Ticks

[SoupDragon]

Dill has a tick. it's my own stupid fault because I meant to start the Frontline months ago but forgot and he's been bounding about in a wood popular with deer.

I have a tick twister after a couple he had last year but, TBH, the thought of removing it makes me want to hurl.

I have just given him a Frontline dose - will this kill the tick(s) or do I have to go to the vet and ask them to remove it like the compete wuss I am?

You need to remove the tick before it bursts.

I think there is some controversy about twisting the tick. It is better to pull it straight out. If it is big enough, you can do it with just your fingers. Cover it in a paper towel and pull. Make sure it doesn't run away and be sure to kill it, dead.

Before you remove the tick, soak it in alcohol, which helps loosen its grasp. Soak a piece of cotton wool in some vodka/gin etc and gently hold over the tick. Then, when you do come to remove it, a gentle twisting action. If you pull it straight out, with no alcohol there is a danger the tick will not remove cleanly.

[barf]

It'll have to be the vet tomorrow then. I simply can't do it.

Frontline website says it kills ticks within 48 hours... Also says that ticks can transmit blood-borne diseases like Lyme disease, so personally I wouldn't risk it.

Not all dead ticks will drop off (although most will) and by leaving it you run the risk of Dill scratching at it and taking off the body, but leaving the mouth parts in which might get infected. Vets would do it nice and quickly, but if they're anything like mine, they'll charge you a fortune for it.

To be brutally honest, I'd say man up and give the tick twister a go - best pet-related-gadget I've ever come across. But that's just because I'd rather remove the bugger and be certain it was gone than risking it getting full and dropping off at night, thus leaving a tick wandering about your house.

You'll probably be ok with the frontline if you don't mind the tick hanging around for a few days, but the good weather this tick season means you ought to expect a few more unwanted visitors. My mum's dog has had three so far this month so far, despite being treated only 3 weeks ago. Tis horribly unpleasant, but if you can steel yourself up to actually remove it, you'll quickly pick up the technique. I usually give them a viking burial - folded into loo roll / kitchen towel and flushed down the loo.

Oooh, MmeBlueberry where's the controversy coming from? I've always been told to twist, to make it let go, and that if you pull it's more likely to separate body from mouthparts (OMG the disgusting things we do for our pets!)

I found a dead one on the living room floor yesterday ; hadn't noticed it on the dog, obviously.
She runs away when I find them, but I'll have to try Frontline - didn't know it worked on tics.

This was what the vet told me when I took my dog. I had no idea about ticks at the time, when I took her with what looked like a sweetcorn kernel stuck to her ear.

The vet was just as squeamish as soupie about removing ticks, btw.

I don't think we really need to worry about Lyme disease in this country, btw.

Oh god... I just can't. Looked at the tick twister instructions and felt nauseous [pathetic] worth any amount to get the vet to do it!!

oh, you can get Lyme disease here - a friend got it a couple of years ago!

Lymes diesease FAQ says the health authorities think there could be up to 3000 cases a year, most unreported.

Just back from the vet and it wasn't a tick, it was where a tick had been and where the head was left inside [barf]. Came away with a course of antibiotics.