Removing a tick from your dog safely

Alright, your dog got a tick... that sucks!

But the good thing is that you're here.

STEP 1

Remove the tick

Let's not wait any longer, first take your Tick Buster.

1. Move the hair aside.

Place wide part of the notch in front of tick.

2. Slide the tool forward until the tick is at the bottom of the notch.

3. Continue firm forward-upward motion until tickdetaches.

4. Put the tick in a sealed bag. Wash hands and clean bite area. Apply alcohol to disinfect wound and tool.

You can check this youtube video for more visual instructions.

Fiouf! Now that the tick is removed, you can breathe again. Take a minute to calm down...

You good? Alright let's keep going

STEP 2

Identify the tick

This is crucial to know what symptoms to look for in your dog.

Go back to the sealed bag in which the tick is, and carefully look at it.

- Compare the tick with the images below.

-Once you have a match, click under for more details.

Blacklegged ticks or deer ticks

larva, nymph, adult male and adult female deer tick

This looks like it, click here for more details ⤵️

Everything you need to know about

Blacklegged ticks or deer ticks

THE MAP GIVES YOU A GOOD IDEA, BUT YOU MIGHT FIND THIS TICK IN OTHER REGIONS.

*Depending on the type, larvae, nymph, adult male or female, the risks are not the same. Keep reading

Deer tick adult female

When:

They are active from October-May, as long as the daytime temperature remains above freezing.

Where:

This tick is mostly found in coniferous forest. Also, they can be on the tips of branches of low growing shrubs.

Their distribution relies greatly on the distribution of its reproductive host, the white-tailed deer.

Potential Diseases:

Lyme Disease
Babesiosis
Anaplasmosis
Flavivirus

*If your dog was bit by this tick, you should consider sending the tick for testing.

Deer tick adult male

When:

They are active from October-May, as long as the daytime temperature remains above freezing.

Where:

This tick is mostly found in coniferous forest. Also, they can be on the tips of branches of low growing shrubs.

Their distribution relies greatly on the distribution of its reproductive host, the white-tailed deer.

Potential Diseases:

None

Deer tick nymph

When:

They are active from May-August.

Where:

They are most commonly found in moist leaf litter in wooded areas, or at the edge of wooded areas.

They typically attach to smaller mammals such as mice, voles, and chipmunks.

Potential Diseases:

Lyme Disease
Babesiosis
Anaplasmosis
Flavivirus

*If your dog was bit by this tick, you should consider sending the tick for testing.

Deer tick larvae

When:

They are active from July-September.

Where:

These ticks can be found in moist leaf litter.

They will attach to nearly any small, medium or large-sized mammal and many species of birds. Preferred hosts are white-footed mice.

Potential Diseases:

None

American dog ticks

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Everything you need to know about

American dog ticks

THE MAP GIVES YOU A GOOD IDEA, BUT YOU MIGHT FIND THIS TICK IN OTHER REGIONS

*Depending on the type, larva, nymph, adult male or female, the risks are not the same. Keep reading

Dog tick adult female

When:

They are active from April to early August.

Where:

They are found predominantly in areas with little or no tree cover, such as grassy fields and scrubland, as well as along walkways and trails.

They are mostly found questing in tall grass and low lying brush and twigs.

They feed on medium-sized wildlife hosts, including raccoons, skunks, opossums and coyotes, as well as domestic dogs, cats and man.

Potential Diseases:

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
Tularemia

Dog tick adult male

When:

They are active from April to early August.

Where:

They are found predominantly in areas with little or no tree cover, such as grassy fields and scrubland, as well as along walkways and trails.

They are mostly found questing in tall grass and low lying brush and twigs.

They feed on medium-sized wildlife hosts, including raccoons, skunks, opossums and coyotes, as well as domestic dogs, cats and man.

Potential Diseases:

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
Tularemia

Dog tick nymph

When:

They are active from May to July.

Where:

They are found predominantly in areas with little or no tree cover, such as grassy fields and scrubland, as well as along walkways and trails.

They feed on small and mid-sized animals, such as mice, voles, rabbits, raccoons and skunks.

Potential Diseases:

None

Dog tick larvae

When:

They are active from late April to September.

Where:

They can be found questing for a host (voles, mice, raccoons, opossums, etc.) in the leaf litter. In the northeastern U.S., larvae overwinter and are most abundant in the spring and early summer.

Potential Diseases:

None

Lone star ticks

This looks like it, click here for more details ⤵️

Everything you need to know about

Lone star ticks

THE MAP GIVES YOU A GOOD IDEA, BUT YOU MIGHT FIND THIS TICK IN OTHER REGIONS.

*Depending on the type, larva, nymph, adult male or female, the risks are not the same. Keep reading

Lone star tick adult female

When:

They are active from April to late August.

Where:

They are found mostly in woodlands with dense undergrowth and around animal resting areas.

They will be found questing for larger animals, such as dogs, coyotes, deer, cattle and humans on tall grass in shade or at the tips of low lying branches and twigs.

Potential Diseases:

Ehrlichiosis
Tularemia

*If your dog was bit by this tick, you should consider sending the tick for testing.

Lone star tick adult male

When:

They are active from April to late August.

Where:

They are found mostly in woodlands with dense undergrowth and around animal resting areas.

They will be found questing for larger animals, such as dogs, coyotes, deer, cattle and humans on tall grass in shade or at the tips of low lying branches and twigs.

Potential Diseases:

Ehrlichiosis
Tularemia

*If your dog was bit by this tick, you should consider sending the tick for testing.

Lone star tick nymph

When:

They are active from May to early August.

Where:

They are found mostly in woodlands with dense undergrowth and around animal resting areas.

They can be found questing for deer, coyotes, raccoons, squirrels, turkeys and some birds as well as cats, dogs and humans.

Potential Diseases:

Ehrlichiosis
Tularemia

*If your dog was bit by this tick, you should consider sending the tick for testing.

Lone star tick larvae

When:

They are active from July to late September.

Where:

They are found mostly in woodlands with dense undergrowth and around animal resting areas.

They can be found questing for a wide variety of animals, including cats, dogs, deer, coyotes, raccoons, squirrels, turkeys, and some small birds.

Potential Diseases:

None

Brown dog ticks

This looks like it, click here for more details ⤵️

Everything you need to know about

Brown dog ticks

THE MAP GIVES YOU A GOOD IDEA, BUT YOU MIGHT FIND THIS TICK IN OTHER REGIONS.

*Depending on the type, larva, nymph, adult male or female, the risks are not the same. Keep reading

Brown dog tick adult female

When:

They are a risk throughout the year as they can live a complete life cycle indoor.

Where:

Brown Dog ticks have a world-wide distribution, and can be found throughout the United States, although they are encountered more frequently in the southern tier of states. They occur predominately in and around human settlements and infest homes, animal pens, and dog kennels, often causing high levels of infestation both on dogs and in homes. These ticks can spend their entire life cycle indoors.

Potential Diseases:

Ehrlichiosis
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
Babesiosis

*If your dog was bit by this tick, you should consider sending the tick for testing.

Brown dog tick adult male

When:

They are a risk throughout the year as they can live a complete life cycle indoor.

Where:

Potential Diseases:

Ehrlichiosis
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
Babesiosis

*If your dog was bit by this tick, you should consider sending the tick for testing.

Brown dog tick nymph

When:

They are a risk throughout the year as they can live a complete life cycle indoor.

Where:

Potential Diseases:

Ehrlichiosis
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
Babesiosis

*If your dog was bit by this tick, you should consider sending the tick for testing.

Brown dog tick larvae

When:

They are a risk throughout the year as they can live a complete life cycle indoor.

Where:

Potential Diseases:

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever

Gulf Coast ticks

This looks like it, click here for more details ⤵️

Everything you need to know about

Gulf Coast ticks

THE MAP GIVES YOU A GOOD IDEA, BUT YOU MIGHT FIND THIS TICK IN OTHER REGIONS.

*Depending on the type, larva, nymph, adult male or female, the risks are not the same. Keep reading

Gulf Coast tick adult female

When:

They are active from June to October.

Where:

They are in coastal areas along the Atlantic coast and Gulf of Mexico.

They are found in grass prairies and coastal uplands.

Potential Diseases:

Spotted Fever Rickettsiosis (check Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever for symptoms, and treatment)

Gulf Coast tick adult male

When:

They are active from June to October.

Where:

They are in coastal areas along the Atlantic coast and Gulf of Mexico.

