Tick removal from best friend

[Dkevdog]

My Australian shepherd/retriever mix managed to find himself a couple of ticks while camping last weekend. With his long hair, it's not always easy to find 'em. The two I got tonight had been there for a bit. Nasty job to get them suckers out.



I use the ol' solder iron heat with a tweezers to yank em out, does OK, but I'm always afraid and unsure of getting them out clean. Anybody found a better way or easier method?





Kev

 

[Bigsaint]

Tweezers have always worked the best for me, though I know of others that recommend smothering the tick in vaseoline, the thinking is that it will back out. With the tweezer approach, becareful to ensure that you grab the tick as low as possible, to ensure that you remove it the entire tick, not just the tail end. After I remove the tick, I always dap the area with some rubbing alcohol and then apply a dap of Neosporin. Works for my dogs. Hope this helps.



Scott W.

 

[illflem]

Kev, when I lived in brushy CA many years ago I pulled hundreds of ticks off my dogs at a time. Found that flea and tick shampoo works well, especially for the ones you can't find. After that my dogs got flea collars, they keep ticks off. Are flea collars even available any more? Haven't seen one for quite some time, but here in the north we don't have fleas and few ticks.

 

[DieselDoghouse]

Ticks n' more ticks

Even if you can't get the entire tick remember only the mouthparts imbed in the skin, not the entire head. These will fester out. You may see a raw area there anyway, that's because the tick attached, not because you pulled it (they've done studies). Rarely you may find a lump in that area many weeks down the road the size of a pea. While any lump on our friends should be checked out, with a tick history that's the #1 suspect. Unsuspecting, we've even removed and biopsied these suckers only to have the lab tell us it's a tickbite!! Hope this helps. The 'experts' recommend wearing gloves during removal - if you squish 'em all the nice things they can carry (Rocky Mountain, Lyme, Babesia, etc) can get on (and in) you. I at least wash well after.

 

[nps]

Found that a pair of long-nosed needle-nose pliers work better than tweezers because you get a better look-see what you are going after, and get more gripping force to do the quick yank. Got a special pair that aren't used for anything else to ensure the jaws remain true.

 

[Newf Limo]

Dr. Andy to the rescue!

Finally something I can really help with! My better half is a veterinarian so I confirmed this info with her just moments ago. Just pull the ticks out with whatever you can grasp them with. She has small fingers so she can just grab them. You don't have to turn them counter clockwise a quarter turn (that assumes all ticks are left handed ) you don't have to chant incantations, burn incense or sacrafice the cat. Man, the crap we were taught as kids . It is possible that the head will remain in and there could be a small amount of inflammation due to the fact that there is a foreign body in the skin. Please note, a sliver does the exact same thing. The body will reject it or absorb it so don't worry about it. Using "Frontline" will help with the flea and tick problem. Now ask me how to re-build a rear differential, and I shall crawl back into my cave of ignorance!

 

[QRTRHRS]

I grab just a slight amount of skin with the tweezers when I pull a tick out regardless if it is on me or one of the dogs. Helps insure removing the mouth parts. The deer ticks can be tough to find. The "nympth" stage is about the size of a . , the adult about 1/8". Even though I don't find a lot of ticks on my property, last time I had the dogs in for a routine checkup, I spoke to the vet about vacinating for lyme. He said he does not see much lyme activiety in our area but for peace of mind, agreed with me since the dogs do get in the brush a lot. They first have to test the blood since once vacinated, will test positive. Dammed if one didn't test positive. So, we had to bombard him with antibiotics for three weeks. I know how the poor dog felt as I took Biaxin for six weeks for lyme.

 

[DHenry]

Sometimes (always, on one dog we had) a surface layer of skin in a 1/8" to 1/4" radius around the tick's attachment point (mouth) becomes almost thinly scab-like. The easiest way to describe it is like if you were to put a thin layer of white (wood) glue on your skin, let it dry, and pull on your skin around it, the glue will peel up around the edges where you can then peel it off. The dog's thin scab-like skin layer does the same thing. Just start peeling it up around the circumference and you'll be able to peel the whole thing off, tick and all, without even touching the tick. The tick's mouth comes out with the skin. Clean and disinfect the raw area underneath and it heals right up. Works for me anyway.

 

[JAnderson]

go to your local Army surplus or a gun show and buy a $2 pair of forceps. they are long, clamp on and lock. Easier to get the buggers. If it is alive,a little oil like vegatable or olive oil will get the tick to try to back out and also lubricate the skin so it is easier to remove. Just my past practice.

 

[merryman]

When you said tick and best friend, I thought of the time my wife and I had been out clearing some brush; after we came in she went to the shower. Pretty soon I heard some god-awful screaming and yelling----thought she was being murdered. I went running in and she started yelling, " get it off get it off".

There was a tick in her arm pit,; you would have thought it the end of the world. She was not normal for a couple days.

She still gets mad if I tell people about it.



Vaughn

 

[Dkevdog]

Vuaghn-



I'm sure she's real proud you just shared it with the TDR forums!



Kev

 

[merryman]

I would never have done it if she ever showed the slightest interest in reading this list. she thinks this "truck thing" is just another kid with his toy situation :>), hummm, maybe she is right.

Vaughn

 

[Bigsaint]

Originally posted by merryman

she thinks this "truck thing" is just another kid with his toy situation :>), hummm, maybe she is right.

Vaughn

Glad I'm not the only one



Scott W.

 

[rich m]

funny you should ask....

I have always just done the pinch-yank to my dawgz or myself, but for one of my kids, I use a freshly blown-out match-head (press the hot piece to the tick's body) and then a little veg-oil and remove with tweezers.



did some fishing back in Oklahoma last week, and got a 6-7 lb bucketfaced largemouth bass from a farm pond... . and some of the little parasitic bloodsuckers from the trees/grass... . to include one on my right bun and another on the ol' sac.



better look up the tick-borne diseases' symptom lists, eh?