Yucky ticks :((

[Teresa]

Barney has never had a tick in eight years - apparently there are lots about this year.

On Saturday i found rather a large on near the top of Barneys tail... When I brushed him this morning it had disappeared...very strange??

We've just come back from walking this morning and I've found another near his eye it's small and brown at the moment but has legs - yuk

They make my skin crawl. I'm fine with most creatures but these rank with slugs on "yukiness"

Off to the vet for a tick remover now I think

[*Pauline*]

It should be quite easy to twist it off now while it's still little. Twist anti clockwise.

[Teresa]

I did it Barney was really good too!! I did twist the wrong way first but then sis it right lol

Ticky is now living in my wheelie bin!!

The vet nurse said the other one may have detached itself when full, I hope so !!

[Brian M]

Hi

After reading all these posts about horrible ticks I treat ever month with Frontline but as we are away the middle of July up in The Lakes and again middle of August somewhere in N Yorkshire and both places are out in the country I ordered lat night two 4 packs of Advantix as this from what I have read seems to offer the best anti tick treatment .They do look horrible things but so far I have never seen any , but I have also bought a pack of those tick twisters removal things just in case we do come across any .

[Wagtails]

The trouble with the tick twister removal thingies is that it's very easy to leave the mouthparts still in the dog and then they can get lumpy granulomas develop, which can takes weeks to go away again.

I've always found surgical spirit is very good at killing ticks (I think it suffocates them) and then they shrivel and drop off naturally. Obviously you can't use it anywhere near eyes and it does sting a bit for a few seconds, but it's easily available and fairly cheap

[James]

I use a thing called a trix tick remover and have used it twice this year on Ben within the same week in May. It is easy to use, I have never tried the more common otom type removers.

I now keep him away from long grass or woodland until the threat of ticks has gone.

I do not use chemicals on him as one that I got from a vet burned a 2" hole in my old Toby's skin .