They are found in grass prairies and coastal uplands.

Potential Diseases:

Spotted Fever Rickettsiosis (check Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever for symptoms, and treatment)

Gulf Coast tick nymph

When:

They are active from December to March.

Where:

They are in coastal areas along the Atlantic coast and Gulf of Mexico.

They are found in grass prairies and coastal uplands.

Potential Diseases:

Spotted Fever Rickettsiosis (check Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever for symptoms, and treatment)

Gulf Coast tick larvae

When:

They are active from October to January.

Where:

They are in coastal areas along the Atlantic coast and Gulf of Mexico.

They are found in grass prairies and coastal uplands.

Potential Diseases:

Spotted Fever Rickettsiosis (check Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever for symptoms, and treatment)

Western-Blacklegged ticks

This looks like it, click here for more details ⤵️

Everything you need to know about

Western-Blacklegged ticks

western blacklegged tick map of the states

THE MAP GIVES YOU A GOOD IDEA, BUT YOU MIGHT FIND THIS TICK IN OTHER REGIONS.

*Depending on the type, larvae, nymph, adult male or female, the risks are not the same. Keep reading

Western-Blacklegged tick adult female

When:

They are active from October-May, as long as the daytime temperature remains above freezing.

Where:

So far, these ticks have been spotted on the west coast solely.

They feed onto larger animals such as domestic dogs, humans, and deer.

They may be found in grasslands, woodland grass, or brush areas. Also, they can be on the tips of branches of low growing shrubs.

Potential Diseases:

Lyme Disease
Anaplasmosis

*If your dog was bit by this tick, you should consider sending the tick for testing.

Western-Blacklegged tick adult male

When:

They are active from October-May, as long as the daytime temperature remains above freezing.

Where:

So far, these ticks have been spotted on the west coast solely.

They feed onto larger animals such as domestic dogs, humans, and deer.

They may be found in grasslands, woodland grass, or brush areas. Also, they can be on the tips of branches of low growing shrubs.

Potential Diseases:

None

Western-Blacklegged tick nymph

When:

They are active from January to October, as long as the daytime temperature remains above freezing.

Where:

So far, these ticks have been spotted on the west coast solely.

They can primarily be found under and around leaf litter and at the bottom of trees.

They feed on smaller animals, such as rodents and birds.

Potential Diseases:

Lyme Disease
Anaplasmosis

*If your dog was bit by this tick, you should consider sending the tick for testing.

Western-Blacklegged tick larvae

When:

They are active from April to June.

Where:

So far, these ticks have been spotted on the west coast solely.

They can primarily be found under and around leaf litter and at the bottom of trees.

They feed on smaller animals, such as rodents and birds.

Potential Diseases:

None

Pacific Coast ticks

This looks like it, click here for more details ⤵️

Everything you need to know about

Pacific Coast ticks

pacific coast tick distribution map across the US

THE MAP GIVES YOU A GOOD IDEA, BUT YOU MIGHT FIND THIS TICK IN OTHER REGIONS.

*Depending on the type, larvae, nymph, adult male or female, the risks are not the same. Keep reading

Pacific Coast tick adult female

When:

They are active year-round but peak activity typically occurs during cooler months, and especially in March, April and May.

Where:

They are found predominantly in shrublands, chaparral, and along trails from Oregon to northern Baja California and Mexico. Pacific Coast ticks are the most common tick found nearly throughout California.

Potential Diseases:

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
Tularemia

Pacific Coast tick adult male

When:

They are active year-round but peak activity typically occurs during cooler months, and especially in March, April and May.

Where:

Potential Diseases:

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
Tularemia

Pacific Coast tick nymph

When:

They are active year-round but peak activity typically occurs during cooler months, and especially in March, April and May.

Where:

Nymphs can be found questing for hosts on the ground or up to five inches from the ground on the sides of vegetation. From Oregon to northern Baja California and Mexico. Pacific Coast ticks are the most common tick found nearly throughout California.

Potential Diseases:

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
Tularemia

Pacific Coast tick larvae

When:

They are active are active from summer through winter, with peak activity in July.

Where:

Larvae prefer to feed on small rodents and other small mammals. They are anywhere, from Oregon to northern Baja California and Mexico. Pacific Coast ticks are the most common tick found nearly throughout California.

Potential Diseases:

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
Tularemia

Cayenne ticks

This looks like it, click here for more details ⤵️

Everything you need to know about

Cayenne ticks

THE MAP GIVES YOU A GOOD IDEA, BUT YOU MIGHT FIND THIS TICK IN OTHER REGIONS.

*Depending on the type, larvae, nymph, adult male or female, the risks are not the same. Keep reading

Cayenne tick adult female

When:

They are active year-round as long as daytime temperature are above zero (always the case in current affected regions (texas)).

Where:

They are primarily confined to south Texas, although collections of Cayenne ticks from Florida and coastal regions of other states bordering the Gulf of Mexico have been reported.

Cayenne ticks are commonly found in grassy areas.

Potential Diseases:

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever

Cayenne tick adult male

When:

They are active year-round as long as daytime temperature are above zero (always the case in current affected regions (texas)).

Where:

They are primarily confined to south Texas, although collections of Cayenne ticks from Florida and coastal regions of other states bordering the Gulf of Mexico have been reported.

Cayenne ticks are commonly found in grassy areas.

Potential Diseases:

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever

Cayenne tick nymph

When:

They are active year-round as long as daytime temperature are above zero (always the case in current affected regions (texas)).

Where:

They are primarily confined to south Texas, although collections of Cayenne ticks from Florida and coastal regions of other states bordering the Gulf of Mexico have been reported.

Cayenne ticks are commonly found in grassy areas.

Potential Diseases:

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever

Cayenne tick larvae

When:

Mostly during April & May, but as far as October.

Where:

They are primarily confined to south Texas, although collections of Cayenne ticks from Florida and coastal regions of other states bordering the Gulf of Mexico have been reported.

Cayenne ticks are commonly found in grassy areas.

Potential Diseases:

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever

Rocky Mountain Wood ticks (wood ticks)

This looks like it, click here for more details ⤵️

Everything you need to know about

Rocky Mountain Wood ticks (wood ticks)

rocky mountain wood tick map of the states

THE MAP GIVES YOU A GOOD IDEA, BUT YOU MIGHT FIND THIS TICK IN OTHER REGIONS.

*Depending on the type, larvae, nymph, adult male or female, the risks are not the same. Keep reading

Rocky Mountain Wood tick adult female

When:

The wood ticks can be active from January through November, but are most common in the late spring/early summer.

Their activity diminishes during the hot and dry mid-summer period.

Further west in the northern inter-mountain region, large numbers of adult wood ticks can occur in April and May.

Where:

They are found predominantly in shrublands, lightly wooded areas, open grasslands, and along trails, mainly at lower elevations.

Potential Diseases:

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
Tularemia

*If your dog was bit by this tick, you should consider sending the tick for testing.

Rocky Mountain Wood tick adult male

When:

The wood ticks can be active from January through November, but are most common in the late spring/early summer.

Their activity diminishes during the hot and dry mid-summer period.

Further west in the northern inter-mountain region, large numbers of adult wood ticks can occur in April and May.

Where:

They are found predominantly in shrublands, lightly wooded areas, open grasslands, and along trails, mainly at lower elevations.

Potential Diseases:

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
Tularemia

*If your dog was bit by this tick, you should consider sending the tick for testing.

Rocky Mountain Wood tick nymph

When:

The nymph wood ticks are active from March through October.

Where:

They are found predominantly in shrublands, lightly wooded areas, open grasslands, and along trails, mainly at lower elevations.

Nymphs prefer to feed on rodents, especially voles, and rarely attach to humans or pets.

Potential Diseases:

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
Tularemia

*If your dog was bit by this tick, you should consider sending the tick for testing.

Rocky Mountain Wood tick larvae

When:

Larvae are active from March (further south) through October (further north).

Where:

They are found predominantly in shrublands, lightly wooded areas, open grasslands, and along trails, mainly at lower elevations.

Larvae prefer to feed on rodents, especially voles, and rarely attach to humans or pets.

Potential Diseases:

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
Tularemia

*If your dog was bit by this tick, you should consider sending the tick for testing.

The list of

Known diseases transmitted by ticks

Lyme Disease

Symptoms:

Signs of Lyme disease are more difficult to detect in animals than in people. The characteristic rash does not develop in dogs.

