Tick treatment

[annee]

Hi all,

Yesterday morning Prunella started to limp rather badly and wouldn't put her foot down so checked her but couldn't find any grass seed or similar but she really cried when i was touching her, so took her straight around to the vets who was amazed to find a tick attatched in between her toes (He said a very unusual place) anyhow he took out his tick remover and got the little blighter but poor Pru screamed the surgery down...very unlike her.

I haven't flea treated her for over a year now and she's not picked up one flea but now i need to do something to prevent ticks etc, the vet recommended a collar that protects against fleas and ticks for about 8 months, he said no chemical goes into the bloodstream so it would be fine for her but obviously i'm weary...i can't remember the name of it but cost about £34.

Any thoughts would be most welcome.

I gave her some Arnica for her bruised sore toe as she was still very sore last night although this morning she will let me touch her so she's obviously feeling better.

Annee

[Penel CIMDA moderator]

Mmm tricky.  I try not to use any chemicals on mine but sometimes you do have to bite the bullet and use something.  Did your vet mean a Scalibor collar?  I'm not that familiar with them but have friends who live abroad whose dogs wear them.
With ticks I just remove them and try not to worry... easier said than done I know.

[annee]

Hi Penel,

Yes, that was the name of the collar.

I don't think i could stand it if she had another one between her toes, her in so much pain was dreadful to hear.

I will research the collar and then maybe bite the bullet and get one.

I'm much happier when she has no chemicals going into her but living in the countryside unfortunately does have its downsides re ticks etc.

[Penel CIMDA moderator]

I agree - I probably remove about 6 a week between all 6 of my dogs - we live in deer/fox/rabbit country.  But, Lymes disease is very rare around here, so I have to weigh up the risks.

[gschellinger]

If I had to choose, given the fact that Pru and Lola both have had more than one incident of immune system dysfunction, I would try a natural remedy first. An essential oil spray may do the trick. Then if there were more ticks maybe make other decisions. After all, if this is her first problem, and her "other" problem was very difficult too, weighing the odds may be a good thing to do. Keeping her clipped will help locate the ticks better. A little combing at the end of the day. I do everything to avoid chemicals because I am like you, and afraid what they may bring. Good luck! Pesky ticks! My Bizzy was diagnosed last January with Lyme disease. Still, I do not use anything on my girls.
gail.

[annee]

Hi Gail,

Thank you for your info.

What do you use on yours as i'm not fully aware of natural remedies.

I have kept Pru very short since her last relapse as her hair all fell out anyway and she is far happier having it short.

She has only ever had one tick before and i managed to get that off her nipple by pouring frozen vodka on it which made it fall off, although pru's lips went very pale for a short while after....saying that though if id had frozen vodka poured on my nipples first thing in the morning i'm sure i'd have gone into a bit of shock too

[gschellinger]

LOL at your frozen vodka story...I use a combo of essential oils in water for bugs. I spray it on them if we go out in the evening, for mosquitos. I don't use anything for ticks. I did get one off Bizzy late last summer. It was a big one so I don't think it was the kind that transmit Lyme disease. But since she did get it in January the vet thinks a smaller carrier tick bit her in the fall. They are so small you can't notice them on a black dog. We live in town so there are less ticks, but they still do exist here. I don't take the girls out to the country so I don't worry about ticks so much. I know they can act as a trigger for immune disease so they are dangerous to our dogs. In all the years I have had Lola, I have found only two ticks on her. But again those small ones are hard to notice. I'm thinking it's more dangerous to use tick preps than to not, for us. It depends on your area and how many ticks you are finding on your dogs.

[Amshura]

Annee I got the following for tick removal from an American Afghan Hound forum, might be of help to you whilst making a decision on the  collar.


A School Nurse has written the info below--good enough

to share--and it really works!

"I had a pediatrician tell me what she believes is the best

way to remove a tick. This is great because it works in

those places where it's sometimes difficult to get to with

tweezers: between toes, in the middle of a head full of

hair, etc."
"Apply a glob of liquid soap to a cotton ball. Cover the tick

with the soap-soaked cotton ball and swab it for a few

seconds (15-20); the tick will come out on its own and be

stuck to the cotton ball when you lift it away.

This technique has worked every time I've used it

(and that was frequently), and it's much less traumatic

for the patient and easier for me.."
"Unless someone is allergic to soap, I can't see that this

would be damaging in any way. I even had my doctor's

wife call me for advice because she had one stuck to her

back and she couldn't reach it with tweezers. She used

this method and immediately called me back to say,

"It worked!"
=====================
Sylvia & the affis UK.

[annee]

Thank you Sylvia,

Thats such a good way if she gets one again and will certainly give it a go.

It was so traumatic for Pru (and me) and she is still sore today.

Thanks again.

Annee

[gschellinger]

I wonder if the tick Pru had was somehow close to a nerve. That would explain the degree of pain and discomfort she has had. I've removed hundreds of ticks from my dogs in years past and never had one that reacted like that. I think being between the toes would be a very sensitive place.