Worried your dog has ticks? This weird smartphone trick can help you spot them

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As summer brings more outdoor adventures for dogs, pet owners are on high alert for ticks — tiny but dangerous parasites capable of transmitting serious diseases. Now, a clever trick using just a smartphone filter is helping dog owners spot ticks more easily on their pets’ skin and fur.

Despite using routine prevention methods like spot treatments or oral medications, dogs can still pick up ticks during walks or playtime. Early detection, especially in hard-to-see areas, is key to preventing infections.

Experts say the easiest way to spot ticks or small insects in your dog’s fur is by using your phone’s magnifier app with a color inversion filter. When you shine the camera on your dog’s skin using this feature, ticks become much more visible.

Ticks often hide in areas that are difficult to inspect with the naked eye, such as between the toes, under the tail, around the ears and along the belly. Most wild ticks measure just 3 to 5 millimeters and easily go unnoticed. They typically latch onto pets after clinging to grass or bushes.

To activate the filter, iPhone users can open the Magnifier app, tap the setting icon, add the “filter” option, and apply the “inverted colors filter.”

Android users can go to the settings menu, search for “magnification,” select “visibility enhancements,” and enable the color inversion option.

While ticks can be removed at home, veterinarians warn against improper removal techniques that could cause harm.

“Pulling ticks by hand is unsafe,” said Seol Chae-hyun, a veterinarian and animal behavior specialist, in a video on his Youtube channel. “Once a tick has fed, it swells. Squeezing its body can cause it to burst, and its mouthparts may remain embedded in the skin, leading to inflammation or infection.”

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Seol recommends stretching the skin and using a tweezer to gently twist the tick out completely. If the right tool isn’t available, he advises visiting a veterinarian instead of attempting to remove them by hand.

Dogs that haven’t recently received antiparasitic treatments face higher risks of tick-borne diseases such as babesiosis, anaplasmosis, and Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (SFTS) — all of which can be life-threatening.

Warning signs of a tick-borne infection include persistent scratching or licking of a specific area, red or swollen skin, bleeding, lethargy, fever, loss of appetite or difficulty breathing.

If a tick is found indoors or on shared furniture, veterinarians recommend washing blankets and cushions thoroughly and either tumble-drying them or leaving them in direct sunlight for two to three days to kill lingering parasites.

With a few preventive measures — and the smart use of a phone filter — pet owners can protect their dogs and enjoy a safer summer outdoors.

Youn Ye-jin is a Korea Times intern.