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Ticks epidemic - is there preventative meaures for our pets?

Cat-Cat- Posts: 7,612
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in Pets #1
I'm concerned about the latest news on BBC this morning that this could be something of an epidemic coming our way due to 'global warming'. :o

Does anyone have any experience in preventative procedures? I.e some kind of solution or spray we can apply to prevent ticks attaching themselves in the first place?

I'm really squeamish about the procedure to remove them once they attach themselves. Yes, I'd be the type that would take my dog or cat to the vet to have it removed. :blush:

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    Cat-Cat- Posts: 7,612
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    #2
    And also what is the first signs that we would know that one is there before we can take any procedure?
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    CollieWobblesCollieWobbles Posts: 27,290
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    #3
    Don't panic!:p ticks, whilst deeply unpleasant and can carry Lyme's disease, are much easier to deal with than some pests, I would much rather deal with ticks than fleas, cockroaches or other parasites because a tick stays where it is until you remove it and doesn't go populating your home:o.

    To spot a tick, check your pets fur carefully, paying particular attention around the head, ears and neck as these are favourite spots. A tick which has not or only just attached itself will look like a tiny round black spider. A tick that has been gorging on your pet for some time will be much bigger, about the size and shape of a baked bean and greyish ofwhite or brownish in colour. Once a tick if full of blood it will drop off its host and lie in wait fir the next one, so if you see one it is important you remove it straight away before it drops onto your floor, sofa, bed or anywhere else your pet goes.

    To remove it get one of these - your vet should be able to sell one to as well:

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/OTom-Tick-Twister-Blister-Animal/dp/B000VUSV6Y

    You simply slide it between the tick and where it's attached to your pet and twist as though your undoing a pop bottle - don't pull. After a few twists, the tick will come free and you can just wrap it in some toilet roll and flush it away. Do not touch the tick with your bare hands as they carry all sorts of unpleasantries.

    To help stop your pet getting them in the first place, get them on a good, regular monthly spot on programme, your vet will help you pick the most suitable one for you.

    Hope that helps you:)
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    mrsgrumpy49mrsgrumpy49 Posts: 10,061
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    #4
    My collie was on Advocate for years and it kept everything at bay. But these days with her liver health I don't want to give her a systemic preventative. In fact even the various spot ons are a concern. Going to have to bite the bullet though as we have moved to an area with a lot more 'wildlife'! So I've been talking to others on a forum for dogs with liver problems to get some ideas for less toxic preventatives. One person says she sprays her dog with some lavender and water before a walk as a deterrent. I think maybe I should spray me as have had some horrendous bites lately :confused:
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    netcurtainsnetcurtains Posts: 23,494
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    #5
    I add Billynomates to my dogs food, I also add apple cider vinegar to their drinking water and rinse them with it after a bath
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    molliepopsmolliepops Posts: 26,828
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    #6
    I am quite a squeamish person but unless the tick is on an eyelid or something very sensitive for the dog I manage to remove them, they are much easier to deal with than fleas as someone else said.
    I am told the advocate we use keeps them off but we did have a couple last year but they were easily got off. I use the old fashioned method of Vaseline on them to suffocate them then just pull them off easily enough.
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    KarisKaris Posts: 6,380
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    #7
    I use the surprisingly easy (not if you're squeamish) method of 'dizzy'.

    You just put a piece of toilet paper on top of the tick and rub clockwise gently. About 30 seconds later, the tick gets 'dizzy' and releases entirely and just falls off.

    Works every time.

    I know vets are now asking for people to put their ticks in a sealed bag for investigation, so do try and hand your ticks in with your vet so they can do more research on the little evil things.
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    mrsgrumpy49mrsgrumpy49 Posts: 10,061
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    #8
    Never mind pets - I found one on me once. I wasn't sure what it was at first and yanked it in a bit of a panic. It did come out in its entirety - along with some skin and lots of blood. :o
    20 years on there is still a mark.
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    maggie thecatmaggie thecat Posts: 2,241
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    I hate ticks, but the disease infested little beggers are part of the local environment. The way around them is to use flea and tick control products on the dogs. Keep the grass cut around the yard and the trees trimmed, because ticks occupy both. Encourage the local flock of wild guinea fowl to visit. (Not everyone can do that, but we're lucky that way. Guinea and turkeys are fantastic bug hunters.) Use bug repellent when heading out into the wilder parts of the property.

    Always. After working outside in areas likely to be tick infested strip down, shower and do a visual check. Some of the ticks we have are flipping tiny, and those are the ones that carry the worst diseases.

    If a tick is found remove it. Douse it in rubbing alcohol usually does the trick. Scrub the wound. Use antibiotic ointment on it. Make a note on the calendar, just in case hinky symptoms develop. Doesn't matter if it's us or the dogs. The tick itself gets flushed.

    Ticks are a nuisance, but they're not the end of the world.
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    molliepopsmolliepops Posts: 26,828
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    #10
    mrsgrumpy49 wrote: »
    Never mind pets - I found one on me once. I wasn't sure what it was at first and yanked it in a bit of a panic. It did come out in its entirety - along with some skin and lots of blood. :o
    20 years on there is still a mark.

    That reminds me of when my husband took one off our late molliepops and it obviously hadn't finished feeding so it attached it's self to his thumb :o:D persistent little blighter he was !
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