Hi,
i wanted to know if there are any tips and advice on getting rid of ticks. i have an 8 month old bichon.  a few days ago i was stroking her ear and felt what i thought was a little white lump until i inspected closer and realised this lump had legs and was embedded into her skin!!never seen one before so was quite a shock!!also im so squeamish!!i phoned the vets and dabbed some frontline on the spot like they said.  the next morning i took her to the vets and they took it out and gave me the tool to take them out with. it was already dead (think from the frontline) when he took it out.  i used the rest of the frontline on her neck as she was due to have a dose of it a few days later.

anyway, i thought they were quite rare until today my dad found a brown one on her back.  he managed to get it out with the tool and it was still alive!!we inspected it to make sure that none of it was left in her skin and we burnt it. 

does anyone know of anything that prevents them from attaching in the first place?i dont live near a farm but there are some small woods at the back of our fence.could she been picking her up from the garden?i walk her in parks but there's no longgrass or anything and a bit worried my garden is infested with them!!does garlic help becuase i read something on here about it?!

do you know if they'd attach to humans?!!the first one i found was white and the one today was brown?!

do they fall off after they've fed or stay on the skin until they die?and how long would they sirvive in the house?!i can just imagine them in the carpets!!
are they more common in hot weather as ive never seen one before now ad now had 2 in 3 days!!
any answers and advice would be brilliant!!

thank you
Gem (and poor little wounded maggie!)

> does anyone know of anything that prevents them from attaching in the first place?

No

> could she been picking her up from the garden?

Yes, hedgehogs as usually covering in them but the woods are just as likely.

> does garlic help becuase i read something on here about it?!

Would not have thought it would put these beasts off.

> do you know if they'd attach to humans?!!

Yes

> do they fall off after they've fed or stay on the skin until they die?

They fall off and wait until they are hungry again

> and how long would they sirvive in the house?!

Too long.

Hi there - our 3 dogs all kept getting ticks, and the vet gave us some frontline 'advanticks' (think that's how you spell it!).  So far it seems to have worked - it kills the tick when it bites, so they just fall off without having to use the little plastic thingy to get them off.  Also, I usually just flush them down the loo to get rid of them...

garlics good for preventing fleas, guess it couldn't hurt feeding it against ticks. basically they are a fact of dog ownership. you can burn them off with a lit ciggarette but you'll scare the life out of and maybe accidentally burn your dog. the apparently breath out of their bums (euch!) so if you smother them they fall off apparently, olive oil works. problem with that is they then are not found and killed by you and are in your house (yuck).

you'll get used to them.

and they defo attach to humans, my wee cousin got one on her nose :eek

advanticks ?
We have one called   PRACTIC by Novartis mine have not had a tick since we started using it (Touch wood).

realy??!!how did they get it off your cousins nose?!now im even more squeamish!!how long did it cling to them for?!!

anwhere there are sheep and lots of long grass can house ticks, and they can cause lyme disease in humans, so if you walk your dog in that sort of area, check yourself after LOL

i can't remember, it was years ago. they do fall off though after a couple of days- there is only so much they can eat!

i also know a guy who when on camp with the TA got one somewhere no man wants a tick... :eek

> my wee cousin got one on her nose :eek

Yuck poor thing.

We put vaseline on them, suffocates them and they should drop off, we've got one of those tick removers from the vets for a couple of pounds :)

vasaline probably works better than oil actually, more sticky.

ah she was fine, freaked out for about 10 mins then realised her mum and dad were not cruel enough to send her to school with it attached so she got a couple of days off :)

dunno how she got it either but they do have fields etc so maybe she picked it up when she was playing

Advantix (Bayer) is supposed to stop them attaching in the first place.  The best tick remover I've found is an O'tom tick remover.

I'm glad to see this thread because ticks aren't something I have ever had a problem with and suddenly it has turned into a major problem. We haven't changed where we walk the dogs so I can't understand it?

Suffocating them with vaseline or burning them encourages them to regurgitate the ingested blood back into the host and increases the likelihood of the spread of disease like Lymes so is NOT the safest way to remove them.

The little devices that you buy for a couple of quid are very quick. effective and easy to use and are probably the best method of DIY removal.

I use advantage multi (did a search and apparently it is available in the UK - through a google search). 

I have had ticks.  When I was a young girl, I had one embed on the back of my neck.  My mom used the "match" trick to get it out.  I was so scared!  And I knew to stay still, so I wouldnt imagine a dog would be much better when they see fire come near them.

