First Tick Found

[Country_est]

Time to start watching out with the dogs, found the first tick of the season on my labs face this weekend.

 

Looks like the mild winter and warmer weather has brought them out early.

Problem is that the dog hasn't been any where near sheep since end of the pheasant season so it looks like its a deer tick. And for the last week or so due to doing the decorating he hasn't been anywhere the kids don't play.

 

Time to keep a look out.

Trev

[game_boy]

Any tips for getting the ******* out? I usually just pull the little sh*tes out with tweezers.

[Devilishdave]

I had one on my ballocks a few years backwhen I was living in Germany, I had been out for a bit of cross country running came back to the house for a shower and found the little tyke. he must have been lying in wait on the end of a blade of gras jumped on to my leg then climbed up to the warmest part for a bit of free B&B. Worst thing is that the part of Germany I was in was renowned for the dreaded limes desease. I beleiive if you get them off very quickly the chances of getting limes is greatly reduced. My wife was called to have a look as I could not see whare it was, all very undignified. She is a master at getting them of with a pair of tweasers she recons the secret is to get them right at the base whare they meat the skin and give them a little twist as you go.

 

The cats and dogs always used to be riddled with them out there and they were checked over religeousely.

 

Found the south of england to be much worse than the nort for them but thats just from my own experiance not saying it is a national treand.

 

Dave

[coney]

Game boy, Ive always used frontline spray on my dogs which i get from the vets, covers fleas ticks and lice. for the odd tick the vet told me to dip a cotton wool bud in frontline and paint it directly onto the tick, it adsorbs it then dies and drops off, that way there is no chance of leaving the mouth parts to go septic.

 

 

Regards Coney

[game_boy]

How much does that set you back a bottle ?

[coney]

not sure offhand, (in otherwords i will have to ask er indoors)i will find out and give you a pm when i know.

 

regards Coney

[HAMMY]

I agree frontline is the biz, but is expensive, and you should follow the instructions closely, Vets have a magic little tool for removing them sort of hooks over them and whips them out, probably availiable from somewhere.

 

Hammy

[Fisherman Mike]

Devilishdave....

 

You could always try the lighted cigarette trick but dont get too near to your plumbs..

 

Good old parafin and a small paint brush is good... the ******* shrivel up and fall off in a couple of days. ( keep the ciggy away from the parafined plumbs though mate)

 

Dont be tempted to pull them off as they leave the mouth parts in which can become septic and cause infection.

 

FM.

[Devilishdave]

The wife has always pulled em off and wee have never had an infection in me, the dogs or the cats.

 

Dave

[stoggieman]

R/E

Ticks

Found 2 on my jack russel last week. The area that I keeper has not

seen sheep for quiet a while both ticks were on her head she inspects every rabbit hole on my morning rounds We also had tick problems in Germany the doggy men use to use the ciggy method some said soak cotton wool in meths and apply to the pest they will shrink with the cold and come away clean within minutes.

I think this method is better than letting my wife loose on my wedding tackle with

a pair of tweezers. As you get older things shrink she may get the wrong item

 

Peter

[Devilishdave]

Here is an article I came accross to day by pure chance by the big fish who is the moderator at The field sports Debate

 

In 1975 in Old Lyme connetecut (America), they had large gardens which supported large numbers of deer and squirrels. Throughout the 1970's the children were contracting the disease in the town and Dr Willy Burgdorf isolated the bug that causes the disease and this is a spirocete bacterium which is twisted in shape.

When this was brought to light they started to look to other countries and found that it is likley to be found anywhere there are ticks present, i.e. Europe.

Most cases in the Uk have been found below the "wash" and are particularly in the New Forest and surrounding areas, also in Kent, Sussex and Devon.

Suspition of cases of lyme disease should be acted on quickly and inform whoever is treating the patient that the patient is at risk from the disease because of job etc.

The people at risk form this are: Gamekeepers, Deer stalkers, people who handle deer rabbits or squirrels, also people who live, work walk etc where ticks are present.

The amount of sheep ticks present in almost any countryside enviroment is beyond beleif.

The main reservoir of this disease probably lies in the various populations of small mammals in the countryside. Foxes have been known to have it and deer, cases have also been known in dogs.

Ticks need conditions of high humidity and are most active from late march to late may-early june and then again from august to october.

Ticks move up from the base of a plant to be picked up by mammals and then seek out a warm moist part of the body. The tick does not attach itself immediatley to the host, there is normaly a period of 12-24 hours before the tick starts feeding.

