Getting a tick from just below pup's eye

[aliciaflorrick]

My pup has a tick just below his eye, however he's as big as me and as heavy (or it certainly feels like it) and he won't let me near his eye with my hand or the tick remover thing to get it off. In fact he gets very agitated and stressed when I try. There's only me and two DCs so I don't have anyone to help.

He was treated with Advantix just over a month ago and the vets are closed until Tuesday because it's a bank holiday here tomorrow so I can't get any more until then. I'm presuming that as he has a tick on his face that the effects have worn off. Any suggestions about what I can do to get it. I've even tried when he's asleep but he never seems to fall into a heavy sleep so is always alert when I walk into the room or go near him.

[longjane]

vaseline is friend just but some on tick and and it can't breathe and dies

[HeadingHome]

Metho on a tissue on the tick. Apparently they hate it, retract and come straight off.

[aliciaflorrick]

I've found some Frontline in the cupboard but for a dog his size it would take 200 pumps of the spray, so with a bit of googling I sprayed some Frontline into a tissue and tried to wipe it over the tick. I don't know whether I got it because the dog got agitated and now he's staying away from me but I'll try again later this evening and see if I can kill the little bugger that way.

[Lougle]

DOn't do that!!!

His eye will sting sting sting.

Get some vaseline on a tissue. Give him gentle strokes with your hand on his throat and ruffle his ears, etc., so that he is used to your hand being there. Make sure you sweep your hand over his eyes occasionally, as you move from ear to ear. Carefully pick up your tissue and hold it in your hand. Stroke him them rub the tick with the tissue.

[herbertjane]

Get a seresto collar from your vets. They are cheaper than advantix but will work for 8 months and not run out like the advantix does after a month. Seresto will also stop the tick from attaching. Frontline does not stop the tick attaching so really is pretty rubbish for ticks.

In the meantime get a tom twister hold the dog between your legs get DC's to hold cheese in front of you and remove tick that way.

[ohbugrit]

I am a vet and I work in a very ticky area. In your situation, with no Advantix available, I'd wait until he was asleep then spray Frontline on it directly. Frontline isn't a good option for preventing bites but in this situation it's perfect.

DO NOT put Vaseline or anything else on the tick, ditto burning it with a cigarette or whatever other mad ideas you'll hear people suggest. These methods of removal cause the tick stress and result in it regurgitating its blood meal back into the bite, significantly increasing the risk of infection. Either use drugs or an O'Tom tick remover.

Seresto looks like being a good option but this is our first season trialling it so I'm not yet certain whether it will truly give better repellent activity than Advantix.

Hth :)

[aliciaflorrick]

Thanks everybody for your advice. Because I didn't want to get the Frontline in his eye, like I said I sprayed it onto some tissue and tried to get it in the general area of the tick but away from his eye. I didn't try too hard because he can be quite nervy but hoped that some of the Frontline would have got onto the tick and killed it.

Pooch walked into the kitchen 30 minutes later with no tick so it obviously did the trick.

I'd already tried the sitting on him technique with the DCs feeding him liver earlier when I'd tried to use the tick remover to get it off him and he wasn't having any of it, he loves his grub but obviously not that much.

Ohbugrit would you recommend I stick with the Advantix for the time being then? We appear to live in a tick infested area and he seems like he's a bloody magnet for the things. It looks like the Advantix really only does have a four week period of working before he needs another dose. I'm very wary of ticks because I've had Lyme's Disease in the past and the antibiotics are not pleasant.

[ohbugrit]

I don't know - ask me in a year! :)