I was slightly repulsed this morning to find a tick on my darling Cavaliers chin...it must have only got there yesterday as I groom the dogs every day and it wasn't there yesterday morning. It was only a small tick and my OH was able to pull it off quickly and painlessly (Cav is a wimp and yelps at the slightest thing, but she didn't even squeak).

I've never seen a tick in 'real life' before, even though I've lived in the country all my life!! So I have a few questions - how could she have picked the tick up?! We walked through a field of sheep the other day - and I've heard sheep carry ticks?! Also, do ticks hurt the dog?! I hope I don't see one again - it was vile! I don't 'do' creepy crawlies !!

Ticks are a way of life for anyone in the countryside :-( Mine regularly come home with one or two attached throughout the summer. If you are going to be walking in the country (or even just in parks!) then I would recommend a tick remover bought from either the pet shop or the vet. Did your OH get all the tick out, or just the body? Did you see the legs moving? If you didn't see any legs then I'm afraid there may still be a part of the tick left in the dog. This could get infected so keep an eye on the area. The area itself will probably be swollen for a day or two but will heal quickly if not infected.

The tick itself shouldn't do any harm unless it is infected with Lymes disease. There is no way of knowing this so check with your vet if there are deer in your area. Mind you, we have a lot of deer where I live and not one of my dogs has ever been infected with Lymes disease.

Hi Alice,
We had the dogs in the forrest a few weeks ago and the dogs came back covered in ticks, my girl had about 40 on her and they boys had loads as well , spent all evening getting them off , a friend of ours gave me the name of a spray called Dyna-mite that repels them,you spray it into the coat like a grooming spray.
I have sprayed my lot and it seems to have worked.
Ticks are horrible things but the dogs love being in the forrest .

My two girls get ticks regular,in fact they both had one on them when we came home today from the moor.
They bury themselfs in the dogs coat,and are not always easy to detect untill they get bigger.
I look under the chin and armpits as its warm for the ticks to hide.
If you do pull them off, you need to get as close as poss to the skin,as not to leave the head in the skin.
Best to get a tick remover to be safe.

Oh Alice!

I shouldn't laugh... but I can just picture your face!!
     Not just sheep, but Hedgehogs, Deer and research from Scotland that pheasant & Grouse are becoming prime hosts.
     Get yourself a tick remover (special hook gadgets, you'll find them in PAH) because you cant go wrong with these.
The problem with Ticks is that they have wee hooks that lock into the host and much as a tick might want to release quick (if its being pulled or other methods..) it simply cant and leaves its head in the host which means the risk of disease transmission continuing for a few hours.
     So the old wives tales of 'suffocating' ticks to remove them are not very wise, smothering with vaseline and suchlike prolongs risk of transmission (especially as when under threat ticks tend to regurgitate into the host).... quickest way is to pull them out.
     Using tweezers should only really be done if your experienced (and sharp pointed tweezers, as the problem with 'pulling' out is that its easy for head and body to become detatched) :(
     General rule is... sharp pointed tweezer pull up and out.... Using a tick hook device you twist (as per directions)

Prevention being better than cure in my book, I use garlic but am not adverse to chemical warfare for these little bloodsuckers (they can swell to 200 times their own body size!) and so I also use avantix (as, as opposed to Frontline, it is also a repellent)

HTH :)

I know how you feel - they are 'orrible little blighters. Get a tick remover - we got one last year after years of the alcohol/aftershave/tweezers treatment and what a difference! this sort of thing is what you need! Our setter had a tick in her eyebrow tonight and we usually find some after a trip to the forest too. Make sure you squish them too, they take a bit of killing :-(

> Make sure you squish them too, they take a bit of killing :-(

But before you give the cout de ta or how ever it spelt get a good look at the beasties they're goulishly fascinating little yuck monsters :(

HG, just read on that same site that I gave the link to for the tick remover that Advantix is extremely harmful to cats! Not sure how close contact your cats and dogs are in but it does say it can be harmful if the cats are in close contact with dogs. Its on this bit. I use Frontline usually but wouldn't have known about advantix if I hadn't read that bit :-o Apparently Scalibor collars are dangerous for cats in close contact too.

>cout de ta or how ever it spelt

Coup de grâce. ;-) A coup d'état is something entirely different!

Dakko,

Thanks for that, No cats in this house (sadly) as the Husky regards anything small and fluffy as fair game! ;-)
   But something I hadn't considered ( we visit my mother who has cats and we do have one very brave local Tom cat who has managed to persuade Storm he is not a cat but an honourary Husky) So although no direct or prolonged contact... its useful for me to be aware of!
Cheers!

>> [url=undefined]Coup de grâce.[/url] ;-) A [url=undefined]coup d'état[/url] is something entirely different!

ROFL!!!.... oh I don't know the 'Dominance' theorists believe our dogs are all lying under the table plotting world domination, Me I think its the Ticks ;) :-D

I thought you had cats too! At least I know not to use it now - although our cats rarely get within 20 feet of the dogs I live in hope that one day they will be friends :-D

I reckon its the ticks and fleas that are plotting to take over the universe so a 'coup d'etat' could well be appropriate :-D

We have a lot of rabbits in our area and only very recently have we been having a problem with ticks. Both cats walked in with one on their chins the other day. Using the tick remover contraption i was able to get them out safely.
The dogs have never picked any up, touch wood(gives head a pat)..

Thank you everyone for the replies, you've all made me feel better! I wish I'd seen the replies before I went to PAH though...we have just returned from a trip there. I'll definitely be getting a tick remover but I sincerely hope I won't have to use it again !!

My OH did manage to get the whole thing out - we saw the legs - that was what repulsed me the most Liv I wish you could have seen my face - it was a look of sheer disgrace that my precious little girl could have picked up such a beast !!

We dont have deer around here, but shall bear this in mind as I was thinking of visiting a park in the next few weeks that has deer. I do give my girls garlic every day but obviously this little creature didn't mind the taste! We flushed the little monster down the toilet so I would like to hope its now dead!

Tracey - 40 ticks on one dog?! I think I would have had to take the dog to someone with a stronger stomach than me !! :-O

I have picked one up myself from walking through Windsor Great Park.. Always wear long trousers there now!

It also depends on what type of a tick? I find sheep ones are greyish and the other ones that mine pick up are redish brown. I just use Advantix and have a green tick (picker offer!) tick thing and just untwist them, whatever you do dont leave the head in or it will fester.

Alice,

Have a look at the site that Dakkobear links you to. The tick twister site then shows you a link to a You Tube video showing how you use the tick twister. It made my skin crawl with all the footage of ticks being pulled out and I'm not a squimish person! Will definitely be investing in one for my Boxer as I had a terrible time trying to get a tick out of his forehead! not helped by him constantly wriggling of course!

Rosie

OMG i spoke way toooo soon.
My boy had a tick on his head this morning, where did that come from i wonder???

Anyway i removed it once i got him still and watched its legs moving about, i really squeezed the remover and it killed it there and then(much to my amusement).
Then concerned about the rest of him and had to thoroughly check the rest of him. Luckily never found any others. phew

Hi Whistler, it was a greyish tick so I'm pretty sure it was from one of the sheep in the field that we walked through!! Shame as its a lovely walk as well, but I definitely dont want to see another tick ever again!!

Rosie thanks for the info regarding the tick picker, I shall definitely purchase one just in case I see one again! Hope not though! :-(

Thank you for all your help guys, as usual you've been great!