The tick has a hypostome with barb type things to prevent it from being pulled out. They produce a anti-coagulent (to prevent blood from clotting).

Ticks live for three years and then they mate. The eggs are not infected with the disease.

 

The most common sign of infection is seen and exists in about half the cases and is a bright pink/red skin rash surrounding the initial tick bite site which spreads.

This spread is called Erythema/migrams. It looks about the same size a ten pence peice and then starts to get bigger.

Other early signs are a flu like symptoms, i.e. fever, headace, aces or gland enlargments in the neck etc.

In the early stages the disease is relativley easy to treat, but after several weeks the disease gets a lot worse with the nervous system effected also facial paralysis (Bells polsy), occasionaly the joints are also effected and the heart in severe cases.

With these symptoms is also extreme tiredness and a burning skin or numness.

Prevention is a constant check for ticks and removal of ticks.

 

 

I must admit I was moderately traumatised by the whole affair.

 

Dave

[Country_est]

The thing I find best for removing the ticks is a device I bought from a pets shop.

Its a small wire loop which has a plastic handle.

 

At the handle its about 12mm wide and the loop then tapers to about 2mm.

This is fitted over the body and locks onto the head and pulls out all the bits.

 

Have then got a set of tweezers to pick it up with if it falls out of the wire after removal. Then take them outside and squeeze hard before chucking them in the bin.

 

trev.

[game_boy]

How good does the satifcation feel inside once you've ripped a clean one out !!! Cant beat it, then through them straight into the fire!!

[lurcherboy]

When my curs get them I cover them in nail varnish remover. 12 hours later they can be removed without any problems.

 

 

 

LB

[pavman]

I use Vaseline !

 

Smear a little all over the tick body as whilst its head is buried in the flesh blood sucking, they breathe through the body. It suffocates them and they will fall off, its also pet friendly if ingested.

 

pavman

[Country_est]

2 weeks later this year than last, but found 2 at the weekend after some long walks thru the woods which are holding a lot of deer, and havent had him near sheep ground for a very long time now so think these ones are all the nastier deer ticks .

 

PS also heard first cuckoo last night whilst out, but first time in2 weeks havent seen the deer so did the cuckoo scare them away

[MC]

Merlin has had 2 so far this year, I use Frontline spot on on the back of his neck every 4 weeks. It kills the tick as soon as it pierces the skin and they fall off with 24hrs.

 

It also kills any eggs as well so they can't hatch. It is not particularly cheap £18 for 3 months supply but it does the job well.

 

Cheers

 

Martin

[plexer]

I use an o'tom tick remover I bought from the vets 2 sizes for different siz ticks it hooks under the mouth parts and you twist and pull.

 

http://www.otom.com/

 

Ben

[Dave-G]

Thanks for the info - i'll be keeping an eye on me nads

[Frank]

I found a load on some wild goats i culled a week or so ago, hate the ****ers!!

[roe doe]

my dad shot a roe a few years back and to be honest i have

not since as many tick in one place in my life

need less to say the poor thing was on it last legs

and thrown it to the crow trap

[coupe312]

have always used frontline as its great , to get the off quickly mixed soft yellow petrolum a small amout of parafin and acetone together. come off in about 20 minutes. a bit of a bitch to mix but once its done leave mixed in a small jar,. dab on with a cotton bud works a treat

[Country_est]

****

Time to start watching out with the dogs, found the first tick of the season on my labs face this weekend.

 

Looks like the mild winter and warmer weather has brought them out early.

Problem is that the dog hasn't been any where near sheep since end of the pheasant season so it looks like its a deer tick. And for the last week or so due to doing the decorating he hasn't been anywhere the kids don't play.

 

Time to keep a look out.

 

Same as the first post in this one re-decorating the lounge this time but the ticks are here a lot earleir then I have found them in the last couple of years.

 

Trev

[dusk2dawn]

When my curs get them I cover them in nail varnish remover. 12 hours later they can be removed without any problems.

 

 

 

LB

 

 

I have found nail varnish remover to work very well both on dogs as well as ferrets, dont under estimate the problem of infection if you dont get them out cleanly, I have a scar on my calf the size of a 10p from a tick years ago and it was very sore for months. D2D

[henry d]

I have found nail varnish remover to work very well both on dogs as well as ferrets, dont under estimate the problem of infection if you dont get them out cleanly, I have a scar on my calf the size of a 10p from a tick years ago and it was very sore for months. D2D

If i were you I`d get the Dr. to check you for Lymes disease ASAP.