Help, how do I get rid of a tick in Charlie's ear? It's still red and small and he won't let me use the tweezers. Helen
Re: TICK in Charlie's ear Get some insect spray/fly spray and spray it liberally on a cotton bud (q-tip). Then paint the tick with it. That will kill it within half an hour. You don't need to pull it out as long as it is dead.
Re: TICK in Charlie's ear Awsome info !!! Glad this was posted...Last time I had issues with ticks I had McQueen fitted with a tick collar and ointment..Turns out the tick preferred my son !
Re: TICK in Charlie's ear You can spray ticks directly with fly spray but the q-tip painting method is a little neater and less scary for the recipient (the dog or son, not the tick). Use a spray that's labelled as being designed to wipe out flies or spiders fast - like something labelled as a knock-down spray or something with permethrin in it.
Re: TICK in Charlie's ear Well, sorry to say that Rachael's tip is directly opposite to what we hear here in Germany (where we have LOTS of ticks). We are told NOT to put fly spray or similar on to them, as it makes the ticks spit in defence and can cause them to put out more bacteria etc into the blood stream. Either use a tick tweezer to remove, or else get your fingernail and thumbnail around the tick as close to the skin as you can, twist and pull gently, it will come out. I know, I have removed hundreds of the little blighters over the years. Then apply antiseptic ointment to the area. It is definitely important to treat your dog with tick ointment, especially in areas where there is lots of wildlife. Labrina, in your case I would DEFINITELY treat McQueen, as what you don't want is him picking up ticks and then the ticks wandering on to your son instead. Not all ticks carry disease, but they can carry really nasty ones. So it is best to treat dogs in advance (in my opinion), and then remove any ticks as soon as possible. And I would also definitely remove dead ticks. If you leave the head in, it can cause an infection. Not meaning to be alarmist, but it is what I have heard over the years...
Re: TICK in Charlie's ear It is safe to use a pyrethroid or permethrin based aerosol fly spray to kill ticks. They won't inject more poison as a result. You should not use things like methylated spirits or turpentine or eucalyptus oil or anything else. But a fast acting fly spray is fine. From the Uni of Sydney's Department of Medical Entymology (it's referring to ticks found on humans but the method is the same for dogs http://medent.usyd.edu.au/fact/ticks.htm "Tick Removal If a tick is detected that is attached, never attempt to place any chemical such as methylated spirits onto the tick, nor should it be touched or disturbed, as the tick will inject saliva into the skin, which could make the situation worse. Rather the tick should be sprayed with an aerosol insect repellent preferably containing pyrethrin or a pyrethroid (if a repellent cannot be found which contains a pyrethroid, then Lyclear, a scabies cream containing permethrin will work fine). The combination of hydrocarbons and the pyrethrin acts as a narcotic and a toxicant, and prevents the tick from injecting its saliva. The tick should be sprayed again one minute later (or dabbed with the Lyclear) and left. After 24 hours it should drop off naturally or be gently removed with fine-tipped forceps. It is normal for a tick bite to remain slightly itchy for several weeks, however if other symptoms develop, then a doctor should be consulted immediately." Edit: This does recommend spraying, rather than dabbing with a fly-spray laden q-tip, on the grounds that the hydrocarbons in the aerosol will help to disable the tick and also because direct contact may cause the tick to inject saliva. I've used the sprayed q-tip method on ticks without a problem (e.g. when I had a tick on my neck and nothing to pull it out with and didn't want to squirt fly spray directly at my own face) but I guess spray is best if possible.
Re: TICK in Charlie's ear Here is what BADA UK have to say about tick removal. This link doesn't mention fly spray but says ticks should only be removed with tweezers or the tick removal tool, as anything which causes stress to the tick may cause it to inject its stomach contents into the 'victim'. Pippa
Re: TICK in Charlie's ear Hope you managed to remove the little blighter Helen . Ironically , within an hour of reading this , I found one on Sams thigh : We bought one of those little tick removal tools that Pippa mentioned from Pets at Home , its really easy to use too , brough the damned thing out in one, legs still wriggling, horrible
Re: TICK in Charlie's ear Only Frontlined them both 2 weeks ago, but I guess it's working as found 2 dead tiny ones on Charlie, so I think the one in his ear will drop off soon. I have the tick tool and tweezers but when it's in the ear... Thank you for all your information, it will come in handy next time. Helen xxx
Re: TICK in Charlie's ear Gosh, thats confusing now. As far a humans are concerned, the incidence of Lyme disease reporting has quadrupled over the last 10years - some of this may be related to increase in awareness and reporting rather than increase in the actual incidence though. Almost 1,000 human cases last year. Most cases are reported in July August and September - I think peak UK breeding period. "Cases have been reported from most counties in England and Wales, with infection occurring most frequently in Exmoor, the New Forest, the South Downs, parts of Wiltshire and Berkshire, Surrey and West Sussex,Thetford Forest, the Lake District and the North York Moors". And of course the Scottish Highlands, although there is also increasing incidence in Tayside over the last couple of years. "Of cases with a definite travel history, most have been acquired in the United States, France, Germany, Scandinavia and other northern and central European countries, and most occurred in holidaymakers". Hmmm....think this covers a fair number of the forum member locations. As a repellant for humans, DEET products are best, but not for dogs of course. Most of the advice relies on prevention and mechanical removal rather than using chemicals and sprays to kill. Some researchers consider that application of creams or volatile oils to cover a tick and force it to detach may increase risk of borrelial transmission, as it could stimulate the tick to regurgitate potentially infected material. Personally, I think I would be wary of anything but mechanical removal. Think I would stick with my O'Tom Tick Twister. Jac
Re: TICK in Charlie's ear Okay so now this is getting confusing...I actually used my fingernail to get it out of George's back...slowly and carefully. Mind you Mc had nothing to do with it..I had him checked ..THEN took the immediate measures because most onlookers of course pointed towards Mcqueen and stepped back as though running from the plague. The fact that George was walking about mile high dry grass couldn't have anything to do with it did it? LOL Anyway ...looks like it's time for me to get a remover...
Re: TICK in Charlie's ear I think that the one thing that is almost universally agreed on is to avoid squashing the tick's body (because this can lead to more saliva/toxin getting injected by the tick). If you are not going to kill the tick before removing it, then, remove it with fine tweezers right down near the skin, or a tick twister. Sometimes ticks can be in hard to reach or sensitive places - like between a dog's toes - and swift removal without aggravating the tick is extremely difficult. So that's when I would be interested in killing the tick before fiddling round with it. Application of anything other than a fast-acting fly spray or permethrin-based product is definitely to be avoided. They do not paralyse or kill the tick - they just annoy it. Same with holding a hot match to the tick - that doesn't work either.
