# Our first tick!!! I am shaking!!!



## Neko (Dec 13, 2012)

I went to pet Zeus and rubbed my hand over his ear and felt a bump, looked close and saw a brown spot. 

Searched this forum, looked up how to remove tick. 

Got him as close to the head as i could and pulled up. He is alive and we have him cowling in a very tight little jar. he is alive so i guess I got the head just fine. 

He does not look like he has eaten much. 

I think it's a brown dog tick, he is small, brown and had lines on his butt. He looks like a female deer tick but missing a white dot on the back. We are searching the dog for more ticks now, but I will take a macro lens and post some pictures of it shortly. 

We put antibiotic on the spot we pulled it from and there is a little bump there. 

Anymore feedback would be great. Should I take the tick to vet's office on my way to work tomorrow? any benefit? I am terrified! I have never seen a tick before!


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## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

Welcome to the wonderful world of ticks!

Just last night I pulled about 6 off my dogs and two off myself. You get used to it after awhile. 

You can ask your local vet if there are any tick diseases prevalent in your area.

My favorite tool of choice for removing ticks is a bent nose forceps. The bent nose lets me get the tips right down to the skin. Once I have the tick in place I squeeze the forceps closed just enough to grab the tick and pull it out. Then I close the forceps completely - squishing the tick. Wipe the remains off with the tissue and I'm done!


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

I seen this advice on facebook...doesn't hurt to try

Tick Removal

A nurse discovered a safe, easy way to remove ticks where
they automatically withdraw themselves when you follow her
simple instructions. Read this one as it could save you from
some major problems. 

Spring is here and the ticks will soon be showing their heads.
Here is a good way to get them off you, your children, 
or your pets. Give it a try. 

A School Nurse has written the info below--good enough 
to share--and it really works! 

"I had a pediatrician tell me what she believes is the best
way to remove a tick. This is great because it works in 
those places where it's sometimes difficult to get to with
tweezers: between toes, in the middle of a head full of 
dark hair, etc." 

"Apply a glob of liquid soap to a cotton ball. Cover the tick
with the soap-soaked cotton ball and swab it for a few
seconds (15-20); the tick will come out on its own and be
stuck to the cotton ball when you lift it away. 

This technique has worked every time I've used it 
(and that was frequently), and it's much less traumatic 
for the patient and easier for me.." 

Also, if you just pull a tick off, their heads sometimes break off
and are left under the skin so this is much safer. Be aware

also that a tick with a white speck on its back is a Deer 
Tick, these can cause Tick Fever so check yourself and 
your family good if you see any of these!

"Unless someone is allergic to soap, I can't see that this
would be damaging in any way. 
Please pass on. Everyone needs this helpful hint.


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## Neko (Dec 13, 2012)

Thank you =)

I am trying to inspect for more, he has very thick fur and very long on his back so this is hard!


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## Stevenzachsmom (Mar 3, 2008)

Ticks are bad this year. My daughter is pet sitting in a neighboring community. The pet is an indoor rabbit. Today she found a tick on the rabbit's ear.


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## lyssa62 (May 5, 2013)

we always use the dish soap. we are doing the Lyme vaccination because we live out in a woodsy area. didn't really want to do yet another shot but will take that over what Lyme can do


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

i'm sorry to tell you but there's nothing the Vet can do for
your tick. being the typical irresponsible tick owner you
place the tick in a jar without air holes. i'm sure by now
other forum members have called TC (Tick Control) and
reported you.



Neko said:


> I went to pet Zeus and rubbed my hand over his ear and felt a bump, looked close and saw a brown spot.
> 
> Searched this forum, looked up how to remove tick.
> 
> ...


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## I_LOVE_MY_MIKKO (Oct 4, 2006)

llombardo said:


> I seen this advice on facebook...doesn't hurt to try
> 
> Tick Removal
> 
> ...


I saw this on Facebook as well. But, I have read that covering the tick with anything will cause it to expel its stomach contents, including bacteria, under the host's skin. So, I don't think this is a good idea.


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## Neko (Dec 13, 2012)

Doggiedad, you always know how to put smile on our faces =)


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## Neko (Dec 13, 2012)

I was reading that it;s better to pull them off and not stress them so they don't release the bacteria from their glands.


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## curedba (Mar 31, 2013)

Lol 



doggiedad said:


> i'm sorry to tell you but there's nothing the vet can do for
> your tick. Being the typical irresponsible tick owner you
> place the tick in a jar without air holes. I'm sure by now
> other forum members have called tc (tick control) and
> reported you.


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

Best way to check is with eyes closed and fingertips. Focus areas I have noticed are ears, neck, paws, and armpits......so far so good. Are you using any prevention? Before I started with the garlic I used the tick twister and am VERY impressed with how easy it is to get them out!


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## Neko (Dec 13, 2012)

Nancy, tell me more about what you do with garlic? collar? 

He is only trifexis only and about to be on sentinel instead and neither cover ticks. Now I know they are here and I don't want to see another one!


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## Neko (Dec 13, 2012)

Here is the pest =/ looks like a Lone Star tick to me (male).

I could not get a clear photo, still shaking. 

