A lot of people are reporting tick bites at the moment so please take care. Check your dogs and yourself for ticks after walking. Lyme disease is a real risk both here in the UK and abroad. There is lots of excellent information on this website: http://www.bada-uk.org/ I will make this a 'sticky' for the summer.
Re: Be tick aware I've always used a pair of tweezers to get them off Rocket, but am wondering about getting a tick remover. Are the worthwhile or should I save my money?
Re: Be tick aware How about covering them in washing up liquid so they drop off? Does anyone know if that works, or if it's a myth? (I put 'urban myth' to start with - then realized that getting ticks off the dog is not exactly a very 'urban' problem!)
Re: Be tick aware This is what BADA has to say about applying solutions, though they do not specifically mention washing up liquid presumably if it is unpleasant enough to make the tick drop off, it comes into the same category You can buy their tick removal tool here
Re: Be tick aware Here we have paralysis ticks, which do what it says on the packet. They can kill a dog within a few days by causing muscle paralysis (meaning no breathing). They live in coastal environments and we are going to the beach next weekend. To prepare for the trip my dog has had Advantix spot-on. It contains Permethrin, which is effective against paralysis ticks for two weeks and normal ticks for four weeks. We will also check him daily for ticks by feeling all over but especially between toes, in ears, in his mouth, round the eyes, under eyelids and on the chest and forelegs (but they can attach anywhere). We have a tick removing hook and would use this to get out any ticks we find. If you don't have a tick removing tool you can grab the tick right at the base (ie where it is attached) with tweezers and pull it out sideways. You have to be careful not to squeeze the body of the tick. As an alternative you can kill the tick when it's attached but the important thing is to use something that will instantly paralyse the tick so that it won't pump any more toxin into the dog (or you if it is on you). This means using an insecticide based on Pyrethrin (the natural form) or Permthrin (the synthetic and longer lasting form of a Pyrethrin). It's recommended that you spray twice, 1 minute apart. Don't use kerosene or washing up liquid or anything else other than an insecticide designed to cause immediate death. Once you've sprayed the tick it will drop off by itself within a day or two. All permethrins are highly toxic to cats so don't use them if you or your dog are in close contact with cats. Anyway, you don't have paralysis ticks in the UK (and we don't have Lyme disease) but the above applies to any tick.
Re: Be tick aware In mouth and UNDER eyelids? Really? Do our home-grown ticks get that devious too? jac
Re: Be tick aware Aside from removing ticks with the tick twister, what other measures do you all take with your dogs? I'd be interested in members thoughts as I cannot use advocate.
Re: Be tick aware [quote author=drjs@5 link=topic=92.msg9006#msg9006 date=1364850573] In mouth and UNDER eyelids? Really? Do our home-grown ticks get that devious too? jac [/quote] I expect so. They are sneaky critters. If there was a tick under the top eyelid it'd be very obvious as it'd be intensely painful for the dog. If the dog was not showing irritation of the eye then I wouldn't be worried about checking under the top eyelid, only the bottom one. The worst place, though, is right inside in the ear, as you cannot easily see them, so I check in there with a small torch. It is important to physically check your dog all over. Even an anti-tick treatment like Advantix is not 100% effective, so physical checking is always the best thing to do, even if you have used a treatment. Here, most tick poisonings occur when dogs are treated and owners are then complacent about physical checks because they mistakenly think that the treatment will be enough. The good thing is that dogs usually enjoy being checked for ticks Basically you are just feeling the dog all over for tiny lumps and also doing a visual check of ears, lips, under the tail etc. On the treatment front, though, Frontline Plus covers ticks but it has different active ingredients to Advantage or Advantix and it is safe for use around cats.
Re: Be tick aware I use Exspot combined with daily checks during the high season for ticks (May/June).