Can ticks embed in a dogs mouth?  Cher spit something out that looked like a bug, but it had no head.  She hasnt been eating and cries and whines whenever she picks something up.  Sorry to hijack the tread, but its a similar topic, and I didnt want to start a new one.

> Suffocating them with vaseline or burning them encourages them to regurgitate the ingested blood back into the host and increases the likelihood of the spread of disease like Lymes so is NOT the safest way to remove them.
>

arrgh, will bear that in mind

as i said above i know a guy who got one in his 'special area' so i imagine a dog could get a mouth one easily :(

Advantix can't be used with anyone who owns cats too, please be aware.

Ticks are also prevelant where there's a deer population too.

And yes, they will attach to humans, I took one out of my leg last week after taking the dogs to Tenstmuir forest in Fife (Ticksville there!).

I got her a vets appointment for tomorrow morning, thats the earliest than can get her in.  Just incase.......

> And yes, they will attach to humans, I took one out of my leg last week after taking the dogs to Tenstmuir forest in Fife (Ticksville there!).

i used to walk there and oh god yes its tick land!! lovely walks though. must learn to drive

MIne always seemed to get ticks after visiting Windsor Great Park. Deer Territory, at least they were well bred ticks!!

I think Practic is only on vet prescription. As the vet was seeing  dogs and cat in same appointment I am guessing it is safe to use around cats. Have just read package and there is no warning that it can't be. May be I should check?

> Suffocating them with vaseline or burning them encourages them to regurgitate the ingested blood back into the host and increases the likelihood of the spread of disease like Lymes so is NOT the safest way to remove them.

You learn something new everyday :)

please be careful. my best friend has had 3 weeks in hospital and 8 weeks off work from lymes from a tick. her hound was bitten on same day and died 5 weeks later.

why cant you use advantix with cats.  I used this on my dogs last year and have two cats but didnt see a problem unless you are sayng dont use it on cats.

Yep, I've had one on my lower back, had to get my ex-oh to remove it with the tick remover, now I know why the dogs wince when I take them out, it was very uncomfortable.

When we lived in Hampshire it was a real problem, but we have now moved to Hertfordshire and we haven't had any as yet. 

There is some good information about ticks and how to remove them safely on the Lyme Disease Action site.

>why cant you use advantix with cats.

The manufacturer's information says this about Advantix and cats.

Perhaps this is why you should not use it near cats

>Side effects of Advantix - (Also Known as K9 Advantix)

>Do not use on puppies under 7 weeks of age. Do not apply Advantix for Dogs to cats or animals other than dogs. Do not permit cats to actively groom or have close physical contact with a recently treated dog. Do not get this product in the pet?s eyes or mouth. Use with caution in sick and debilitated animals. Safe to use on puppies from 7 weeks of age. This product causes eye irritation in humans and is harmful if swallowed. Avoid contact with skin. Call poison control center if swallowed. If on skin, wash with plenty of soap and water. If in eyes, flush with plenty of water.

hi we have a 4 year old bichon. Isn't frontline spot on flea treatment also for ticks?
Deb

Ditto what a lot of the others say. I use Advantix as well, still get an occasional tick mainly small red/brown ones, just pull them off and stick them in the dustbin or loo.
Have known of Scouts to get one or two mainly playing in long grass, they got them off at A&E and gave him some antibiotics - no ill effects.
I have found a sheep tick on Jake sort of pea sized greyish.
Whistler (cocker) is maily on his ears or throat area, I have had one on his eyelid once. They leave a bit of a lump but no real ill effects. Its a fact of life with dogs really, and sometimes deer ticks in the wooded areas. Look a lot worse than they area, its the little legs thats so yuckyy.

No thats just fleas its anvantix that does both

Hi there both my cats & my pup have had ticks recentley & i used Vodka to get them off. Just dip a cotton ball or bud into the vodka & wipe it over the tick the pure alcohol in the spirit seems to have an effect on the ticks....they then come off easily.

Just an update on Cher, it wasnt a tick.  The poor girl has tonsilitis (sp). 

aww poor wee thing! hope shes ok

(btw crespin i think i got a friend considering min pins for the future yesterday lol, they said that they love dobes but want a wee dog lol, i said TA DA! check these babies out!...)

