For the first time in 2 1/2 years, we had to...

Remove a tick!! I last checked Ginger's ears on Tuesday and tonight, we decided to clean her ears anyway. Good thing, because there was a dog tick in it.

I stayed cool but inside I was freaking out!! It wasn't engorged at all but oh so gross looking anyway. We didn't have alcohol to "stun" it like I had read so I took the tweezers and pulled, held pressure like I read you should, until the tick released it's hold.

Well it didn't release! I got close enough to see though that it's head wasn't buried in her skin. So I pulled a little harder. And it came off along with a small section of skin.

Ginger was a champ, laid still for the whole thing. This is a dog who doesn't even like her ears touched in affection, she'll shake her head after you stop touching her ears!

We burned the little sucker first, then drowned it. Then we gave them bananas, one of their favorite treats.

I'm going out to get rubbing alcohol tomorrow, since I'm reading if you spray them with alcohol it will stun them and they'll let go.

This, from just our normal walks. No woods, just a couple of weedy areas but mostly nice manicured areas. We use Bug Off Garlic and usually double the dose come summer. We hadn't started doubling yet but we will now! I guess we should consider ourselves lucky we've gone this long, considering we're in parks and ticky areas often.

Anyone have other tried-and-true ways to get dog ticks off safely?

Message edited 6/3/2011 9:35:52 PM.

Re: For the first time in 2 1/2 years, we had to...

My suggestion would be to check them daily so you can try to find them before they latch on. A flea comb will take them right off the fur if they haven't attached yet. Just go over both dogs once a day with the flea comb, that's what I do with Riker, especially if we've been somewhere I think he might have picked some up. Especially around the head and neck run it through a few times. It works great. It takes an extra five minutes a day during the season but for me I much prefer it to topical or oral preventatives with all the chemicals they contain. It also helps to take out the loose hair on the dogs which is a lot right now! By the way, Riker has been asking about play dates....

Re: For the first time in 2 1/2 years, we had to...

Wow thats something!!! Thank God you read about it .. I would have been googling it while it was in her ear.. Thank God you found it !! I am going to buy Alcohol also just in case.. Thanks for sharing! How big was it? I have never seen one in my life.. Ginger is such a good girl!!!

Re: For the first time in 2 1/2 years, we had to...

It's already so bad this year, I've removed two from our lab. It's going to be a long summer of tick checks that is for sure.

Re: For the first time in 2 1/2 years, we had to...

Thanks ladies! I do have a flea comb somewhere. We use the Kong brush a lot and the Furminator sparingly, but could add the flea comb to the mix too. Ginger's coat is nice and thin, really easy to notice anything unusual. Brinkley (like Riker) is a liiiiittle more challenging!

Diana, it was less than 1 millimeter long, very small really. I was very happy to see it wasn't larger, or engorged. It's really easy to tell the difference between a dog tick and a deer tick (which can carry Lyme) once you know what they look like. So I wasn't that freaked out. But I'm the kind of person who researches everything to hell, so I know what I'm doing when the time comes. Even doggie Heimlich Maneuver and CPR.

Re: For the first time in 2 1/2 years, we had to...

I just give Misty a thorough check when we get home or to the car. I've found 2 or 3 so far this year and since I check her right away, they haven't even had a chance to latch so I just take them off and squish them.

It is going to be a tough year with ticks cuz it's been very warm very early.