# What do ticks look like



## RebeccaArmstrong (May 23, 2008)

Hi All
yesterday when i was grooming Oscar i felt something in his coat ... my first thought was 'oh i hope he hasnt got a tick' ... anyway i picked at it and investigated and it was a spot bless him. 

That made me realise i dont actually know what a tick looks like - how big it is etc so wouldnt know one if i did see one.. so thought i would ask so i can be prepared...

Also, how do you get one off if you find one!

All their flea treatments are up to date - does this help prevent 

thanks
becky


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## Guest (Aug 31, 2008)

Willoughby had a tick I found on him last night *puke*. There was no mistaking it. Brown little legs and a big fat grey body.

I had a right job trying to get it off him as I didn't have any pointy nose tweezers. Finally got the little sucker out whole though.

If you ever do find one on him, do NOT pick it or squeeze it, that can make them regurgitate back into the bloodstream and cause infections and diseases.

You need to grab it by the head without squeezing it and pull hard and fast. Some people say to twist it clockwise? as it comes out, others say don't twist as you could break it...

Ugh I feel sick again!


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## Guest (Aug 31, 2008)

Also, some flea treatments don't cover ticks aswell, you'd need to check it out.


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## Guest (Aug 31, 2008)

Here is a picture of a couple of ticks:










There is a special tool that you can use to remove ticks. You have to make sure when you remove them that you don't leave the head inside your dog/pet as this can cause an infection. Ticks bury their heads inside the skin as we know, so have to be careful when removing them incase the head breaks off.


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## Guest (Aug 31, 2008)

OMG that's soooo horrible!! The one on Willoughby was nothing like the size of that big one, it can't have been on him long. It was grey like the big one but the body was only a tad bigger than the smaller one.


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## RebeccaArmstrong (May 23, 2008)

ewwwwwwwwwww so i will be off to find flea treatment that covers ticks now! ..... glad i asked as my first instinct would have been to pick it off ....


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## Sgurr (Aug 24, 2008)

Yes, those are ticks. Here we get a lot, sheep and deer ticks get onto the dogs (and occasionally onto people.
There are various ways of removing them. When ticks bite they make a quarter turn clockwise so if you are going to pick them off, twist anti clockwise and then a sharp tug - works 90% of the time. Another way is to get a cotton wool bud and soak it in alcohol - any spirit (whisky, gin , vodka etc) meths or a stinging aftershave which is high in alcohol (Old Spice for instance). Squeeze the soaked cotton wool bud immediately on thr mouth prts of the tick - gives up in about ten seconds usually. Final method (and not to be used if alcohol has been tried) is light a match and apply to the rear end of the tick - one second usually gets it off. Better for humans than dogs because of fur problems. If all else fails, got to the vet - if for human treatment, take an empty box and pretend you have a mouse. