through the fur with your fingers alone.

The hotspots on dogs and cats

• Head and muzzle — especially around the eyes and lips
• Ears — on the outside, at the base, and inside the outer ear
• Neck and chest — check under the collar
• Armpits and groin — warm and sheltered, a tick favorite
• Belly and between the toes

How to do the coat check

1. Feel first, then look: Run your hand against the direction of the fur with light pressure. Small bumps that feel like a crumb are candidates.
2. Part the fur, point the camera: Part the coat with one hand and hold the TickSpot camera to the exposed skin with the other. In the inverted view, a dark tick stands out brightly against skin and fur — especially helpful with dark or dense coats, where the eye gets almost no contrast.
3. Light on for dark coats: The light built right into the app boosts the contrast further.
4. Freeze for fidgety pets: Freeze the image and assess it calmly instead of chasing your pet around with the camera.

Found a tick?

Remove it with a tick remover, tick card, or fine-tipped tweezers: grip close to the skin, pull out slowly and straight, don't squeeze, and don't put anything on it. Keep an eye on the bite site over the following days — which signs need a vet immediately and which can wait a few days is in "Tick bite on a dog — when to see the vet?". Important for cat owners: some tick treatments for dogs (such as those containing permethrin) are toxic to cats — only ever use preventive products after consulting your vet.

Arguing more about the vet bill than the tick itself right now? Our article "When a tick bite turns into an argument" can help you find common ground quickly.

Note: This article does not replace veterinary advice. If a tick can't be removed, if the site becomes inflamed, or if your pet's behavior changes, seek veterinary advice.