Tick alert!

Valerie · Guru

Tick alert!

max · Enlightened One

Thanks for the warning.! Cas picked one up in the summer and her leg became infected, not pleasant

Guess it must be this mild weather I even saw dragon flys the other day, weird! Nora.

FAJ · Enlightened One

Nora, I thought that you said that you saw dragons fly past the other day - I was wondering what special kind of sauce you'd been on!!

max · Enlightened One

It,s all the magic mushrooms growing at Yellowcraig, Fiona LOL Nora

Valerie · Guru

Just back from the vets after paying over £70!!! so I'm partaking of some special sauce for the shock.

I phoned to ask if I could buy a tick remover from them, they had none, so they said bring him in and the vet will take it out - should have known!! To be fair, it was consultation, frontline spray for ticks/fleas, and 4 worm tabs, and antibiotic jag, cos vet said looked like a bit of a reaction on the tick sites. Still, I asked the receptionist if it was right (after I'd shouted "£70???" in a loud voice).

Isla · Enlightened One

Ouch!

Murphyandco · Graduate

I took Murphy camping to Glencoe in April and he picked up about 15 ticks in one day!! We bought our tick remover from Pets at Home for a couple of quid and it's brill-just a triangular bit of wire,really. I think ticks only cause problems if they regurgitate their stomach contents into their host and also if their head is left inside the flesh, both of which can be caused by unsuccesful attempts to remove them-does anybody know if this is true? It's just that I've spoken to several dog owners now who reckon the safest thing to do with ticks is leave them to drink their fill, then apparently they drop off naturally. Horrible little things though. Yuk!!

Valerie · Guru

http://www.paw-rescue.org/PAW/PETTIPS/DogTip_InsectPrevention.php

The above is a link which I'm sure I picked up in a previous thread on this site. Ticks are really disgusting, and I have now ordered my "hook" which the vet used to remove one last night, as this is obviously something I can do myself with the right tool. You do have to be careful not to leave the head in, and you need to be careful not to touch or make sure you are careful in handling so as not to spread anything they may be carrying. They are horrrrible

moptop · Master

Because I live out in the country, my cats and dogs were always picking up ticks. Many many years ago my vet told me to dab some meths on the tick and it would just let go and drop off. I must say it worked a treat. Still does! I have removed countless ticks this way. This was in the days before tick removing contraptions!!

Marian.

MojoTilly · Master

Drummer came back from his holidays on the east coast with mum and dad and had four enormous ticks. He had one really close to his mouth, one just by his upper lip, one in his armpit and one on his side. The one on his side and the one in his armpit had caused a reaction so he was a bit swollen round the sites. Mum doesn't normally take him to the vets for tick removal but as they were so enormous she did. When the vet was taking one of them out it jumped across the room and made us all jump too!! A course of antibiotics and he's fine now - milked it for all it was worth though! I ordered some frontline for mum to apply to him every 8 weeks in the hope that this will either prevent them or stop them being so large. In the past mum has always dabbed the tick with nail varnish remover which makes them drop off as it suffocates the tick. I always thought that dogs just got ticks in the summer but suppose it's been so mild lately.

Debbie

-- Edited by MojoTilly at 15:27, 2006-10-28

Laura · Master

My grans labrador always seems to have ticks

He lives in farmland so its not unusual. Ive also heard that it is dangerous if the ticks' head is left behind. As for removing them, my gran is so used to doing it she can just pull them out successfully, but she does have a tick remover. Although, if they do just drop off Jake, the lab, eats them

They are pretty disgusting little bugs!!

Isla · Enlightened One

Some dogs have VERY strange tastes!!!

Gail · Big Cheese

Yeuch...just realised how lucky i am that it's not a common thing with my two being town dogs.

They are disgusting little creatures and i used to hate removing them from my dogs when i was younger as they were always picking them up from the hills we used to walk them on.