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Help - tic

6 replies

babybythesea · 14/10/2012 10:15

My rough collie has got a tic on her face. It's on her muzzle, around 10 cm under her eye. Normally DH removes them as he can do it without leaving their jaws in there. I'm not sure how to do it safely (he's away until late tonight). Am I best to leave it for him, or does it need to be done now? In which case, is there a safe way of doing it myself (we are really short on cash so the vet on a Sunday is not an option I'm keen on, although obviously I'll do it if I have to).
Do any of the methods actually work (like vaseline)?

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Aquelven · 14/10/2012 10:35

Dip a cotton bud in nail polish remover, the sort with ascetine in rather than the gentle, moisturising stuff, & dab it carefully on the tic. It should contract so that you can lift it out with tweezers. Don't just tug though as you don't want it to break, leaving the head behind.

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SheilaWheeler · 14/10/2012 10:42

Next time you're at the vets get a tic remover hook. They simply slide behind the body of the tic, turn it anti-clockwise and the tic is out. So simple

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Lougle · 14/10/2012 10:50

You can get a pair of tweezers. Gently grip the body of the tick, then unscrew anti-clockwise. Have a piece of tissue ready to put the tick on. Flush away/bin. Really very simple, as long as you turn it anti-clockwise rather than pull.

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babybythesea · 14/10/2012 18:26

Thank you.
I sat with the dog this morning, gently prodding and trying to work out what my approach would be, when it kind of popped out. It was pretty big and might just have got what it needed and came out with me barely touching it. Gross.
I suspect it's been there since yesterday but yesterday was a vomity morning sickness day and although I now do remember seeing a splodge on her face, I didn't really study it - she'd been in the garden and was covered in seeds so I thought it was one of those.
It definitely still had it's head, bit worried about actual jaws not coming out but I will keep a close eye in case of any swelling.
Will definitely invest in a tic remover as we get quite a few (very, very rural - cows immediately outside our living room window most of the summer and now sheep there instead - a bit alarming to suddenly find them staring in at you!) and the flea prevention stuff doesn't actually seem to stop her picking up ticks.
Thanks again for the help.

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Lougle · 15/10/2012 06:43

Advocate is a flea and tick treatment, as is Fipronel. You could try either of those.

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babybythesea · 15/10/2012 19:35

Thanks - we're on Stronghold at the moment. She had a skin condition last year which was caused by mites which weren't affected by the regular flea treatments, so we had to work with the vet to find something that worked. Just checked the package and it doesn't list ticks. Can I use something else as well? Doubling up won't harm her?

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