Arrrgh, I hate living in the country

GypsyNBeau

Oh, and he's been scanned for a microchip, and they apparently detected something...but said it was encrypted?  What does that mean?  Could he be chipped, and their scanner just can't read it? 

Sounds like he has an AVID chip and the scanner can detect, but not read, AVID chips.  I would call around and see if you can find someone with an scanner that can read AVID's proprietary encryption mechanism. 

I would go ahead and apply Frontline now.  Your vet may be able to give you a mild sedative that will calm him enough for you to work on getting the ticks off his body, while letting Frontline take care of the ones on his tender face.

One of these would help with tick removal:  http://tickremover.com/

janet_rose

GypsyNBeau

Oh, and he's been scanned for a microchip, and they apparently detected something...but said it was encrypted?  What does that mean?  Could he be chipped, and their scanner just can't read it? 

Sounds like he has an AVID chip and the scanner can detect, but not read, AVID chips.  I would call around and see if you can find someone with an scanner that can read AVID's proprietary encryption mechanism. 

Great, I'll make some phone calls tomorrow.

janet_rose

I would go ahead and apply Frontline now.  Your vet may be able to give you a mild sedative that will calm him enough for you to work on getting the ticks off his body, while letting Frontline take care of the ones on his tender face.

One of these would help with tick removal:  http://tickremover.com/

Stupidly, I gave him a bath today, before going to buy some Frontline.  Now I have to wait to apply it.  Probably should have skipped the bath.

GypsyNBeau

Stupidly, I gave him a bath today, before going to buy some Frontline.  Now I have to wait to apply it.  Probably should have skipped the bath. 

Read the instructions to be sure, but I think you can go ahead and apply the Frontline.  It will just take longer to spread over the dog's body since that spreading process uses the dog's body oils.

 yay for you to do the right thing for this cutie

Boo for the buttholes that dump dogs 

I don't think you have to wait for the Frontline - Good luck!

Well I learn something everyday here!  #1- I didn't realize AVID encrypted their chips to only be read by their scanners!  HOW does that help the dogs?  Bad AVID Bad!!!  #2- I didn't realize you should wait after bathing to apply Frontline.  I always apply it the day after baths.  Now I know better.  Sounds like putting it on a greasy dirty dog would work better.

That poor dog, thank goodness he found his way to you and has guardian angels standing by ready to help him find a happy ending.  What a face!  Bless you! 

I've never tried this but I've heard it works.  Get a dropper and a small bottle of vodka and drop a few drops of vodka on the ticks and it's supposed to make them back out.  The other one is to drop a drop of clear nail polish on the tick  -- it makes it so they can't breathe (the acrylic)

I think I read somewhere that suffocating the tick is actually worse than just pulling them off, because while suffocating they regurgitate their stomach contents into the host, or something equally nauseating.

I live in CT - tick central - so I feel your pain. We don't have these monsters in So Cal, where I grew up... they make me CRAZY! 

Callie you have that partially correct.....  the nail polis does work, I have also used simple tweezers ( we got 67 ticks on the Hubs, Myself and 3 dogs in ONE weekend in Arkansas   ...                              

The trick with the Vodka is Drink IT while de ticking the dog then you will not feel soo grossed out !!   

Bonita of Bwana

Our chocolate lab, Monroe, was at the vet last week for his annual stuff and because I had found a bump on his back leg.  It looks like it could be similar to this dog's bump but not as visible.  Monroe also has callouses on his elbows from lying on hard floors (crates, hard wood, bathroom floors) which he does by choice.  I find that most choc labs start going grey around the muzzle at 5 or 6 years.  This dog might be younger than you think.

It was really easy to test as the vet just inserted a needle to take a bit of the inside of the bump, it turns out it's a lump of fat (yikes) and not dangerous or anything.

It seems that this beautiful, tick covered, lab has a collar mark in his fur.  I don't think he has been a stray very long at all, but obviously uncared for.

Poor lab, give him some ear scritches for me.

I know how you feel about living in the country.  My daily route to work takes me through a rural road with very few houses and I see dogs dumped on a regular basis.  A few friends live in the country and regularly have to deal with dumped dogs.  If you can catch these dogs and I have caught quite a few, then you have to deal with the dog.  Our local animal control is always full to bursting and all the no kill shelters have a waiting list a mile long.  The last dog I caught after two weeks of feeding her was a hugely pregnant pit bull.  She was an absolute sweetheart who is positive for heartworm.  Totally frightened of everything and everyone.  One of the vet techs I know took her home and whelped the puppies, four of six died.  She will hopefully find homes for the two survivors.  I don't know what will become of the mama dog she is not adoptable to anyone but a very experienced dog person willing and able to spend a ton of work to help her overcome her behaviour problems.