They seem to be experiencing generalized pain.

They might have stopped eating.

Affected dogs have been described as if they were walking on eggshells. Often these pets have high fevers.

Dogs may also begin limping. This painful lameness often appears suddenly and may shift from one leg to another. If untreated, it may eventually disappear, only to recur weeks or months later.

Non-specific signs which may indicate that Lyme disease is affecting the kidneys include vomiting, lethargy, anorexia (lack of appetite), and weight loss. The kidney form of the disease is less common, but often fatal.

Treatment:

It is treated with antibiotics. The antibiotic of choice is doxycycline, followed by amoxicillin, then azithromycin. Treatment lasts for 4 weeks.

Following the treatment, the dog is not immune to getting the disease again.

Another option is vaccination. Vaccination against Lyme disease is recommended for pets that live in endemic areas or that travel to areas where Lyme disease is prevalent.

Annual revaccination is necessary to maintain immunity. Discuss the matter with your veterinarian.

Babesiosis

Symptoms:

Sadly babesiosis can be subtle, without apparent clinical signs. The disease affects your dog's red blood cells and can go unnoticed for a while.

However, when the disease gets more severe, it will be characterized by findings such as abnormally dark urine, fever, weakness, pale mucous membranes, depression, swollen lymph nodes, and an enlarged spleen.

Treatment:

The FDA approved treatment for babesiosis is imidocarb diproprionate. A combination therapy of quinine, azithromycin, atovaquone, and/or clindamycin is being researched and may become more common to treat dogs with in the US or Canada in the future.

Clindamycin, the treatment of choice for Babesia microti, the main Babesia species that infects humans, can also be used against Babesia in dogs. Clindamycin is a readily available antibiotic and is an excellent starting point for treatment in many dogs.

There are no current vaccine approved against babesiosis.

Anaplasmosis

Symptoms:

Infection with the more common form of anaplasmosis often causes lameness, joint pain, fever, lethargy, and anorexia (lack of appetite).

Most infected dogs will have symptoms for 1 to 7 days; however, some will have no or only minor symptoms. Less common clinical signs include vomiting, diarrhea, coughing, and labored breathing.

A slightly different form can cause a decrease in your dog's platelets (circulating cells that help in the blood clotting process). Some dogs may develop bruising or bleeding (including nosebleeds).

Treatment:

The treatment for canine anaplasmosis is the antibiotic doxycycline. Many infected dogs are treated for 2-4 weeks (the longer course more often if co-infected with Lyme disease). In the majority of cases, symptoms improve rapidly. Dogs are often markedly better 24 to 48 hours after therapy is begun, and the prognosis for clinical recovery is excellent.

Flavivirus

Alright this one is slightly different. Flavivirus is not a disease in itself. It is a family of viruses.

It includes 53 viruses, but the most common are the Powassan virus, West Nile virus, Yellow fever virus & Tick-borne encephalitis virus.

This last one, Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBE), seems to be the one that can affect dogs.

Symptoms (TBE):

This disease is often characterized for instance by fever, apathy, weakness, reduced consciousness, lethargy, anorexia, ataxia, hyperalgesia and neurological disturbances.

Treatment (TBE):

There is no specific treatment for TBE. The best way is to consult with your vet as soon as possible to decide on a treatment.

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever

Symptoms:

In dogs, the signs of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever can be vague and non-specific.

But typically, a dog that has become infected with RMSF may have one or more of the following clinical signs: poor appetite, non-specific muscle or joint pain, fever, coughing, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, swelling of the face or legs, or depression.

Alone these signs are non-specific. But because you just removed a tick from your dog, these signs will probably mean your dog has the RMSF.

Focal hemorrhages may occur in the eyes and gums, as well as nosebleeds in severe cases. Neurological signs such as wobbling when walking (ataxia) and painful hypersensitivity can also be seen.

Treatment:

Doxycycline is the preferred antibiotic for the majority of cases and may be given from anywhere to 7-21 days depending on the dose. Tetracycline is also effective but requires more frequent administration and is given for 14-21 days. Neither of these drugs should be given to young animals or females that may become pregnant.

Finally, if the disease is diagnosed in its early stages and treatment is started immediately, the prognosis for successful treatment (chances of recovery) is excellent.

