Ticks - in February??????

Hillbilly1

In town its often hedgehog ticks rather than the sheep ticks of the country side. They are often smaller too - GR you are in London?

Usually a cold dpell kills them off, but as the hedgies should have been hibernating it would be warm enough for the ticks to keep breeding and they have a blood supply!

It shows the different nosiness of your pets - getting them on the head means they have been very close to a tick zone. They can't actually jump, just hang around on foliage and grab whatever brushes past!

The tick treatments encourage them to drop off sooner, and they only get on humans by direct contact, so its rare we get them after they have dropped off!

Still grim tho! I'd recommend a nurse appt at your vets for removal.

krlyr

I think the fluctuating weather has confused all the insects, spotted a mozzie in the house the other week!
I've been lucky and only ever had to deal with two ticks..one on Kiki, absolutely years ago, and one on a ferret I was fostering, a couple of years back. The ferret one was horrible - I didn't realise ferrets have quite a thick skin apparently, so I really had to pull to get the tick loose, I was terrified I'd pull the body off but not the head! With a bit of twisting it did come completely loose though.

aliasojo

Agree with the garlic suggestion. Small amount of garlic mixed in with food or a capsule if it's easier.

I know 2 dog owners who swear by this and they never have tick problems.

Hillbilly1

I've also seen dogs and cats infested with fleas and ticks when the owner swears by garlic!

If they never come into contact with them they'll never get them - and of they do the bloods a bit tastier with the garlic!

Caroline_a

Sat here itching now! GR do you use Frontline? It totally stopped any ticks a couple of years ago when a cat of mine (just before he got neutered...) came home totally covered in them! I put him straight in his carrier and took him to the vet's (he was due in that morning) and let them de-tick him! They sent me home with a tick tool here and I've never seen a tick on any of my animals since!

gettingready

Caroline thanks but I am quite ok with removing the little !!!!!!s but really want to see if there is any way of preventing them attaching in the first place....

Fred had a nasty reaction to Frontline so using Advantage on my lot.

George and Fred are absolute tick magnets.

Caroline_a

I didn't think Advantage did ticks as well as fleas? Might be wrong on that one I do think though that with the tick tool it prevents any part of the tick being left in the animal, so no more infections.

Maybe use Frontline for the ones who don't react to it?

Sally_A

From what I can gather, ticks are much more common in sheep farming areas. So some areas that are more arable, may be tick free.

Bennifred

Sally_A wrote: »

...and if ticks can't get a bite on the pooch due to the flea products, they are more than happy to jump on a human.

They look like a mis shapen money spider before they get their teeth in, suck your blood and swell the body

Worst case scenario = Limes disease.

Ticks can't jump - they latch on if you brush past them (long grass, etc). You are right though - infected ticks can cause Lyme Disease (and other nasty infections ) I have found that trying to find a GP willing to treat Lyme in humans in this country is really difficult, too.

Sally_A

@Bennifred - correct, ticks do not jump, but they are quick blighters to latch on if you brush against them.

PS. Still have a minute red mark on my leg that is the best part of 10 years old...Limes/Lymes disease shows up like an archery target (well maybe not so pronounced), ie rings of redness around the infection,