Damn ticks!

zaksmum

My dog had a walk in the woods on Friday and when we left the woods I noticed a tick crawling on his back. It hadn't embedded so I got it off easily, then found three others which I also removed.

I checked him over very carefully for others but couldn't see any.

Last night as I was stroking him I felt a lump on his neck, and found a tick which I'd missed that WAS embedded. I have a tick tool on my keyring so got it off him and the lump has now gone down.

He seems absolutely fine in himself, but do I need to get him to a vet tomorrow when they reopen after the Easter break?

The tick would have been on him since Friday, so two full days. I did get the whole tick off, including the mouth parts.

Horrible things!:eek:

Nod_Off

As long as the head came out, there shouldn't be any need to go to the vet.

Vile little creatures!

*Robin*

Well the tick season is in full swing now! I use Frontline on my dogs which I've found is the most effective of the spot-on treatments. If the little horrors escape my inspection after walks, their first drink of the dog's blood will kill them.
I don't actually like using fipronil which is a nasty chemical, but it's unlikely to have an adverse effect during a normal canine lifespan. I put it on just before a long walk, so that the liquid will have dried in before anyone gets it on their hands while petting the dog.

gettingready

I used Effipro on my cats and have to say they still come home (well, George and Fred do as they are the 2 that go out) with ticks.

If effipro is the same as frontline, no good for ticks

If anyone can recommend something that is purely for ticks - will be very grateful.....

DogsBody

Frontline/Effipro should kill a tick once it has attached, but you're right, it has no repellant activity whatsoever! Our vet recommended one of the Advantage spot on's (can't remember which one!) as having some repellant effect as well.

We still use frontline (every 6 weeks in season) and only occasionally have to remove a dead one that hasn't dropped off, or a live one - lets us know it's time to re-treat

At work some of the more hunty dogs occasionally come in with a fair collection of 'healthy' ticks which have to be removed. It's rather unpleasant if I miss one and it drops off when it's full and I stand on it :eek: Yuk!

PS I have vague recollections of reading something about resistance to Frontline developing in ticks - anyone know any more/if I'm making this up?

longforgotten

Someone told me dab gin on the tick and it will drop off..........

jenie_2

longforgotten wrote: »

Someone told me dab gin on the tick and it will drop off..........

My neighbour told me to dab vodka on the tick,:D we have parkland at the bottom of our garden and my poor rottie keeps getting ticks. I've heard that diluted cedarwood oil acts as a good repellant, has anyone had any success with this ?

I would have to say that Spot On doesn't work on my dog, I'm going to get some Frontline tomorrow.

Nod_Off

longforgotten wrote: »

Someone told me dab gin on the tick and it will drop off..........

Please don't do this or try and burn it or smother it with vaseline or any of the other 'alternative' methods of tick removal that some people come out with! You run a real risk of the tick regurgitating their stomach contents back into the dog and this is when you will run into problems.

Get an O'Tom tick remover for removing them - very quick, safe and easy to do with no risk of leaving the head attached. With regards to the Frontline, the rep said that the spray was more effective on ticks than the spot-on. The only products that are licensed to prevent ticks are the Scalibor collar and Advantix spot-on, with the latter being extremely toxic to cats.

zaksmum

I don't think anything you can put onto a tick will make it drop off. It used to be Vaseline that was supposed to suffocate the tick so that it drops off but apparently nothing like that works.

I read that if the tick gets "stressed", for want of a better word, that's when it regurgitates it's stomach contents into the dog's blood and the results can be fatal if the tick's carrying a disease.

I got a tick remover tool from the internet, it was only about £3, and keep it on my keyring, it's very effective at removing the whole of the tick without damaging it, thus avoiding the regurgitation of the harmful stuff into the poor dog.

I got it after a tick hitched a lift on the dog and embedded itself in ME when I was cuddling the dog!

zaksmum

looks like we posted at almost the same time there!

longforgotten

I've never had to try the gin, just as well it would seem.