Tularemia

Symptoms:

Tularemia is a rare infection in dogs and dogs are known to be less susceptible to illness than other species. Tularemia is often self-limiting although some dogs experience short periods of poor appetite, lethargy, and mild fever. Less frequently, dogs may show conjunctivitis, uveitis (inflammation in their eyes), draining abscesses, and enlarged lymph nodes.

Treatment:

Tularemia can be treated with antibiotics. Dogs may require hospitalization with supportive care (intravenous fluid therapy). Draining abscesses should be surgically removed.

Ehrlichiosis

Symptoms:

Signs of ehrlichiosis can be divided into three stages: acute (early disease), sub-clinical (no outward signs of disease), and clinical or chronic (long-standing infection).

For each phase, the symptoms vary.

Acute

In this stage, infected dogs may have fever, swollen lymph nodes, respiratory distress, weight loss, bleeding disorders (spontaneous hemorrhage or bleeding), and occasionally, neurological disturbances (they may seem unsteady or develop meningitis). This stage may last two to four weeks and some dogs may eliminate the infection or head in to the sub-clinical phase.

Sub-clinical

The sub-clinical phase is often considered the worst phase because there are no clinical signs and therefore the disease goes undetected.

Clinical

Dogs are likely to develop a host of problems: anemia, bleeding episodes, lameness, eye problems (including hemorrhage into the eyes or blindness), neurological problems, and swollen limbs.

Treatment:

Certain antibiotics, such as doxycycline, are quite effective. A long course of treatment, generally four weeks, is needed. This is the treatment of choice as it is easily accessible and generally well tolerated. Alternatively, imidocarb (not available in Canada) can be used intravenously.

Dogs experiencing severe anemia or bleeding problems may require a blood transfusion. However, this does nothing to treat the underlying disease.

STEP 3

Determine risk

Alright ticks are sh*t.

But there's one good thing about them, well I wouldn't say good...

But it takes 24hrs for a tick to transmit any disease it might carry.

So now you have to carefully trace back your steps.

When was the last outing with your dog?

Is it possible your dog got that tick in the backyard?

Try to determine when did it happen.

This will give you an idea as if your dog's at risk or not.

STEP 4

Monitor symptoms.

Listen, I know this is stressful, and there's a lot of stuff to remember.

Over the next weeks, you need to look out for symptoms of the diseases mentioned above.

So I made you a PDF that you can print or save in your phone. This guide sums up the symptoms of each disease.

A quick look at it will tell you if you need to worry.

Access PDF

FAQs

While removing the tick, some part of the head might have stayed under the skin. Is it bad? Should I be concerned?

This is something that concerns many people but it is just not possible for ticks to 1) continue living once they have been ripped in two; and 2) for them to embed any more than their mouthpart into your skin.

Eventually this will be pushed out much like a splinter would be. You probably want to keep an eye on the bite area just in case the tick had transmitted a disease-causing pathogen while it was intact and feeding on your dog.

What is the correct way to kill a tick once it has been removed?

You can simply put it in a sealed ziplock bag. This way, you'll be able to safely look at it and try to identify it. Once the tick is secure, it won't be too long before it dies anyway (from extreme dryness). Personally I would keep the ziplock bag around. If there are no symptoms or other consequence that develop, say within 2-3 months of the bite, you could just discard the tick card or baggie in the trash.

You can always send it to be tested if you are concerned about transmission/potential infection.

Sending a tick for testing, what is that? Should I do it?

In this process, you take a picture of your tick and submit it to tick spotters.
Tick Spotters (volunteers who were trained) will identify the tick for you.
3. Depending on the results, you can send your tick to be tested in lab and find out if it carried any disease.
You will be asked to place an order ($50).
You will be given an address where to send a package with the sealed bag (and the tick in it).
Finally, you'll receive the test results.

You can start this process here.

I want to have my tick tested but when I removed it, it ripped into two pieces. Does that matter?

For tick testing it doesn't matter so much how many pieces the tick is in as long as there is enough of the internal gemish remaining (guts, glands, etc) that would be harboring the germs if the tick was infected.

Do ticks drop on you from trees?

No! Ticks don't fly, hop, run, or even move all that quickly. Depending on the life stage and species, they quest for hosts anywhere from ground level to about knee-high on vegetation, and then tend to crawl up to find a place to bite.