Ewww ticks

[alibob238]

Yuk. Sparky has never had ticks leeching off her before but this week we have found one on her twice. Do you get different coloured ticks, do the different colours tell what sort of a tick they are? She had a grey one on her eyebrow on Monday, which was fairly gross, but today I found a horrible yellow/orange coloured one with black legs. EW!!!! My mum touched it by accident and it's legs were scrabbling arround. It was soooooooooo gross!!!!!!
Anyone know anytihng to deter them from eating her?

[Monkey]

keep an eye on the bites.. the infected area so it doesnt swollen etc since ticks are carrying a lot of nasty deseases.. *iks*
Hope she does good though!! Good luck!

[princess puppies]

put a tick collar on her if she has a thick coat shave around her neck because if its not touching her skin it will not work. yes you can tell what type of tick it is by whta colour it is i dont kno all the different types but. if you want to know wha type of tick it was well you should probably ask your vet about the different types and how to identafy them .
As long as u got all of the tick out then she will be fine unless it was a tick that was dangerous . it can be hard to get all of the tick out becasue if you leave the head in it will still hurt the dog .
My dog had a tick that was dangerous and she nearly died and she had a tick collar on but we diddent put it on tight enough so it diddent work . She should be fine aslong as u got the head out. Has she beeen hanging around other dogs latly or playing in the long grass they are the most likely ways she would have got the tick . sorry for the long post if u need any more info i will try to help as much as possible .

[borzoimom]

I use frontline, and havent seen any. The problem we would have with ticks is lyme disease. With Hotties condition, it would be difficult at best to see if he had it, verses just have a lame stiff day. For this reason, I consider using this a necessary evil. You can get it from your vet or on line like at Fosters and Smith. Flea collars had make a rash around the neck and the toxin is constant.
Besides the front line- try other things. When the dog comes in from outside- brush the dog. Usually you can get them off before the ticks had time to attach. Also reducing time outside as well. Here is a link about types of ticks etc I hope you find helpful. http://www.pestproducts.com/ticks1.htm

[KatzNK9]

I'd use Frontline or Advantix as ticks carry lyme disease. I'd also ask your vet about vaccinating your dog for Lyme Disease. Better safe than sorry.

[Jake2006]

Lyme Disease MUST be diagnosed with the aid of clinical symptoms (up to 50% of sufferers do not remember the tick bite or any specific bulls-eye rash) current ELISA and 'Western Blot' blood tests are simply not reliable enough for a definitive diagnosis. If you have a negative blood test for Lyme this categorically does not rule out an active borrelial infection. See the Burrascano article below for a detailed explanation.

Any practitioner, including your local hospital microbiologist, who rules out lyme disease purely on a negative blood test is not up to date. The annual CPD approved Tick-borne Disease Conference is held each June and would be a great way for any proactive practitioner to update their knowledge

So having got that out - here's the essential information
Tick-borne infections in the UK are not limited to 'hot-spots' like the New Forest and are countrywide

Lyme Disease is not new to the UK, it has been here since at least the 19th century, but incidence has certainly increased due to a growth in tick numbers

You do not have to have been bitten by a tick attached for 24 hours to contract the disease, Borrelia is present in infected tick saliva and not just the gut contents, poor removal can cause regurgitation of stomach contents of the tick into the unfortunate host

Not all ticks carry Borrelia, you can be bitten by a (relatively) healthy tick (major studies in US only so far)

Early diagnosis from a bite and adequate treatment should lead to a good recovery, again we are still defining 'adequate'

Up to 50% of people diagnosed do not remember being bitten by a tick or any special bite mark

A long standing infection cannot be 'cured' with a few weeks (or even months) of oral antibiotics, we are dealing with a 'stealth microbe' that may need many months of treatment just to allow the patient a better quality of life, reducing bacterial load should be the initial aim of any treatment and you will certainly need a course of IV treatment if you have associated neurological or joint problems

Never give steroids or any other immunosuppressant to any patient who may even remotely be suffering from Lyme, or serious, permanent damage may result

Lyme Disease is multi-systemic and cannot be ruled out before a diagnosis of ME/CFS or any fatigue syndrome is reached

After a tick bite, Bb undergoes rapid hematogenous dissemination, and, for example, can be found within the central nervous system as soon as twelve hours after entering the bloodstream. This is why even early infections require full dose antibiotic therapy with an agent able to penetrate all tissues in concentrations known to be bactericidal to the organism.

Here's an excellent link:

http://www.ilads.org/burrascano_1102.htm

I'm going to try and find some images of ticks in the Uk - I'll post them when I have them

[Jake2006]

EUREKA - take a look at ths

http://www.bada-uk.org/gallery.html

just click on the image and it will enlarge.

Much as I hate it, if you dog has ticks and I was a vet - I'd have to suggest an org-phosphate like Frontline (wash my mouth out). Having said that I've only used it once in a year for Jake. I find that Neem 40 shampoo keeps him free of parasites and it does his coat the world of good. It contains only natural ingredients such as Natural conditioners with citrus extract, Shakakai (soap pod), Amica, Mulethi, Coconut oil. Neem

http://www.neemgenie.co.uk/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=PE03&Category_Code=007&Product_Count=6

[Udon'tknowme]

You need to be sure when you remove the tick (if it is attached )to remove all of the tick. The best way I know is to use tweezers. If the whole tick is not removed it can become infected. Their little heads like to break off! Eeww!

I have had lyme's disease myself. I was lucky because I found the tick and when my hubby (the microbiologist) removed it he saw the bullseye rash and I went to the doctor the next day and was put on antibiotics for 30 days and did not have any health problems from it. The mini schnauzer that we had at the time also tested positive for it so she also was put on meds.

Ticks are gross!

[alibob238]

ok, i knew they were gross, i didn't know they were THAT gross!
I'm a bit worried now, Sparky had a hard lump come up as soon as the tick was removed (I know we got it all since we could see its head) And she ha a reddish mark all around the bite........is that a bulls eye rash? Kind of strange as earlier she looked like she had a bald patch around it, I've jst gone to check it and it's all furry now. weird!!! I can't see a red mark all around it now just a bite mark
sound like a vets job or is it normal?
Thanks for all the advice

[Udon'tknowme]

Don't panic. The rash that I had was pretty obviously a bullseye. That is exactly what it looked like, no question about it. Secondly, the rash stayed there for about 3 days. It did not go away soon after the tick was removed. The lump sounds just like a reaction to the tick bite. I would ring the vet and talk to them. They certainly know more than I. The good news is that even if they want to check for lyme's disease it is a simple blood test. And, last but most importantly, if it is lyme's disease, if treated early (with antibiotics) there are no long term health concerns. I think the chances of lyme's is pretty small but I would check with the vet. I grew up in the country (I'm almost 49 now) and I have had countless ticks on me and only lyme's disease once.:D

[ritabooker]

by Jake:
"EUREKA - take a look at ths

http://www.bada-uk.org/gallery.html (http://www.bada-uk.org/gallery.html)

just click on the image and it will enlarge."

Yikes! Now I'm for sure going to have nightmares.