ticks, TICKS, TIIIIICKS

[ByTheWay1]

Argggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh - just been grooming the little monster and he has picked up 3 ticks -never saw a single one before - they are GROSS.. He has been treated with frontline recently (a week ago - vet strength stuff, spray all over not the drops) - should we just leave them to drop off, use the tick extractor from the vet (a freebie when we joined the practice, but I am not confident I know how to use it - it is a bit of plastic with a slot in it) or do something else.... they look vile! like little lumps of bluetak.....

He is a year old, and has escaped all this tick stuff up til now - don't know where he picked them up either which is a worry!

smother the tick in vaseline - it suffocates them and they just withdraw and drop off.

Second the Vaseline. Works a treat.

All frontline takes 48 hours to kill ticks it does not prevent them attaching. If you want to prevent attachment you should use either advantix or a seresto collar.

We pull the ticks off.

Ticks are really easy to remove. They corkscrew their easy in, so you just need to unscrew them. You can use the extractor. Just slide it it around the tick. Then gently unscrew anticlockwise. After 2-3 turns, the tick will be out. I use tweezers, but the extractors are easier.

I'm a bit of a wimp.... the vaseline sounds good.... but......... if it falls off, does it end up crawling about in the carpet (ewwwwwwwwwwwww - the thought!!) or does it just drop off dead???

Toughasoldboots - I know what you mean at the outrage at the cheek of it - that was my own first reaction to seeing the little blighters....

I have a little tool from the vet. Very cheap and easy to use. You get 2 sizes to accommodate the really fat ones

I thought that you weren´t supposed to smother them in case they puked.

Are you in an area at high risk for Lyme disease?

schilke I have one of those too - I just need to get up the courage to use it I guess.... will go off now and have a go - am feeling a bit more like going for it this morning - they are still on there, not huge,

am a bit peeved (my fave word of the moment) that the frontline doesn't make them drop off though....

No - not high risk for Lyme disease - thank goodness!

These are "park or garden" ticks too - not livestock ones if you know what I mean - it has been a while since it was dry enough underfoot to get out in the fields.....

Still trying to get going on them....

Have a piece of tissue ready, so that you can trap the tick in it before either flushing it away or throwing it in the bin.

Use the plastic thing from the vets, it's really easy. But as Lougle says, wrap the tick and dispose of it - I always flush them. It can bite on again if it finds flesh - yours or the dog's. My dog picks up ticks fairly frequently, they are horrid but really not a big deal now that we've got the tick twister.

OK - I had a go and got 2 of them!!!! the tick removal thing is really easy - once the dog lets you find the tick and put it on there (thank you for the reassurances on that one). I squished the little buggers between 2 stones - they were not going to bite me!!

One is still on there - it is on his face under his eye and he will not let me anywhere near it - the other 2 were on his shoulders (I'm guessing he stuck his head in somewhere and picked them up).

How the heck do I get the dog to let me get the tick off his face - he's a Westie and just finding the tick takes a while, amongst all that hair - let alone getting the tool to it!

You can dab a little Frontline right on the tick with a cotton bud.

Do not use Vaseline or anything else to remove a tick

www.bada-uk.org/defence/removal/indextickremoval.php

Oh yes, I have a westie. It's not easy near the eye.

Have dabbed a bit of frontline on the area - since he can't get to it with his tongue, and it is far enough from his eye for it to not spread immediately there.... no more ticks after today's walkies though, thank goodness. I'm hoping it just goes.....