Tics

[kitchy]

My dogs got tics for the first time. We burnt a match, blew it out and pressed the hot match to the bum of the tic and pulled it out. It was rather disgusting and has left the dog with a sore lump. Is there a better way to get the tic off?

[tetherend]

Using a cotton bud, soak the tic in surgical spirit, that apparently makes it easier to remove.  Then, using tweezers, carefully pull the tic out of the skin slowly so as not to leave the (legs?) behind.  Once you have the tic and the legs in the tweezers, put it into a flame.  It sounds as though you may have pulled the tic out quickly and left the legs behind, so a trip to the vet might be necessary.  I got this advice from someone who looks after hedgehogs.

[Robinia]

Horrible isn't it?!   It's actually the head & jaws that get left behind when a tic isn't removed properly & may lead to infection.  You can smear the tic with vaseline & leave for an hour or so which suffocates it, (not much good if your dog can lick it off though!). Then carefully remove it with tweezers or a special little tool that your vet or pet shop may sell. If the lump doesn't disappear quickly take your poor doggy to the vet as soon as possible.

[Gilli]

I think you can use any sort of alcohol to help persuade the tick to release its grip. The one and only time my cat got a tick (at least I think it was a tick ..) I used vodka !

[woofgang]

I live in the new forest, where despite sprays, I remove tick from my dog regularly during summer. The best way (its a bit gruesome) is to take hold of the tick's body, pull ever so slightly and then turn the tick anti clockwise. This isn't a joke, the tick's mouth is actually a threaded tube and this will unscrew it from the dog, cat or person. I work in the NHS and this is also the best practice advice given to nurses who work in our A and E and minor injuries facilities.

There is some stuff that you can get from the vet called frontline, either a spray or a concentrated drops thingy which stays in the dog or cat's coat and kills ticks and fleas, but it isn't instant and sometimes they attach. Be aware also of LYME DISEASE which can be caught by cats, dogs and humans from some ticks, google for furthe rinfo

[woofgang]

here's a useful website about lyme disease

http://www.wadhurst.demon.co.uk/lyme/

[cassimer]

Just thought I'd back up woofgang. The best way is to simple twist them anticlockwise, and they just fall out. Best to leave them a day or two until they grow big enough to get a good grip with tweezers. In the summer our dogs get covered with them as we walk a lot in deer forests. At the end of the walk we try to pick them off the fur before they work their way in but we have had times when we found more than 10 attached. Although occasionally they leave a lump (normally in more sensitive areas like ears and armpits), these soon disappear, and dont seem to cause any discomfort.

[woofgang]

Thanks cassimer. Ticks actually inject an anaethetic with their saliva which is why animals tend not to notice them

[k8tkoo]

One completeley different way to get rid of them is to cover them in vaseline! Seriously, it suffocates them and after a couple of days they just completely fall out (we did it to my cat). No touching involved, yay!

[k8tkoo]

One completeley different way to get rid of them is to cover them in vaseline! Seriously, it suffocates them and after a couple of days they just completely fall out (we did it to my cat). Minimal touching involved, yay!

[k8tkoo]

Sorry changed my mind half way thru posting that answer, of course you have to touch them somehow to get the vaseline on! I used a cotton bud. Good luck

[jadio1]

well i have to agree with you at the bottom we found a stray hedgehog in the middle of a field in the middle of the day and it had 6 huge tics, so i looked on here and we used the one where you very slightly pull them then turn it anticlockwise the gently pull them out!! i just hope he will be alright!!!!