TICK EMERGENCY!! I don't know what to DO...please HELP!
PLEASE HELP! so very scared and freaked out.....yuck, and I just spent the last 20 minutes cuddling with her in my bed.....i'm going to have nightmares for WEEKS! |
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| From someone who felt like you just two weeks ago but is finally over it and relishing removing those buggers.
I'm not saying this is THE way, but this is what I taught myself based on what I had in the house: A pair of forceps (is that what they're called? For removing ear hair - the dogs', not mine!  ) and a bottle of alcholol (no, not for drinking, though that was my first inclination  - the kind for disinfecting).
First I pour some alchohol straight on the buggers (probably the wrong to do, but I was desperate when I found the first one and it seemed to work for me) then I move the hair on the dog till I get get the forceps as close to the skin as possible and pull straight up in a steady movement till it comes out. Then I drop the sucker in some alchohol for my own peace of mind. Finally I drop some more alchohol on the dog and lastly some triple antibiotic creme, probably, again for all I know, just for my own peace of mind. Certainly I'm open for better suggestions. I've removed about 8 of them this way so far, heads and all, and that includes one off of ME. I suppose it's too early to tell but we're all still alive and I went from totally freaked out to rather enjoying yanking the suckers off... 
I've only tried once before, with tweezers, with Belle and failed miserably, calling my vet up hysterically, because I ripped the body off and left the head. She said it would kind of scab over and create an ugly bump for a while and it did and then it healed over and Belle, too, is still alive. I threatened to bring the next one I found to my vet for removal but she insists she's no better at it. Certainly not confidence building enough to have me jump into the car in my bathrobe and drive up to her house to have her remove one from me...so I got over it and removed them myself. The first few days I sprayed a human insect repellant on my bed about 30 minutes before I'd get in it. I had a vet appt with my holistic vet a couple of days later and when I told him about the ticks he suggested garlic capsules for the dogs. They've only been taking them for less than a week, but I haven't seen a tick since and believe me, I am looking!!!!! Whether it's a coincidence or not is too early to tell. Here in the Midwest we've been warned that it's a really bad tick season 
Kristine |
| CRISIS AVERTED!
Okay, so sorry to put up the alarms and request the fire brigade but that was a VERY scary experience for me! I quickly looked up online how to remove them and I decided to give it a try (my chicken husband wouldn't do it for me....) but after 5 minutes of me with the tweezers crying, "I can't do it, I can't do it" he stepped in and took care of the nasty bugger. There was only one, the "2nd tick" was actually a dark spot on her skin. It was surprisingly hard to pull off - it really had a good bite. We were careful to pull it off intact - and we have it in a jar (it was recommended to have it tested for pathogens - is this really necessary?) I've never seen a tick before, let alone pulled one off my dog - I was expecting blood spatter - but it was a pretty clean ordeal. I cleaned the little hole in her skin with peroxide. Anyway, I hope I don't sound too silly - I just don't do bugs. I'm heading to the vet first thing Monday morning to get a tick preventative. I don't ever want to experience that AGAIN! |
Edited because I was posting at the same time as your update!  Here's the information anyway for future reference:
Now, I think the info below is a bit of overkill, but it will work. Essentially, you just need tweezers and antiseptic. Grab the tick with the tweezers as close to the dog as you can, and pull straight out. Then clean with antiseptic. http://www.ehow.com/how_2257_remove-ticks-pets.html Quote: Things You’ll Need:
* Antiseptic * Flea And Tick Dog Shampoo * Hand Soaps * Eyebrow Tweezers * Dog Medication * Cotton Swabs * Dog Flea Combs * Lighter Or Matches * Dog Flea/tick Control Medication * Latex Gloves * Dog Brushes Step1 Check your pet for ticks daily if he spends a lot of time outdoors, especially if you live in an area known for ticks. Step2 Put on latex gloves to avoid direct contact with the tick and contaminated skin, as diseases can be transmitted from tick to pet to human. Step3 Feel your pet all over, especially around the neck, head and ears. If you encounter a lump like a small pea, move the fur on your pet to see if you have found a tick. Step4 Look to see if a tick is protruding from the skin. Ticks are tiny black, brown, reddish or tan disklike arachnids (having eight legs), about the size of the head of a pin. If they have attached themselves to their host (your pet), then they can swell up to the size of a grape in some cases. Step5 Put your pet in a comfortable position. Ask a friend or family member for help in distracting your pet. Step6 Grasp the tick with tweezers as close to your pet's skin as possible; make sure not to pinch your pet's skin. Step7 Pull the tick out using a straight, steady pulling motion. Be gentle; pulling too hard on the tick can cause its head to remain lodged in your pet's skin, which can lead to inflammation and secondary infection. Step8 Dispose of the tick by throwing it into a fire, or by squishing it in a tissue using the tweezers and then flushing it down the toilet. Do not smash it with your foot or your bare hands. Step9 Apply antiseptic ointment to the bite. Step10 Remove and wash the gloves, and wash your hands thoroughly. Step11 Clean the tweezers with hot water or isopropyl alcohol or by holding them over a flame. It will be OK, I swear! Animals get ticks all the time! Heck, I've pulled two off my children so far this year.  |
Don't apologize!!! I TOTALLY understand. Dawn/Got Sheep had to listen to me freak out about it!!!! 
