Tick

Round where I live ticks are a particular threat. I haven't had one, but we used to have cats and I often found them on them.

However, just over the river (Rhine) where our DS1 lives, they carry a horrific disease (Tick-borne encephalitis) and it is spreading our way. We went for a walk over there in the woods with DS1 and DS2 and all the DGC and one of the boys must have picked 12 ticks from his daughter.

So if you are ever in the Black Forest or anywhere further South of there, please be particularly aware of ticks.

Tick-borne encephalitis - Wikipedia
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tick-borne_encephalitis

Acording to the Internet (caveat emptor!) it does not matter whether you turn a tick clockwise or anti-clockwise as they don't have threaded necks!

Frontline works against ticks, fleas and lice on cats, so I suspect that their canine version does the same.

Prevention is definitely better than a cure when dealing with these beasts.

Some vets these days are too quick to prescribe strong chemical medications that can have very bad side effects. The chemical flea/tick medication recommended for my red lab puppy sits in the bloodstream for 3 months and can cause nerve/ neurological problems.

I don’t take medications myself so why would I give it to my dog? my previous lab went to a holistic vet in her last years ( she made it till nearly 14) and there are natural preventives that can be used. If I use a bought one it is usually something applied externally like Frontline.

Ellianne that's awful, thank goodness you were told the risks. Every medication carries some risk but if you can't trust your vet to give you good advice, who can you trust?

foxie that was what I was unhappy and a bit cross about. Bravecto was prescribed to my golden by my vet in London. Luckily I asked about it on my Cornwall Facebook group and quickly learnt it was not recommended. Phew.

Ellianne

^golden retrievers are known to be more susceptible to a bad reaction from Bravecto^
Yes, that is my breed.

I’ve always used Billy no mates which is a herbal prevention for fleas and ticks. Works really well as the blood is horrible and ticks are easy to remove.

Ellianne

^golden retrievers are known to be more susceptible to a bad reaction from Bravecto^
Yes, that is my breed.

Bravecto is prescription only via a vet so I doubt it would be prescribed for a susceptible breed. My vet talked me through the reasons she thought it was better for my dog than alternatives. It's expensive but I get it via my annual plan. I also get Milebax monthly, mainly because of lungworm.

golden retrievers are known to be more susceptible to a bad reaction from Bravecto
Yes, that is my breed.

Labs and golden retrievers are known to be more susceptible to a bad reaction from Bravecto but what a lot of dog owners don't know is that although Bravecto won't stop a tick attaching, it won't stay attached to the dog. If a tick is removed in the first 24 hours it is unlikely to pass on Lymes disease, which can be fatal. It is really difficult to find ticks in the first 24 hours as they will be tiny, so although using a tick remover works when the tick is swollen with blood, it is not a preventative to Lymes. Lymes can be extremely serious and difficult to treat as the symptoms can be very varied. Also ticks are not a seasonal problem, if the temperature is over 40f, ticks are active and so much more prevalent. Panacur can also cause side effects in some dogs. It's all about balancing risk. I now live in an area where we have deer (we get them in the garden!) and we frequently visit areas where there are deer but every dog owner needs to balance the risk themselves. I talked to my vet as well as going online and she said they see many, many more dogs with Lymes than they do with a reaction to Bravecto. Your dog, your choice!

Please be careful with Bravecto. I gave it to my border Collie and he became very poorly. Bloody diarrhoea, it went on for about 3 months. I took it back to the vets and got a full refund.
Look online and read up about it.
I have Finn on old fashioned Panacur, it's probably the safest one you can use. Granular or liquid and much cheaper than those awful tablets. Maybe that's why the vets don't tell you about it.
We live in country, and use a tick remover, wonderful things.

We are lucky I think as I have never seen a flea on our dog and as I said he only gets a tick about once a year I suppose.

We have had worming stuff from the vet but we never give him any flea or tick stuff, so he’s never had any chemicals at all except shampoo?.

Vile things! A tick remover is a godsend because it's so important not to pull and maybe cause part of the tick - like the head - to be still embedded in the dog or cat's skin. That way they'll get an infection. The tick removers - ours come in two sizes in a packet - work by simply sliding the little fork 'tines' under and around the tick, between it and the dog, and then simply twirling it/pushing it around and around with the front of a finger. After a good twirl, no tick will hold on. I then drop it onto a tissue, fold over the tissue and stamp on it with my shoe. The resulting flattened beast then goes down the loo. The dog's skin at the site of the bite is then sprayed with antiseptic.

I know that ticks will drop off once they are completely engorged - but then where do they go? Horror! Although I hate it all, I just can't rest until they are removed and despatched.

merylStreep that is something you’ll never forget. Please elaborate more ? How did they ask you to remove it? How did it get there (normally ticks go for areas not covered by clothing) when did this happen? So many questions ?

The islands on Loch Lomond are hoaching with the things. I now tend to stay on board but if I have to go ashore I wear socks pulled up over long trousers and a long sleeved top, most uncomfortable in the recent really hot weather. I warn others to check themselves and their dogs daily. Most are completely unaware that the problem exists.

The vet gave me special tick removers which have been very useful. I even used it for myself on one occasion followed by the doc giving me special antibiotics which meant no alcohol and no sun for 3 weeks. If it was tipping with rain it would turn to sun as soon as I stepped outside! Felt like a vampire going out at night only!

Have you tried killing one when you’ve got it out? Very difficult to squish so I flush it down the loo. Probably get a septic tank full of them! They can live for a year with no host.

Removed my 50th tick of the year from my person today. Roe and red deer tramp through our garden and that helps spread them so every time I do any gardening they get me. Hey ho.

Midges are worse when it comes to pestiliferousness.

I once had to remove one from a male friends pubic hair area.
His wife was too scared to do it. Wimp ?

GrannyLaine yuck!

I took Bravecto back to the vet for a refund because our dog page on Facebook made me wary.

GrannyLaine

Ellianne when we lived in the Highlands one of our cats had one attached to his anus. Grim, but perhaps not as tricky as an eyelid

They can get them in their mouths too.

I had heard of whippets having adverse reactions to some tablets. For some reason I feel happier using a spot on flea treatment than a tablet but only use that very infrequently. I bathe her in stinky stuff flea treatment sometimes.

Ellianne when we lived in the Highlands one of our cats had one attached to his anus. Grim, but perhaps not as tricky as an eyelid

I'd also like to know why someone won't use Bravecto. I know some dogs react to it but it was recommended by my vet. I've been using it for two years now without a problem, deer are becoming very common in many rural areas and they carry Lymes disease, which I really want to avoid. So, more information please.

The worst place to remove them is on the eye lid. Very tricky.
There's a lot around on the moors and in the fields at the moment.

I keep meaning to spray my dog with Avon skin so soft which is supposed to repel fleas and ticks and is (I believe) dog safe. Need to start using it myself as well as had my first mozzie bite last week.

MayBee70

I’ve never had to deal with one thankfully but do have huge collection of tick removers just in case I do. Having said that I don’t really know how to remove one. Is it clockwise/anti clockwise? I don’t know why I’ve never come across one given that we walk in fields that have sheep and deer.

It depends if you are right handed or left handed, but either way is fine. You mustn't come back on yourself, just keep twisting.