I hope the dog you saved finds a good home and I hope the people who dump their unwanted dogs have a special place all set up for them in HE**!!  I hope these peoples' afterlife consists of sitting on the side of the road looking at every passing car and hoping it's their owner coming back to get them. 

We used to live in the country and can sympathize with the issue of dumped animals, a real sad thing. Another problem is that many country dwellers with multiple dogs seem to think it's OK to let their animals run loose. I remember several beautiful purebreds being run over on the main road. Such a shame, and due to ignorant, uncaring owners. One "smart" dog, a hunting breed ran loose all the time and managed to stay away from cars for at least a year and then moved with his stupid owners to Texas.  I wonder how long the dog survived, I'm sure the owners didn't change their ways.

I hope your lab finds a wonderful, forever home. It seems a shame if he's returned to the owner who neglected him. Thank you for being his angel.

janet_rose

GypsyNBeau

Stupidly, I gave him a bath today, before going to buy some Frontline.  Now I have to wait to apply it.  Probably should have skipped the bath. 

Read the instructions to be sure, but I think you can go ahead and apply the Frontline.  It will just take longer to spread over the dog's body since that spreading process uses the dog's body oils.

I always thought you had to wait a day or two, but you are probably right...I was just assuming.

calliecritturs

I've never tried this but I've heard it works.  Get a dropper and a small bottle of vodka and drop a few drops of vodka on the ticks and it's supposed to make them back out.  The other one is to drop a drop of clear nail polish on the tick  -- it makes it so they can't breathe (the acrylic)

Callie, I've heard of using the clear nail polish, and also rubbing alcohol, among other things...but then I've also heard it's bad to use those methods because of the whole regurgitating issue Cita mentioned.

Bonita of Bwana

The trick with the Vodka is Drink IT while de ticking the dog then you will not feel soo grossed out !!   

Bonita of Bwana

LOL! 

VanMorrison

I find that most choc labs start going grey around the muzzle at 5 or 6 years.  This dog might be younger than you think.

Oh, I don't think he's OLD old, just not...young.  You know, mature.  :-) 

VanMorrison

 It seems that this beautiful, tick covered, lab has a collar mark in his fur.  I don't think he has been a stray very long at all, but obviously uncared for.

He actually was wearing a collar (no tags), I had just taken it off for his bath.  Good eye!  The vet seemed to think (as did I) that he had either been on the road awhile, or else, as you said, obviously uncared for.

JackieG

The last dog I caught after two weeks of feeding her was a hugely pregnant pit bull.  She was an absolute sweetheart who is positive for heartworm.  Totally frightened of everything and everyone.  One of the vet techs I know took her home and whelped the puppies, four of six died.  She will hopefully find homes for the two survivors.  I don't know what will become of the mama dog she is not adoptable to anyone but a very experienced dog person willing and able to spend a ton of work to help her overcome her behaviour problems.

That's so sad.    Hopefully someone will come along who would be a suitable owner for the mama dog.

DogsRMyLuv

Another problem is that many country dwellers with multiple dogs seem to think it's OK to let their animals run loose.

Yes!  That is the other thing that really gets me.  I hate seeing dogs running loose and not knowing whether they are strays/lost and need help, or if they live in the vicinity but are just allowed to run loose.  Do I stop and pick them up, or not?  It's so hard to know.

Oh, and I meant to add, it turns out that the vet *had* scanned him for an AVID chip...I just didn't realize it.  The first time they scanned him, it apparently said something about a "possibility of an encrypted chip," but then they scanned him again for an AVID chip and it said "chip not found."  I called today to make sure, before taking him somewhere else to be re-scanned.

Also, it is interesting how things work out sometimes.  A lady involved in rescue happened to have stopped in at the vet office for something yesterday, right around the time we brought him in to be scanned.  She was so upset at his appearance, that she told us later she actually cried after leaving the vet.  Anyway, she called us today to let us know that she had found him a foster home.  I know we haven't given it very much time to find his owners, so I am not sure if sending him into rescue is the right thing to do or not...but it's not really feasible to keep him very long, either.

In any case, it's always good to have options.