They're disgusting. Maybe Dawn can comment on the testing necessity. I didn't have mine tested and will instead watch the dogs. Check with your vet on Monday to see if s/he recommends a precautionary round of antibiotics for the most likely TBD suspects in your area if applicable. I don't think most do, but it doesn't hurt to ask. Kristine |
| Please disregard #8 on that list. Put the tick into a vial of alcohol -- crushing the tick releases any nasties.... I also wouldn't throw it in a fire for fear of the same!
PS I removed your phone number! |
| Thanks Ron - I should have assumed that people here would have responded quickly with advice...they always do!
Thanks everyone for your input. I think I will drop the thing in alcohol (after I take some for myself to calm my nerves!) and then flush it down the toilet. I hope peroxide is enough of an antiseptic to her skin - perhaps I will use some alcohol as well. It is nice to know that others have been as freaked out as I was and I'm not alone in my fear of ticks! |
| I am really used to pulling ticks - from childhood on. I get right close to the skin (dog, horse, myself) and pull it off. Only once in a blue moon have I NOT gotten the head off too.
Living in So MN has less ticks than growing up, but I still get practice now and then.. We haven't had much prevalence of Lyme's around here, but like all other such problems, it is now spreading. I plan on adding testing to my yearly regime. My family has an interesting picture of me as a teen. I found a tick on my horse, and was pulling it off. Some smarty took a picture. The bad thing is, the tick was right near the base of my horse's tail. The picture (from another angle) looks like I have my hand up Smokey's butt.  Gotta love family members with camera's.... |
Ron wrote: Please disregard #8 on that list. Put the tick into a vial of alcohol -- crushing the tick releases any nasties.... I also wouldn't throw it in a fire for fear of the same!
Eh - what's it going to release? Dog blood and tick guts? Can't get lyme disease or other tick-borne illnesses unless you get them in your blood. So there's not a risk of that unless you were smoosh an engorged tick that was infected with a body part that has an open wound! So don't do that.
As for throwing in a fire - we cremate humans and animals with terrible diseases and there isn't a risk to the living when doing so. Throw a tick in a fire and maybe do a nice chant to send the nasties to the heavens.  |
| You may be right -- except my vet told me in no uncertain terms not to crush the ticks (which is what we had been doing) as it can release any disease it is carrying. So.... I'll just keep adding to my alcohol collection.
My offer to publish some pics still stands! It's quite a collection! |
Mad Dog wrote: I had a vet appt with my holistic vet a couple of days later and when I told him about the ticks he suggested garlic capsules for the dogs. They've only been taking them for less than a week, but I haven't seen a tick since and believe me, I am looking!!!!! Whether it's a coincidence or not is too early to tell.
Here in the Midwest we've been warned that it's a really bad tick season Kristine Krisitne - How many capsules do you give and is there a kind you are using? |
| Ron - i'm almost moribdly curious to see your collection, but slightly freightened.
We put the tick in the freezer last night - I was too afraid to flush it down the toilet in fear that it might crawl out and come to haunt me - I have no idea how many lives those things have! We are out of rubbing alcohol, as well as vodka/rum, so after my grocery trip today I will drop it in some alcohol, then flush it! I'm taking no chances here!  |
| We have a huge tick problem here on Long Island. I use the Advantix instead of Advantage. Advantix takes care of fleas, ticks and mosquitoes. Lymes is a big problem here as well.
Do n't you just love the summer time! |
| okay, now i'm starting to get nervous - my husband had a tick crawling on his pant leg tonight. Can you get an infestation in your house? Or is it more likely that the dog just carries them in and they get on the carpet and furniture and then climb onto us?
I'm so scared to climb into bed - I had nightmares of creepy crawly's last night. |
| Ewwww yuck, you're making me itch... |
| You need to vacuum and wash all surfaces daily for a couple of weeks. Yes they will multiply. You need to clean around door frames, shelves ect. They are climbers...they like to "drop down" on you/dog. Spray the do with Frontline Plus...one pump per pound of dog. Have the dog lay down and brush his hair backward as you spray. Do not spray on clean hair, the Fronline works on hair that is dirty...the spray attaches itself to the ticks legs and spreads the spray. Good luck!
Do not waste your money on Tick Collars...that is money out the window. Even though my Vet sold me one, later on she admitted they don't work. |
sneakysheepie wrote: Krisitne - How many capsules do you give and is there a kind you are using?
Hm. I'm probably not the person to ask. I have a bottle of Professional Botanicals Garlic (Odor Free - Herbal Supplement - I'm sure there are many others) and vet said to start with one twice a day and build up gradually till their poop smelled like a pizzeria (I'm not sur ehow this works if it's supposed to be "odor free"?), which he estimated would turn out to be 3-4 capsules x 2 times daily.
Even though I used to give my first OES garlic - this is many years ago - I've come across the garlic and onion toxicity warnings and been very cautions ever since. I brought that up with him and he said, yes, with cats you generally have no warning. But if it's a problem for a dog they will start to vomit it up long before anemia sets in (DO NOT take this as medical advice, I'm just explaining so you can see my reasoning for what I'm about to say next). With that in mind, and when one of the dogs refused her breakfast three days later (and the only easily evident reason was gas - she ate just fine that night) I stopped giving it to her JUST IN CASE. I.e. I still have a healthy fear of ODing them on it. As long as I'm not seeing any more ticks, I'm sticking with the 1 x 2 times daily for now and will try the gassy one again in about ten days. If her gas returns, then I'll presume garlic is the culprit and it wasn't just a coincidence, in which case no more garlic for her. This is my long way of saying I'm still feeling my way through this advice myself and better to ask someone who has been using this approach for, say, a few decades or so. E.g Lisa? Kristine |
| am reading this in the airport and the glare is terrible on the screen so someone may have mentiond this and i missed it, but, the best thing for removing ticksis that cheap little scoop spoon with a split in it. I could never remove a tick before we got that and now I do it all the time.
they are gross. |
kerry wrote: am reading this in the airport and the glare is terrible on the screen so someone may have mentiond this and i missed it, but, the best thing for removing ticksis that cheap little scoop spoon with a split in it. I could never remove a tick before we got that and now I do it all the time.
they are gross. Nope! No mention of it, and you'll need to post a picture or something when you get home. Kristine |
kerry wrote: am reading this in the airport and the glare is terrible on the screen so someone may have mentiond this and i missed it, but, the best thing for removing ticksis that cheap little scoop spoon with a split in it. I could never remove a tick before we got that and now I do it all the time.
they are gross. Yes - Please post a picture. Chrisitne - Thanks for the info on the garlic. Please let us know how your gassy girl does. Winston has tummy troubles, so I probably should learn more/talk to the vet before trying - the ticks are bad though - I just found one the size of a jellybean on my car seat -UGH!! |
| I was telling a co-worker about my tick story today at work and she told me that 2 weeks ago her dog had about 200 ticks on him - she had to have professional exterminators come out and treat her yard. He's on flea/tick prevntative now |
| okay is it just me? how does a dog get 200 ticks????? |
Zooba07 wrote: I was telling a co-worker about my tick story today at work and she told me that 2 weeks ago her dog had about 200 ticks on him - she had to have professional exterminators come out and treat her yard. He's on flea/tick prevntative now
Doesn't seem likely to me that 200 ticks just show up overnight! That's what you find on dogs that have been on the run for weeks and months. |
| I kind of wondered the same thing. Maybe she was just exaggerating - I hope so, because that is very questionable care for your dog. She does live on a farm, but that's not an excuse. Maybe he's an outdoor dog, I didn't ask too many questions. But at least she's made an attempt to keep it from happening again. |
| Do you think the jellybean sized tick I found is normal with using Frontline? I am very good about putting the Frontline on Winston - the first of every month. This is the second one of this size I have found in two days. I called the vet and they said ticks will live 24-48 hours after latching on. Do you think this is correct? I have found small non-engorged dead ticks on Winston - but these two %$#^& I found are flat out gross. What do you guys think? |
| We don't have ticks or fleas where I live.
Sorry...I couldn't resist. |
wendy58 wrote: We don't have ticks or fleas where I live.
Sorry...I couldn't resist. I sure can mail the jellybeans to you if you would like.......  |
| My first OES in the '70's left one or two of those huge ugly gray things in my bed as a teenager. It's not like I have never experienced it. They are full of blood and really gross if you step on them. I was just taunting you. I guess someday when I move to Colorado I will have to start treating for them again. |
sneakysheepie wrote: Do you think the jellybean sized tick I found is normal with using Frontline? I am very good about putting the Frontline on Winston - the first of every month. This is the second one of this size I have found in two days. I called the vet and they said ticks will live 24-48 hours after latching on.
Do you think this is correct? I have found small non-engorged dead ticks on Winston - but these two %$#^& I found are flat out gross. What do you guys think?I've found them like that when the dogs were on frontline |
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