Dog Tick Question

[Hound dog]

It was a scorcher this evening. Perfect time to wash the dogs. They've needed it for some time now, but either the temp dropped too low or it would rain us out.

(In winter they're scrubbed in the shower, but in summer I can't take all that hair ugh)

So we're soaping Molly down with flea soap in the little plastic pool. husband has got to get to those weeds in the back yard again as the poor baby is chewing herself again......

Get to her head, go to do her ears........And there is a tick on the inside, not down in the canal, but on the inside part of the ear. So, I grab the bottle of flea soap and read it to make sure it also kills ticks. Yep. So I stick a big gob of pure soap right on that tick. That ear was left until after the second lathering and rinsing to be rinsed. (Molly loves baths and is cooperative)

I'm waiting for her to dry before applying the Frontline Plus.

My question.......How long is it gonna take this stuff to kill that tick?

Because having it in the house bothers me even if it's attached to her ear. Ewwwwwwwww.

It didn't appear all the way embedded. Nichole wanted me to remove it with tweezers. And I could've removed it, but would've done so with very tiny needle nose pliers. (better grip) But I'm afraid it will leave part in her and I don't want her getting sick from it.

But I don't want it jumping onto one of us or Bruce either. (I've still got to go get Bruce's flea stuff)

 

[Hound dog]

Can someone please move this for me????

I thought I'd switched forums, but evidently not. This should be in watercooler.

See?? The heat's fried my brains.

 

[witzend]

What kind of soap, Lisa? Or what's the active ingredient? You should be able to google that active ingredient and find out how it kills the ticks. I think if it were me, and I was able to, I'd carefully pull it out.

 

[flutterbee]

I'd have to look it up, but I think Frontline Plus kills ticks, too? Not sure, but it seems that's what I've been told. Memory isn't so dependable, though.

I'm with Witz. I'd pull it, too. Just make sure you get the head out.

*shudder* I hate ticks. easy child used to be a tick magnet. They really creep me out. But then, most bugs do.

 

[Hound dog]

Yep. The frontline Plus also kills the ticks. And it's on her now and has been for a couple of hours. So I would imagine between that and the soap, it ought to do the trick. I just wondered how long it would take. Guess I'll look up the frontline and see.

The head is in there pretty darn good. It's a fair portion of the body that's exposed. And I'm afraid we won't be able to get this nearly 90 lb dog to hold still long enough for me to get it out right. Molly is an angel, and patient, but not that patient. Nichole would have to hold her while I did it, and she's just not strong enough to hold the dog.

I'll have to check her ear again in the morning. As it is, I can't get her out from under the kitchen table. The bath was enough for her, she's pooped. Poor ol' girl.

Just looked it up for the ticks.....24 -48 hours. So....I'm guessing the tick isn't bright enough to jump off??? (not sure whether to laugh or not here)

 

[donna723]

If it were me, I'd yank that thing right out! I wouldn't be holding a death watch for a tick! It could fall out and get on someone else! I've heard too that the original old blue Dawn dishwashing detergent kills fleas and ticks too, but I haven't tried it. It can't be one of the newer varieties in the different colors or fragrances, just the blue.

I don't know what your experience with the Frontline is in your area, but it didn't work as well here this year. The fleas seem to have built up an immunity to it. I've always used Frontline Plus on my girls and when the fleas started up here this year I put a dose on each of them. They only had a few but Ragan is allergic to fleas. They never completely disappeared off of them and they each still had a few, and then after a few weeks they started coming back. I still had half a bottle of the Frontline spray I bought at the vets last year and that worked better.

 

[Suz]

I'd yank it, too. I hate ticks- ewwwwwwww!!!

Suz

 

[Star*]

Daisy -

DO NOT YANK THAT TICK!!!! It could leave the head in.

IT DOES NEED to come off - any you can do that by lighting a match and blowing the match out and sticking the red hot match head on the engorged body of that tick -

If the head is in ? It will back out quick. If the head is not in? It will back out quicker. When you get it out - BURN IT. Get an ashtray, light some more matches and burn it to crispy.

