Hiya everyone.  I've just noticed a tick on Boudie and have smeared it with Vaseline.  I've been reading up on archived posts regarding this and wondered if anyone could enlighten me on something.  I read somewhere about dabbing cotton wool soaked in Frontline on the tick but I use Advantage on her.  Would anyone know if this is likely to cause a problem.  Sorry but I'm a right worrier

I've had a real problem with ticks recently.  I've Frontlined my Aussie and it hasn't stopped her picking them up, they just die in situ.  Disgusting.  I still have to gently pull them off.  I used to kill them with perfume when they were latched on to my Ridgebacks, but now I just firmly but gently take hold of them as close to the head as possible and gently pull them out.  It will die if you've completely covered it with Vaseline as they breathe through their skins.

will it just drop off once its dead or do i still have to do major surgery lol..i'm actually dreading doing it :rolleyes:

you shouldn't just pull a tick off you should always twist them, this will release them with head still attatched then twist anti clockwise!

I'm afraid Im going to have to go against the grain here and say I dont agree.
Once that tick is firmly fastened in place, it takes time for the tick to detach itself and depart. No matter how badly the tick may wish to leave quickly, it simply can't. Ticks can live without air for a long time, so attempts to smother it allow disease transmission to continue for several hours. Anything that upsets or harms the tick without removing it can theoretically cause the tick to regurgitate its stomach contents back into the host, increasing the likelihood of disease transmission.
I use prevenative measures, but on the odd occassion (thankfully nothing so far this year) I would use fine pointed tweazers ( we have Deer ticks) as close to the skin as possible (squeezing the body will excrete the ticks saliva/contents into your dog) and pull out straight and out (dont twist) then wash and anti-bac.
HTH

I would also suggest getting one of these they are brilliant this site also explains how to get rid of ticks : <a class='url' href='http://www.otom.com/'>http://www.otom.com/</a>

I See...trouble is its not that big yet and i'm not sure if i will be able to get the gadgety thing in the right position.  How long does it take to get that big?

really depends.. (size wise)
there are different types Hedgehog ticks, deer and sheep ticks and can swell to 200 times their size.

HG why do you say to not twist? I have alwasy twisted them and never had a problem with a head coming off just how I was taught to remove them from ourselves when we were in Belgium!

The otom is a great device for removing ticks. You have to twist with it too.

If you are using a special tick hook you twist as per instructions.
If (as I stated) you are using tweazers then you must pull straight and out. (twisting being more likely to seperate the head from the body and especially in novice hands... next vet visit get them to show you)
It seems Im not alone in prefering this method.

Here!

and Here!

I could go on, but have lost the will to live :rolleyes:

You having a hard day Liv

ya want me to punch someone :D

A bit of your lovely cheesecake Teri, might raise a smile......I'd have to have 2 slices just to be sure though!! :D

We can go 50:50 - wild summer berries today, yuuuuuuummmmmmy ;)

Hi Huskygal

Could you let me know which preventative measures you use, please. 

I give all 6 of mine garlic tabs daily and have Frontlined my Aussie but still find ticks on her. The ticks very rarely attach themselves to the Ridgebacks, I do find them crawling over them while we're walking and squash them!  We've recently moved to a farm and there are lots of ticks here.  I have used the tick removing gadgets but they have disappeared in the move.  I find it very simple to pull them out, just putting my finger nails very close to the head and gently pulling.  Haven't left any heads behind or had any problems.  Like HG, I am loathe to leave them attached for any longer than necessary.

My cats have just started wearing herbal flea repellant collars and since i have started i have not found fleas on them (one lives outside 20hrs of the day(his choice) so i kill them with frontline but the collar is the only thing that stops them jumping on) anyway they do them for dogs and are simply scented with citronella and tea tree oil. don't know if it would stop ticks tho.
I got it from Pets at home. It doesn't kill any of them just repells them due to the smell (i quite like it)
Hope this helsps

forgot to say they are made by sherley's

I have had two dogs and five cats in my lifetime and have pulled of hundreds of ticks.  I always use tweezers, grab them and yank - never ever has a head been left in and there's never been a problem.  The various home remedies of putting stuff on them can cause damage because it can make the tick regurgitate it's stomach contents into the animal.  I use frontline on the dog every so often which maeks attached ticks drop off - you don't have to put it on to the tick, just on the back of the neck as usual.

Hi Ridgie,

Much same you! raw feeding so hoping Garlic is doing some good in that dept! I use Advantix however as it differs to frontline in that it repels as well as kills. Only been using it 6 months tho' so wouldnt like to reccomend but as I said Ive had no ticks this srping so far.......

One of mine had a tick last week,at the vets with our other dog I mentioned this and great vet sold me a tick remover for £2 tick removed in a few seconds.

She.

Thanks, HG - I BARF feed too.  I just visiting the link.  Think I'll give that a try next time, I see it's a POM so I'll get some next time I go to the vet.  I'd always heard that the RR coat repelled ticks and it seems to be true but there's a lot of fur to hide in on poor little Meg (Aussie) and even tho' the Frontline does kill the little blighters, they are almost equally repulsive dead!

Ridgielover - Just coat the whole dog in vaseline before you go out for a walk..... :-)

Just trying to picture a red-tri Aussie coated in Vaseline ...  Think I'll stick with removing the little blighters when I find them.

My dog always seems to get ticks in really arkward places! I use the tick spray when I am able because this seems to kill it so it is easy to pull off (sometimes comes off its self) but if it is close to the eye for example, we spray some solution into the cap of the spray and get a fine paintbrush and paint the solution on to the tick. It works every time!

The tick twister is fantastic, even with my old arthriticky hands!  My Beardies don't know how to walk around things when exploring (it's straight through, come out looking like a hedge.)  I spray the tick with Frontline, wait 20 minutes or so, slip the twister as close to the skin as I can get and twist ANTICLOCKWISE, they should never be pulled out straight, you leave the pincers in doing that.  I bought mine at the vets.  There are two sizes in the pack, and they're not expensive.  I've bought far more expensive tick removers in the past, that just didn't have the same success rate.

This was one of the best souvenirs I was bought back when people I know went to the States!  Easy pleased!

uh I hate ticks we have them in our garden this yr :rolleyes:  I assume they come from the fox's we have badgers too anyone know how to get rid of them .the ticks not the wildlife :D
weve had 5 in the past month and a half and 4 times one of our boys have got it  mabe they go for a certain taste I use tweezers and pull swiftly out and check that its heads still there never a problem....... I did buy a tick remover but its that huge you would need a monster of a tick to remove with it and even then you would risk squashing it

Just had a look at all three links (itchy now) none advised twisting or rotating :)

mine does if you go to the how to remove a tick page :)

I didn't look at yours  :P

Yes ive always been told , never twist!

I'll forgive you just this once :D

Here is a good page about how to remove a tick.

:rolleyes: as always, conflicting 'evidence'.

(not you JG, :D  I'm referring to different links, different instructions)

I suppose unless people read more than one link/site when in a hurry to remove one, then they will follow one way or the other

:D......and if they have the time to read them all they will follow one way or another :)

I'm a twister, me :p

...and do you shout when your'e twisting? ;)

Sure do ;)

With *my* knees? You bet! :D :D

Ah Missie,
perhaps its time for us to beat a  retreat to the drinks cabinet (;) ) all hope is lost!!! It appears all these departments/proffessors of Entomology have been studying all this time and are giving incorrect information!!!!! How can they not know the workings of the Capisculum??..... perhaps they got to the drinks cabinet before us???
:D

http://www.bada-uk.org/pdfdocs/outdoor_pursuits_groups.pdf
http://news.uns.purdue.edu/UNS/html4ever/2004/040902.Hill.tickdisease.html
http://lancaster.unl.edu/enviro/pest/factsheets/001-95.htm
http://www.entomology.cornell.edu/Extension/DiagnosticLab/IDLFS/DeerTicks/DeerTicks.html
http://www.capcvet.org/?p=Guidelines_Ticks&h=0&s=0
http://www.aces.edu/pubs/docs/A/ANR-1070/
http://ag.udel.edu/extension/horticulture/pdf/ent/ent-13.pdf

;)

It seems to be that if you have the otom you twist and if you have just a pair of tweezers you get as near to the skin and pull straight out.

yep!!
(think I said that 4 days ago!! ;) see above :D

Oh yes, so you did :D :D
so everyone is right in one way or another
twist, don't twist
pull, don't pull

Yeah I get it now :D :D

Its a bit early for the drinks cabinet Huskygal BUT is there anything you can buy to prevent these horrible things in the first place. I used garlic puree in the dogs food for two months before going on holiday to the Lakes as they always bring them back from there and they still came back with 5 of the little blighters.

Its never too early for HG ;)

So, I heard garlic helps prevent fleas, does that also work for ticks?

No it doesn't help with ticks, maybe I got that wrong then but at least they haven't got fleas!  Poor Sam he really hated his food with the garlic I put his food down he sniffed it and looked at me as if to say do I have to eat this.

Oh bless :)
I've never tried the garlic with any of mine, touch wood knocks head they haven't had fleas (yet)
though I have been thinking of giving them garlic capsules :)
Just wondered if any one knew how to help keep ticks away other than chemicals?

Maybe we should all just let HG answer the questions :) she is always right :D

on knees worshiping hg hehehehe

The first link refers to ticks as 'spider like insects' - Oh dear!  Thats clearly incorrect....Unfortunately there will always be variations on how to deal with things.
But I would prefer my info source to at least get this animals basic classification correct.
Sarah ;)

>Unfortunately there will always be variations on how to deal with things.<

Surely that should be Fortunately then! :D

Well - I kinda feel sorry for people who are new to a situation and are faced with nothing but conflicting information sources.  It must be frustrating when you just wanna do the right thing but dont know which is the best way - and in that way its unfortunate for Boudie.......
I know of people that have backed out of raw feeding due to conflicting advice - ah well at least on this board you can share your own experiences with people.
Sarah