In my area of Hampshire (not far from New Forest) ticks are quite common.
Since I have shorthaired hounds I check them daily and use Tom Tom tick hooks.
(purchased from vet - pair small & large hooks for £3+)

Pam

>Hi there both my cats & my pup have had ticks recentley & i used Vodka to get them off. Just dip a cotton ball or bud into the vodka & wipe it over

This has the same effect as the vaseline or burning in that any trauma to the tock increases the likelihood of the stomach contents being regurgitated into the host and should therefore be avoided as a method of tick removal

>hi we have a 4 year old bichon. Isn't frontline spot on flea treatment also for ticks?

Yes, Frontline Spot On is for ticks as well as fleas. Cover against ticks only lasts for a month though, rather than 2 months which is what it is for fleas - not sure why!

>When we lived in Hampshire it was a real problem, but we have now moved to Hertfordshire and we haven't had any as yet.

I'm in Herts as well. Walk through countryside and woodland etc every single day but not had a single tick on any of our dogs in the 23 years we've owned them (famous last words!).

well ive now found 4 4ticks in 4 days and becoming increasingly frustrated with it!!im now fiinding them small so at least they havent been there long.  poor maggie is so scared now everytime i go near her and just as i get her trust back i have to get another one!!

i havent taken her to the park for the last 2 days and the only places shes been is mine and my parents garden. do you know if any insecticides/pesticides that will kill them in the garden are safe for dogs?

no long grass in sight!!!im going crazy!do you think a flea/tick shampoo will help?think thats what will do tomorrow!

theres just nothing to buy that prevents them from attaching in the first place!!

> theres just nothing to buy that prevents them from attaching in the first place!

Yes there is - just use Frontline :)

Frontline doesn't prevent them attaching - it just kills them when they have attached.

Crikey, it sounds like the hedgehogs are bringing them into your garden? Ticks infest hedgehogs and do kill them.

Ticks in my area have been especially bad this year, in fact, until this year I've only seen one tick on my dogs.   I switched to Advantix from Frontline because Advantix repels ticks before they attach.  At least that's the theory, I think a small tick (colour and size of a sesame seed) attached to the bridge above Abby's nose after using Advantix.   I had to pull it off with a tweezer - never did see any legs though so I am not sure what it was.   This was after Rudi (on Frontline) had a tick attach in exactly the same place on his face - the area around the bite site came up like a swelled circle, got slightly infected, and now a full 6+ weeks later is only just starting to flatten out so its not as prominent.

Advantix is supposed to stop them attaching. You can also but a scalibor collar that is like the old fashioned flea collars that is suppsosed to repel ticks. It is reccomended for dogs travelling abroad so it must be effective. You just need to make sure they don't swim whilst wearing it and it lasts 6 months.

Advantix wont stop them attaching themseves to the dog, but it will kill them and them the ticks drop off.  Here where I live in north east scotland the ticks are a common everyday occurance.  I have to laugh at my training class when I ask folk if they know how to take a tick off. I will then show them using one off my dogs (that i have left a tick on to show people) I always say welcome to the world of dogs as people are mortified that a dog can get something like a tick.  I do tick checks every night even though I use Advantix. my dogs love this time, it also gives you a good chance to get to know your dogs body shape. Now if it were headlice you wouldnt see me for smoke!!

Tadog agree Advantix really only means it will die off after it attaches. I use Tom Ticks when i find one, but i only usually get about two maybe three a year. If you are getting more go see your vet and get a three month supply.

Actually, that is not what the Advantix literature says.  It says it repels ticks.  But like everything - there is no 100% guarantee.

whistler, you are very lucky if you only get that many a year, I get more than that in a week this time of year.  Infact on Monday at Leeds show I found 4 tiny ones that must have just attached themselves.  I think it depends on where you live, my boys are walked in Deer territory and its quite common to see the ticks skating through their coat when I put them on leads at the end of the walk. 

Ticks dont make me squeamish at all and I dont see the point in keep putting chemicals on them when I can just hook them off with my O'tom tick thingy, we have regular tick picking sessions and they get flushed down the loo !!

Whistler it all depends on where you live & excersice your dogs.  I exercise in forests in the highlands where ticks are just part of our lives(!)  I get vaious amounts of my dogs each night ranging from 6-12.  Even though I Advantix them I still do my nightly tick checks.

I know someone that burns the tick on the aga! they go pop and smell.......

.....very satisfying!

We use Scalibor collars.   Have done for about 3 years, since we lost Phoebe to Lyme disease.    They just don't attach any more, and you can economise by having one collar between about three dogs if they live in close proximity, and rotate the wearer of the collar.    The collars are fairly expensive (about £10) but a heap better than losing a dog!

Jo