Removing a tick

[Tilly2]

My GSD has a tick on her ear and I tried to remove it by massaging the tick in a circular motion to make it lose it's grip. This has always worked in the past.

Unfortunately, I was a bit too rough I think and the thing started to bleed. I put some tee tree oil on it but now, this morning, she has a scabby lump on her ear.
Now I'm thinking, maybe it wasn't a tick, but some sort of 'pimple'. It looked like a tick, though.

If it is a tick. Have I killed it by bursting it? Will it drop off? Should I have another go at removing it?

[naomi24]

If you've 'burst' the tick, I'd say it's dead, but it needs to be removed and I'd take the dog to the vet. If she gets a tick in future, don't try to remove it. Just smother it with a great dollop of Vaseline. The tick will suffocate and drop off.

[Tilly2]

Thanks, naomi. I'll try the Vaseline method next time. Horrible things.

[woofgang]

Be careful. current research says that anything that stresses the tick will cure it to squirt its stomach contents into the host increasing the risk of lyme disease of the tick is carrying to, also general infection risk. Apparently being coated in vaseline is a stressor. the best way to take a tick out is with an o'tom remover
http://www.otom.com/how-to-remove-a-tick
the other thing which increases the risk is squeezing the body of the tick.

[woofgang]

not "cure" "cause"

[Tilly2]

Thank you woofgang. It looks like I will have to take her to the vets, after all.

[Bambiagain]

I know a lot of people say Frontline doesn't work for fleas nowadays, but it's what I use against ticks and it does work. There is no need to remove a tick the dog (or cat) gets as it dies and drops off due to the Frontline. There are so many ticks here that it would be economic suicide to have to take an animal to the vet every time it gets a tick. There are special tweezers you can get to pull them off (vets sell them) or it is possible with the fingers if you know how (I've pulled them off myself with my fingers, too). The horses have so many that a daily tick check can reveal double figures of the nasty little things. The worst thing is to pull part of it out and leave the head in.

[Tilly2]

I don't know what I've managed to do. She now has a scabby red shiny lump on her ear.I have put tea tree oil on again this morning. I'm now concerned about her getting lyme disease. Does the annual booster injection cover lyme disease?

[woofgang]

No, its an infection and needs a blood test and antibiotics. Don't panic, mine have had loads of ticks and never lyme disease in the uK. Keep and eye on the lump and if it doesn't go away then pop to vets. Do you use a tick killer/repellant treatment as a matter of course?

[Tilly2]

I do yes, woofgang. I use Frontline as well. No fleas but the occasional tick.
My Staffie has never had a tick in six years. The GSD gets one or two a year.

[woofgang]

If I didn't use scalibor collars on mine, they would get about 4 to 6 a day EACH during the summer.!!

[Jules001]

my dog had a spate of getting ticks for a while, we removed each of them with the tick remover tool, but every time after removing them, he developed a sort of blood blister where the tick was, I asked my vet about this and he said it is a normal reaction to the tick as the tick obviously introduces an anti-coagulant to keep their meal flowing and that it wasn't anything to worry about as long as this lump/blister didn't get infected.

[Tilly2]

Thank you, jules. I'll keep an eye on her and see what happens.