My First Tick!

luvmynwfy

luvmynwfy

New member
Hi
I know so many of you have to deal with ticks - I just found my first ever on River (or anyone for that matter). I pulled it out with tweezers and put it in a glass jar. I feel like torturing it but I haven't yet.
It was fairly small, I don't think it was on her for very long but who knows. Should I have her tested for lyme disease or do anything immediately? She seems fine. I haven't given her a flea/tick treatment since August - should I give another dose of Revolution now? My Vet is closed right now but I trust what you guys all think.
thanks,
Marina
I'm so creeped out!
 
Capri

Capri

New member
No need to put tick treatment on her if the weather is cooling down. No need to test her for anything. Just burn the little b*stard (watch out, it'll explode)! The other option is to dunk it in alcohol. They are very Yuck!
 
cmorgan.1505

cmorgan.1505

New member
We still give flea and tick treatment in the winter months, but instead of every 4 weeks we go 5 or 6 weeks. I don't think you need to get her tested, but you might want to give her some treatment if you still have ticks around or spray the yard. I'm suprised you actually found it on her! It's hard to find anything on these furry dogs of ours!
 
NewfieMama

NewfieMama

New member
Our ticks are just coming back now that the weather is cooling. I found one crawling on my neck today - shiver.
 
jane

jane

New member
I'm with Bettina....Burn the mother! I carry a lighter around with me, so when I find one I just burn it right away.
 
luvmynwfy

luvmynwfy

New member
This is all good advice and just what I wanted to hear. I had no idea ticks could be bad as the weather is cooling down...my husband says he is not surprized yet this is the first one I've seen since we moved to the county 5 years ago - we have big forest too.
So, currently I am watching it crawl around inside the glass, eventually it'll run out of air I guess. I think I may do another dose of Revolution but it doesn't guarantee ticks the way it does for fleas? I'll be going through River's coat with a fine tooth comb, and my own - yikes!
thanks all. anything else I should be doing please let me know.
Marina
 
BlackLightning

BlackLightning

New member
Yup, ticks sure are disgusting!! Just picturing it gives me the heebie jeebies Marina! We are located not that far from you and we treat with Revolution up to the month of November. I wouldn't be concerned about this particular guy - according to my vet, the prevalence of Lymes in our area is still low (although increasing!). I'm with everyone else - kill the bugger and don't lose any sleep over it - River is likely fine. Not a bad idea checking her out though for more ticks - my two always get them on their face.
 
DAWNMERIE

DAWNMERIE

Active member
Nasty little buggers aren't they?

Little story....As a teen, I found a pup (she became my Tasha) covered from head to toe with them. I loaded her up in my VW bug and drove her home and asked my parents to help remove them all. We spent hours removing them, some huge, some small, they were every where on this dog. I'd never seen anything like it before and hopefully never will again. I used cups (because there was that many) of nail polish remover to kill them, I over came my fear of them that day...it made me so angry that they had pretty much sucked the life from her, she was lying on the side of the road just exhausted and ready to die. She lived a full and wonderful life after that day but that was before Lyme's and all the other nasty issues that come along with them.

Meanwhile, we are just like Anita and treat until the first few freezes.
 
good0dog

good0dog

New member
My tick tale... A couple of years ago, Maggie and I were back Home for Xmas in upstate NY. There was two feet of snow on the ground and it was ~15 degrees F. My sister wanted to bring Maggie sledding with her and her boys. Maggie loved the boys and was very mindful. So I let my sister take her.

Two hours later, I get a cold nose waking me on the coutch. I'm looking at the nose and I see two ticks rapidly expanding. A search revealed a third. Sis told me Maggie kept sticking her head in the bushes at the top of the hill. I removed them. No other incidents occurred. Then she started to act wrong. A trip to the vet confirmed Lyme AND Rocky Mountain !?! I don't of any dog that gets both on XMas break in the snow!
 
Whybu1

Whybu1

New member
pour some rubbing alcohol in the jar and the tick is done. Or just squish it. My wife gets all freaked by ticks. Unless they are all engorged by blood I just crush them between fingernails. One tick is not yet time to panic.
 
lacey9875

lacey9875

New member
I've possibly taken Maggie to the vet to have at tick removed :shuffle: they freak me out that much. I treat year round, just because my lab had Lyme and it was bad-she got it in my backyard. Nasty little buggers. I'd pour alcohol in the glass jar and drown the little sucker.
 
charlieinnj

charlieinnj

New member
It's not just Lyme that you need to be aware of. Actually, Ehrlichia and Anaplasmosis are potentially more serious than Lyme. Many dogs get exposed to Lyme and that's all the further it goes if they have a good immune system. Once exposed, they'll always test positive for exposure.

If you actually saw the tick, chances are it's not a deer tick. They are SO tiny that they usually go unseen. And you can't really count on hard freezes to kill the darn things anymore.....and that includes snow on the ground. Actually, snow cover insulates the ground and keeps it warmer than LONG periods of below freezing weather without precipitation on the ground does. Ticks are adapting to a LOT of weather conditions these days. If you've now found a tick, my advise would be that you must continue to treat year-round. It's just not worth the risk not to.

But you can't count on the preventatives to effectively do their job, either. My one dog has always been on preventatives and has had FIVE tick-borne diseases in 3 1/2 years. Personally, I feel better having my Vet run blood-work every 6 months. That's really the only definitive test. My dog never really displayed any of the usual symptoms....other than just being a bit less active.

http://www.dogsandticks.com/diseases_and_symptoms/index.php

Since you still have the tick, this article will show you the different types of ticks:

http://www.dogheirs.com/dogheirs/posts/832-identifying-ticks
 
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luvmynwfy

luvmynwfy

New member
Hi All,
Today when I got home from work I checked River over and while I can't find any more ticks, the area of the one I removed yesterday has a little swollen pinkish/red bump? Is this a normal reaction? She didn't appear bothered by my poking around that area and she seems like her good old self. I spent the day (inbetween applicants) searching the web info on ticks. It's amazing I've never had an incident before this. My coworkers had many stories of ticks on their dogs and they all live in subdivisions?
Will be treating with her heartworm/flea/tick dose until November.
Marina
 
DAWNMERIE

DAWNMERIE

Active member
Swelling and a little red is normal. Zeke actually went bald in a spot (on the top of his head) around the size of a quarter after I removed one once.
 
Pipelineozzy

Pipelineozzy

New member
And I'd call a vet clinic in your area to find out what your tick season is where YOU live. Where I am, it's April to August, after that you don't need to worry too much.
 
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