Ticks Yuk

julesmby

We live near woodlands which have a lot of deer and they are just bringing cattle in for the summer.
this last few weeks have noticed our dogs are picking up a lot of ticks yuk (hate them ) we check them over after walks and have found a few before they have feed, look like tiny spiders but have also found some which have feed big fat things.
we have no problem getting them off we dip a cotton bud in surgical spirit and dab the tick then remove with tweezers.we have also used front line and other spot on applications but have not really seen a difference is there any thing else to try and repel these things , ispoke to lady who said try garlic capsules has any one tried this?

lizzie157

i use billy no mates herbs added to food every day from easter (or earlier if weather warms up) its working ok up to yet have used it for 2 yrs -sorry can't do links. might be a bit late for this year but you could try it in addition to the spot on stuff.

valkirn

http://www.myitchydog.co.uk/billy-no-mates-herbal-flea-tick-and-mite-treatment--repellent--half-price-verm-x-75-p.asp

Kittendreich

Our dog gets lots of ticks too - he is very hairy so it is very hard to spot them before they have bitten him & fed - he is very patient when we remove them, but we once had to get 12 off in a single sitting which must hurt and is a risk for disease. The vet said that Advantix was the only one of the spot treatments that really works for ticks - the rest are more focused on fleas. We've only used it on him once a few weeks ago, but no ticks so far... It was quite pricy, but we did get 5 months for the price of 4 so overall per day it isn't too much to protect him if it works.

zaksmum

I got a tick removing tool from the internet and it's very effective at removing the little horrors. You have to be careful to remove the mouthparts too or the tick will regurgitate it's stomach contents into the dog and can cause Lyme Disease which can have serious consequences for the dog. Tweezers wouldn't really be the best way to remove them, and the tool only cost about £2.50. I keep it on my key ring so it's always to hand.

Froglet

http://www.bada-uk.org/products/tickremover.php

if you shop around you will find the best price.Works very well,I should know i have removed over 50 ticks in one go on a poor little hedgehog!

rising_from_the_ashes

We get them here too - urgh, they're vile!

I usually dab them with whisky & then use a tick remover tool to make sure they come out properly.

I did try garlic once but unfortunately Mr B didn't like it (about the only thing he's not keen on eating)!

babyshoes

My colleague came in today amazed at the technique he discovered yesterday for removing ticks - apparently you twiddle them round and round in tiny circles with the tip of your finger until they get dizzy and fall off! He tried it on his dog and it worked, so worth a try and free...

He said he found a video of it being done on the internet somewhere, so I am sure a quick search will turn something up.

Froglet

There are lots of ideas on how to do it,but it has also been proven that anything other than a proper tool that you do indeed twist,but quickly so that they are removed safely,head and all,can cause problems.

Not only can the head stay in the host and cause infection,but if a tick is under duress through having anything sprayed on it,or painted on it,such as oil or vaseline,suffocating it,then it will regurgitate it's stomach contents.,again back into the host.Not pleasant!

One or two,and there shouldn't be a problem but i work with a hedgehog carer and when you can be removing up to 100 in one go,it can kill the poor hog if you don't do it properly.

Kittendreich

Another tip (although not sure how true it is!) - when you twist to remove the ticks twist anti-clockwise (as the ticks supposedly dig in in clockwise). Seems to make a difference to our success rate of getting them out fully first attempt.

julesmby

thank you all for your replies , and am going to order the tick removing tool rather than use tweezers.

Have tried surgical spirit to dab on before removal,never whisky though think hubby would cry if i used his finest malt :eek: