Dog Community

Help Me Remove A Tick!!!! Please!!

Posted : 1/2/2007 4:20:17 PM

Hopefully someone will answer rather quickly. My dog has a tick and usually my husband removes them. He is out of town and unfortunately I have to buck up and take on the task. I have never done this so this is a big deal. If someone could help me out with this and just tell me how I would appreciate it. If no one responds quickly I will work on it myself.

I would also like to know what to look for after and if I should go ahead and take him into the vet as a precaution or wait for symptoms, if any, of Lyme disease. We don't have much Lyme disease here in north Florida but we have had a few cases.

Just a little background. The dogs have had their heartworm meds but I neglected to give them additional flea and tick stuff before we went on a camping trip. Yes, I was kicking myself for that. I had had my other dog on Revolution but when we adopted another dog I put them both on Heartguard, hence the lack of flea and tick stuff. My intention was to medicate them BEFORE the trip.

Haleigh

Posted : 1/2/2007 4:27:55 PM

First, pour on some rubbing alchohol. This alone will take of the tick. If not, grasp the tick w/ tweezers and twist off. Make sure to get the head...If left on, it will expel its blood and guts and when it contaminates the wound, thats when the dog gets Lymes disease.

Don't bother w/ the vet: they'll be fine. Just was the area really good when done.

Vita Wright

Posted : 1/2/2007 4:35:18 PM

Excellent! Thanks for the quick reply. The tick is big and gross looking so I want to do it without smooshing it.

darren cook

Posted : 1/2/2007 4:39:16 PM

You can also try a big blob of vaseline over the entire tick its cuts off the air to the tick so that it has to release [

] has worked for me in the past, you can also get special little tick tweezers that grip over the body so as not to burst it so that you can grab the head and jaws section to remove it easily

Haleigh

Posted : 1/2/2007 4:39:37 PM

your welcome. just be careful not to squish it or squeeze it too hard!

Vita Wright

Posted : 1/2/2007 4:57:21 PM

Well the task is done. I had given them their flea and tick medication when we got back from the camping trip thinking that if there were any residual bugs on them it might do something. That's why when I saw this tick I thought it didn't work. Well, I swabbed it with alcohol and it just fell out. It was either dead or dying probably from the incecticide and the alcohol just finished the job.

Anyway, thanks everyone for your help. This was new for me. My other dog NEVER gets fleas or ticks. Even when she is not treated. I guess she doesn't taste good! LOL! I will try to remember the flea and tick stuff for the next camping trip!