Re: Be tick aware I'm unable to feel d ticks Pippa but Cooper is scratching wat to do I tuk him for a walk tdy in my street nd he was excited wouldn't come inside wen called but wen I removed d lead he ran away nd I found it difficult to get a hold of him I got scared nd thought he might run away he doesn't lyk the lead nd tries to bite it secondly he is hesitating to come wen I call or he is taking a cautious lyk approach lyk taking slow steps y does he do this wen I try to talk he barks I try to pet nd stroke him he snaps or tries to bite I'm worried pls help me I saw his littermate who lives nxt door to me he doesn't bite or bark or does wat my pup does y is this
Re: Be tick aware Teena Ann,think you have got away from where I can help you with Cooper.I haven't got the experience to help you,he is getting older,all I can say is to use everything Pippa has told you.You have to be organized and decide what you want to work on,then find her training article,some of which she has highlighted to you and work your way through them with focus and patience.There is no other way. I wouldn't want to offend you for the world but I always detect a bit of panic and chaos in Coopers routine.Im happy to hear that his littermate lives next door to you and his behaviour sounds more what you need from Cooper.Are you friendly with your neighbour?Could you go round and have a chat and get some help?see how your neighbour is handling a dog of the same age?I am learning with my first dog and I have spoken to a lot of strangers....some of whom have actually become dog walking friends and its so helpful to get advice from calm,experienced people with well behaved dogs.I believe you really want to train Cooper into a lovely dog but I also fear that some of the advice and suggestions you are getting from those around you are from people who don't have a modern understanding of dog behaviour....ie tying him up,startling him with a stick .By following Pippa's training advice you could be able to change that but you have to take action now,before it is too late and Cooper becomes too much for your inexperience.......he won't be a naughty dog,he will just be an untrained dog,but it will make his behaviour very hard to live with and that makes me very very sad for him. If you can't see any ticks or fleas,and his treatment is up to date,something might be irritating him.It could just be the heat but if you think it is excessive scratching I would get the vet to look at him. Best Wishes Angela x
Re: Be tick aware Hi Teena, I have split this topic and put your latest post under 'Greeting Guests'.
Re: Be tick aware hi all, Jack is my first dog so sorry if this appears to be a stoopid question Are ticks easy to spot? would i know if ive found one?
Re: Be tick aware I think if you are regularly handling your dog then they are easy to feel. It is good to be vigilant in tick season though and to do a regular check. I am a fan of the O'Tom Tick Twister (although *other tick removers are available* ;D ) This is a wee video from Youtube showing how to remove them and showing what the look like into the bargain! I think they wary in colour - here at home (Fife) we tend to have the pale bodied ones, but earlier in the year we were on the west coast near Skye and the ticks there were small and black. The longer they have been attached, the more engorged/larger they get. http://youtu.be/jIoCTWYJsvo
Re: Be tick aware Agh! I hate them! 11 ticks from one walk in the hills round Loch Katrine. Nightmare. One was right under Vespa's eye and another in her ear. It was awful. They're disgusting. The tick remover from the Green Welly Stop at Tyndrum is the best I've used but I can't remember what make it was. (Useless!) The wire loop from pets at home was rubbish. Yuk.
Re: Be tick aware The plastic Tom O'Tick Twister is the best in my opinion. Mine are green but I have seen other colours. Think I saw them at the Green Welly Stop too Early for tick season!
Re: Be tick aware Ahhh-the green welly stop. Always heralds a good day out/trip! The Loch Katrine walk was last year-it just sticks in my mind. Bleurgh. No ticks this year. Yet..
Re: Be tick aware I agree that ticks on a dog are unpleasant to find but for me they are not a big issue. Over the years, I have used various anti tick ointments which are expensive and do not work. Until recently I was obliged to use the ointment as part of the pets passport scheme but this is no longer a requirement. I check my dog regularly and whenever I find a tick I remove it with tweezers. Before you tell me that I run the risk of creating an infection by leaving part of the tick behind, this has never been a problem for me. I am also aware that the danger of ticks is that they carry infection (Lyme's disease) and are prevalent in long grass, particularly so in France. Ticks are not a concern for me as I am more worried about Leptospirosis to which Labradors are particularly vulnerable with their predilection for water. Roger