We did find another bite on Z's neck. Looks light pink and scabbed over. Who knows what that is from.


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

Lone star is consistent with what is biting in your area per the website. I got bit by one, wound up with an infection, a fever, chills, nausea and got put on doxycycline...
TickEncounter Resource Center > Current Tick Activity


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## Neko (Dec 13, 2012)

Thanks for the website. Zeus seams really lazy today, but he did have a crazy day yesterday and might be tired? The redness on his ear is already gone! I will watch him carefully. Not sure what ells to watch for he is eating fine, no other problems so far.


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

You pretty much don't worry. Save the tick (I stick a dated card in a ziplock bag) in case he gets sick which is not so likely. If he develops a fever or is obviously sick then take him and the tick to the vet. I do an annual tickborne disease test with an annual bloodwork as routine. 

See, the vets need to sell THAT instead of shots which anyone can buy at the feed store!


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## gagsd (Apr 24, 2003)

For a while, the local Dept of Ag ( I think, maybe CDC) guy was collecting ticks and testing them at no charge. You could always check with your local Cooperative Extension.


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## Neko (Dec 13, 2012)

I think I am going to get Adventix II to use on top of Sentinel =( 
Poor dog did not go outside yesterday because I was so shook up!


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## Neko (Dec 13, 2012)

gagsd said:


> For a while, the local Dept of Ag ( I think, maybe CDC) guy was collecting ticks and testing them at no charge. You could always check with your local Cooperative Extension.


ohh this is interesting, would love to get this tick tested!


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

Take a deep breath. Most tick diseases require the tick to be attached for 24 hours or so before disease transmission occurs. Do the tick check with your fingers just like you would check your own head! Feeling is the best way. 

Sentinel has no tick activity but make sure that the Advantix II is safe to use at the same time as Sentinel. Safe is relative; I have quit using all of these chemicals except for ivermectin for heartworm prevention.


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## Neko (Dec 13, 2012)

Can't find any website/place that will test the tick or is collecting them for data. 

My husband checked the data on Adventix II and it can be used with Sentinel. Our vet does not recommend Adventix II, but that's because it is deadly to cats and we don't have cats so I don't care. 

I am usually careful with chemicals, but here the benefit out-ways the risk. I am not one of the people that takes every little data to the extreme.


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## lyssa62 (May 5, 2013)

I use frontline for ticks -- works great. Very rarely pull ticks off the dogs


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## Neko (Dec 13, 2012)

lyssa62 said:


> I use frontline for ticks -- works great. Very rarely pull ticks off the dogs


Heard from way too many people how Frontline failed on their dogs in our area =/


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## readmeli (Feb 28, 2013)

You get used to Ticks. Although I despise them and get grossed out EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. I see one.. There really is no need to panic! I have pulled 2 of Em just this morning. They were just crawling - I havent found any stuck on her. We use Frontline Plus and it seems to be successful. Ticks seem SUPER BAD this year. I am going to try to stick to the roads and off the sides if I can, though what fun is that for the dog! LOL.


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

Neko said:


> I think I am going to get Adventix II to use on top of Sentinel =(
> Poor dog did not go outside yesterday because I was so shook up!


Please don't load your dog up with a bunch of pesticides that don't really work! (There are posts all over this board about how this stuff doesn't work).

I have pulled many a tick of my dogs and myself. Since starting the dogs on Bug Off Garlic I'm happy to say that I have only found 2 ticks total in 10 years. 

If they do get a tick bite and it's somewhere they can't reach with their mouth I would dab it with tea tree oil after you've removed the tick. Otherwise I would just spray it with Rejuva Spray.


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## LoveEcho (Mar 4, 2011)

I've read in several places that the tick has to be bloated to transmit disease (as others have said, attached for a day or so). Get a good comb and go over him every day- the comb will help in areas where fur is thicker and ticks are harder to feel.

We live in a very remote area now where ticks are EVERYWHERE. We pull 3-4 off every day. No amount of frontline, etc will work. The garlic does help considerably, and I'm a much bigger fan of that then all the chemicals. The real key is just staying ahead of checking them and pulling them off.


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

Ruth, I have yet to find a tick on Beau since I started the Bug Off. Now ME, GAH! We go into the woods and I have to strip down the minute I get in the house, bag the clothes, jump in the shower and tick check like mad because if I don't they drop off and find me later.

I did break down and buy some permethrin to spray on the OUTSIDE of MY clothing (not my skin). I don't want to wash the clothes in it because I don't want it next to my skin but that, and I have made some water/vinegar/peppermint/lemon oil spray that definitely is working against the mosquitoes on US!

When I used the preventic collar, I did pull some ticks off, but they were dead and not bloated. I know that one paralyzes their mouthparts. But now I am just relying on the bug off and checking daily.


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## Neko (Dec 13, 2012)

Just called the vet. They said frontline tripack?