Once the tick is out - and your dog is totally dry - THEN apply Frontline -

And by the way - Frontline is not 100% effective against ticks. She will still get them - and they will bite - but it prevents her from being covered...so you will still have to check her occasionally.

If she begins getting sick contact your vet.

 

[donna723]

I've always heard that if you dab a tick with clear nail polish, when it dries the tick will be smothered and it dies.

About the Frontline, it may work better if you wait two or three days after bathing them to use it. Our vet always says it works best on "dirty" dogs - after some of the natural oils on their skin have been replenished after they have been bathed.

 

[OpenWindow]

Our fleas have been extra resistant this year too, it seems. Our vet told us that the Frontline drops won't work on small skinny dogs like chihuahuas because they have no fat cells and that's how it works(?). It doesn't matter, though, because he is allergic to Frontline. So now we use De Fleas spray and BioSpot drops. Last year it worked, this year it doesn't. I'm going to try Dawn as soon as I can get to the store!

The tick - do what Star says.

 

[nvts]

We take a cotton ball and pour alcohol on it (rubbing alcohol). Then you hold it on the tick and the tick backs out of wherever it's attached. Just as an FYI, when a tick is totally engorged, there's a hole in its back end that it breathes through while its head is embedded in the dogs skin. That's why the hot match, nail polish, alcohol work.

DO NOT USE THE HOT MATCH WITH THE NAIL POLISH SOLUTION OR THE ALCOHOL SOLUTION!!! You don't want a flaming dog (with a tick still attached) running around the house!!!

Good luck!
Beth

 

[4sumrzn]

We have always used the hot match. Like the alcohol or nail polish idea though. Been pretty lucky around here the past few years......no fleas or ticks (knock on wood), just swarmed by mosquitos. Hope you got it out!

 

[Hound dog]

Tick is gone.

Thanks for the tips. I didn't want to do the match thing....Molly's to skiddish. But the alcohol was helpful.

Hugs

 

[flutterbee]

There have been some reports coming out that the fleas are becoming resistant or immune to Frontline. It's been out about 15-20 years (or so I heard) and the fleas' life-cycle is so fast that they quickly evolve.

I was talking about this today with the woman that owns our small town pet supply store. Before I moved into this house, I never had to treat my pets for fleas. Cassie went outside and of course the dogs did, but we never saw a single flea in the house or on the pets. Yet, I had to treat Jewel in December (!!!) when we moved into this house (I love my house - seriously, do). This woman was saying it's the neighborhood. That most everyone can be doing the right thing and treating their pets, but it only takes a couple people who don't and then walk their dogs or let their dogs wander (neighbor behind me comes to mind) the neighborhood and they leave fleas behind. Also, this neighborhood is older and more established where my last was new and still being developed so the earth had been disturbed.

Anyway, we started with Frontline. I switched the cats to Advantage because Abbey had a reaction to the Frontline. The Frontline was doing nothing for Jewel, so after 3 applications in 6 weeks (with the vet's ok), we switched to Advantage. It seems to work better, but she also has a flea allergy (which we never knew before because we never had a flea issue). As the fleas have to bite - or can bite - before they die from the Advantage, she reacts and she has a horrible hot spot on her belly.

The vet rx'd prednisone, but I know how I feel on prednisone and she can't tell me how she feels and I just didn't want to do that. So, I paid $21.00 for a 6 oz bottle called RediCare which is all organic, works as a repellent and soothes hot spots. I sprayed it on her hot spot and within just a couple of hours, it already looked much less irritated and she wasn't digging at it. And if she licks at it, it's not going to harm her. We will still use the Advantage, but I can use the RediCare without feeling like I'm just putting more chemicals in her body. Plus, it smells good. (It can also be used on people. She had her toddler with her (sleepy boy he was...it was nap time when we were there) and she uses it on him as both a repellent and for mosquito bites to soothe the itch.

But, at $21.00 per itty bitty bottle, I'm not using it as a repellent. And I'm going to look to see if I can find it online for any cheaper. I really want to support local business (this pet store is not part of a chain and the woman who owns it is so nice and helpful), but that'll have to wait until I have more money.

 

[GoingNorth]

There've been reports innumerable on Frontline immunity in fleas and Frontline has never been known for particular effectiveness against ticks.

Advantix for dogs repels ticks and mosquitoes as well as fleas....BUT...until it is completely dry it is toxic to cats.

If you use Advantix, it is IMPERATIVE that you keep cats out of contact with treated dogs for a minimum of 24 hours.

 

[flutterbee]

That is precisely why we don't use Advantix. It's supposed to be very effective, but is toxic to cats so we don't even go there.

We use Advantage.

 

[Marguerite]

Info from a former student of entomology and parasitology (and former farm girl):

For future reference - get the tick out ASAP. Do not bother putting anything on it. Instead, grip it as low as you can get, forceps against the skin. DO NOT SQUEEZE THE TICK'S ABDOMEN.

Grip as low as you can get, and pull.

If you break the tick and leave the head in - don't worry. It is best to not do that, but at least you got the rest of it and the head will eventually come out. You can also burrow in again after the head, anyway.

But generally, unless you're really ham-fisted, you will get the whole thing, head and all.

If you put something on the tick, you might just annoy it enough to make it salivate more. And it's the saliva that does the damage.

Ticks are not insects, they are arachnids, like spiders. Insect spray works best on insects. It does not work so well on arachnids unless it has been specially formulated. Arachnids have a breathing system similar to insects, PLUS a second respiratory system which gives them an advantage when it comes to coping with insecticides.

When a tick attaches, it begins to pump out saliva so it can keep feeding. Its saliva contains anticoagulant, to keep the blood flowing freely. It also is neurotoxic, which is what can make animals sick, or even kill them.

The rate at which an animal becomes sick depends on how big the animal is, how big the tick is, sometimes what kind of tick it is, whether it has buddies sharing the meal and HOW LONG IT HAS BEEN FEEDING.

Dabbing insecticide on the tick and waiting for it to drop off, is NOT a good idea. WHile you wait, the annoyed tick is pumping out even more neurotoxin, is maybe still hanging on despite the stuff you put on it, and more time is passing.

Symptoms of tick poisoning tend to begin in the back legs first as an unsteadiness, or a wobble. Then the weakness progresses to the front legs. Sometimes you can h ear it in the animals 'voice' before the paralysis is noticeable. A dog's bark can sound a bit hoarse, like it's got laryngitis. A cat's miaow can also sound a bit raspy. It's like they've had a night out on the tiles.

By the time the back legs are affected, if you haven't found the tick your animal is in big trouble. Get to the vet. If you HAVE found the tick, the animal should start to improve over the next day or so. There may be further worsening over the next few hours, because there is a delay in removing the tick, and peak of neurotoxin (another reason to remove the tick ASAP). If the animal is definitely worse next day, there is either another tick or your animal is vulnerable. Get to the vet for tick antivenin.

Exceptions to the usual pattern of paralysis - if the tick has embedded near a major blood vessel and/or near the neck, paralysis can be much faster and can also hit front and back at the same time. The hoarse voice is also an early symptom in tis situation.

I grew up in a high-tick area. We raised sheep and often lost lambs, especially. Occasionally we'd lose an adult sheep. To ONE tick. Trying to find a tick on a sheep is not easy, with all that fleece.

We often got ticks on the dogs and cats, too. We only ever lost one dog, although we had quite a few that got sick. I did see friends who lost pets to ticks. What with the sheep, and the dogs, I saw a lot of tick paralysis.

The methods for dealing with ticks have changed a great deal over the years. You used to have to put some sort of solvent on them (kerosene or turpentine), wait about half an hour, then remove it with forceps. There was also a lot of fuss made about dangers of leaving the head in place, but now it's been announced (our first aid books, latest editions) that it's not the problem it was once thought. The head usually comes out as part of a scab, in a day or so.

Ticks of the same breed are different sizes at different stages of their life cycle. What we call grass ticks are the hatchlings of Ixodes holocyclus (you have Ixodes species in the US, too). These are the nymphs and have only six legs. They are smaller than a pinhead.
With each blood feed they drop off, moult, grow and feed again. Each time they're bigger. The last stage are big, sometimes as big as your fingernail. When they're engorged they're even bigger. These are the ones we call bush ticks, scrub ticks, cattle ticks or shellbacks, in Australia. These are the biggest killers. Smaller nymphs can kill too, or make you sick, but the shellbacks are the more dangerous ones.

Burning a tick one it's off - at least it makes sure it won't get anyone else, nor lay eggs.

difficult child 3 picked up a load of ticks at school when he was 8 years old. They were grass ticks, but he had about 200, mostly form the groin and up. All through his scalp, too. I had to give him a crewcut to find them all. Then a few days later, he came home with another big load of them - another hundred or so. Again, from school. Other kids were getting ticks too. The school got gardeners in to mow everything back, prune a lot of trees, remove weeds and for a while, banned the kids from playing in the bushland.

A year or so later, difficult child 3 got a single tick near his eye. It was only there for about half an hour, but in that time his eye had swollen almost shut.

It's safe to remove a tick - safe for the person doing the removing, too. Just make sure you have a good pair of forceps, and don't drop the thing so it can go latch on to something else.

Marg

 

[Hound dog]

Heather

Revolution works really well on cats. It's what we usually use on Betsy because she's horribly allergic to the Frontline Plus. And the Revolution is cheap. Alot cheaper than frontline.

At the moment Betsy is trying Bio Spot for free. Thanks to a post on Mommysavers.com about free samples. 3 month supply. I've not used it before, but she is not itching now and has no side effects. I guess it's working.

Marg that makes me feel better to be able to get a tick I see out right away without worrying. We've been seeing alot of them this year. (I've got to get husband out to cut down those weeds in the yard again)

I might be able to bathe Rowdy by friday evening. Man, his fur is so darn dense attempting to spot a flea is hard, a tick worse. I can't even see his skin. But because he is outside, I've got this wonderful spray for him. Potent stuff. I know they say frontline doesn't wash off in the rain.....but they're full of it. And with the spray, I can re-dose Rowdy as needed without making him sick. Plus I can spray his kennel and dog house too. It's not cheap, though. And while I've used it on the girls, I'd rather not.

Oh.....and I hope to hades I never come across one of those bush ticks you mentioned. ewwwwwwww!

Hugs

 

[Star*]

And after Margs wonderful information - and NVTS' insight - I shall pass a tip on to you that a man gave to me when I first moved South -

Tip:

Never pet a burning dog.

 

[ScentofCedar]

Duct tape works even better than burning. Tear off a square and put the tick in it. Fold it up, and throw it away. If you see a loose tick (not yet embedded) lift it off with the duct tape.

Woodticks so s*u*c*k.

(Get it? Woodticks so ****?!?)



We were told that everyone in woodtick-infested areas should use OFF! or Avon Skin So Soft inside their ears. I have been awakened twice to woodticks crawling in my ear.

Disgusting, isn't it.

For fleas (which we don't have to worry about in Wisconsin, but which are a terrible problem here in Florida) this is what we have found helpful.

1) You are right. The Frontline Plus (which works great on ticks ~ at least in Wisconsin) does not work very well down here. Still, they say that is the best one and so, that is what we use. It DOES kill the fleas, and it does prevent them breeding ~ but whenever we walk the dog, he becomes infested again. We were trying the duct tape thing with the fleas for while, there. (They are very hard to catch ~ and even harder to stick to the duct tape!)

So, what we do is pick off the fleas we find on the dog (the cat won't let us near her) three or four times a day. I keep a small jelly jar with water beside me when I go over the dog, and drown the fleas in it.

Much easier than duct tape.

You need to catch the flea and not open your fingers until they are under water. If they swim back up, flick them down again, or they will jump out.

Fleas are terrible.

Also, cat boxes are a perfect breeding ground for fleas.

So, be sure to treat your cat too, if you have a dog who goes outside.

Barbara