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## LoveEcho (Mar 4, 2011)

jocoyn said:


> Ruth, I have yet to find a tick on Beau since I started the Bug Off. Now ME, GAH! We go into the woods and I have to strip down the minute I get in the house, bag the clothes, jump in the shower and tick check like mad because if I don't they drop off and find me later.
> 
> I did break down and buy some permethrin to spray on the OUTSIDE of MY clothing (not my skin). I don't want to wash the clothes in it because I don't want it next to my skin but that, and I have made some water/vinegar/peppermint/lemon oil spray that definitely is working against the mosquitoes on US!
> 
> When I used the preventic collar, I did pull some ticks off, but they were dead and not bloated. I know that one paralyzes their mouthparts. But now I am just relying on the bug off and checking daily.


Ticks on YOU are the worst... where we're building is square in the middle of the woods, so I find them crawling on my clothes multiple times a day. The worst is when you're in a public place and you find one on you  I started freaking out in the grocery store yesterday because I could feel one crawling up my back. I have yet to find any good remedies that won't kill me eventually...


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## Neko (Dec 13, 2012)

So garlic bad for dogs or no? I am hearing to many mixed things. =(


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## Neko (Dec 13, 2012)

ASPCA | Is Garlic Toxic to Pets?


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## LoveEcho (Mar 4, 2011)

I think the key, and as that article states, is to give garlic in moderation... tiny tiny amounts are usually what's in things like Bug Off, etc.


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

Just about everything is toxic at some level. Springtime links to some articles on garlic on their web page

Bug Off Garlic for Dogs | Natural Flea and Tick Repellent | Springtime, Inc.

You know it scares me some but, dang, my dogs (one GSD, one ESS) who ate garlic lived 15 and 14 cancer free years, my dogs who did not and used these flea chemicals all died of cancer (3 GSDs) between 9 and 11. I did have Beau's blood checked 1 month after starting garlic regimen and his hemoglobin and RBCs were in the mid-normal range and he has had no issues. ......... All 5 dogs too HW preventive all their life. (with the exception of a winter gap for the first two which I quit doing when they got heartworms).


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## Neko (Dec 13, 2012)

Lots of good points!

Another reason for me to go with what the vet says is because if there are any issues, they help. If you screw up with natural remedies, it's all on you and they won't price brake anything at that point.


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

LOL they won't price break anything regardless....you get no guarantees with flea and tick meds, yes with HW meds. ... Any vet I have had make a mistake never discounted or made it right.

But people have to be comfortable with whatever choice they make.


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## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

Frontline is stiff effective in this area, but with Deja being bred I have just been doing the nightly "ticky" check. I still found two yesterday from tracking. I used to freak out, but am now getting used to dealing with them. Pull them off, cut them into a million little pieces and flush them down the toilet. 

Deep woods Off or the other in the blue can does help keep them off people and I tend to use that when laying tracks.


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## DJ BEN (Apr 29, 2013)

Is dipping shampoo, too dangerous for dogs? I never heard of any of the home remedies for treating ticks. If any of you do suggest the green flea and tick shampoo, how young is too young for pups?


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## keiko (Dec 4, 2011)

doggiedad said:


> i'm sorry to tell you but there's nothing the Vet can do for
> your tick. being the typical irresponsible tick owner you
> place the tick in a jar without air holes. i'm sure by now
> other forum members have called TC (Tick Control) and
> reported you.


LOL! Classic!


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## Neko (Dec 13, 2012)

DJ BEN said:


> Is dipping shampoo, too dangerous for dogs? I never heard of any of the home remedies for treating ticks. If any of you do suggest the green flea and tick shampoo, how young is too young for pups?


I have heard of dogs having bad reactions to it =(


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## DJ BEN (Apr 29, 2013)

Wow. I had no idea. What kind of reactions are we talking about?


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## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

I prefer not to use chemicals on my dogs. Checking twice a day for ticks is not hard to do (even with the long coats) and it keeps the ticks from being attached a long time.

Start at the head and use your fingertips. Lightly rub the dog all over their head, paying close attention to the eyes and lips.

My dogs LOVE being tick checked - it's like a mini-massage!

Be sure to check the ears - both inside, around the bottom and the leather itself. I then go up to the top of the head and to the back of the skull, then down the topline. A quick check down the sides, in the armpits and on the back of the front legs. From there it's up the chest and neck and do one more check of the head and ears (favorite place for ticks).

If the tick is easy to reach I simply use my fingers to pull it off. If it's in a difficult place or engorged I use my bent nose forceps. Lay then right on the skin, on either side of the tick and gently squeeze. Use just enough pressure to grab hold of the tick and pull - then squeeze completely to CRUSH THE BAS$ARD!! 

I use the Bug Off garlic pills for my guys. I was using the powder but several of the gang wouldn't eat their food with the powder sprinkled on it.

One tablet is for 20 pounds of dog so my Cresteds each get 1/2 a tablet, Mauser (the GSD) gets 3.5 and Winnie (the fat Corgi mix) gets 1.

Since I have started using the garlic I have been pulling less and less ticks. On an average day BG (before garlic) I would pull at LEAST 1-2 ticks per dog. Now I'm finding a total of 2-3 ticker for the whole pack (7 dogs).


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## Neko (Dec 13, 2012)

Z likes his massages too!


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## DJ BEN (Apr 29, 2013)

Great tips. Thanks.


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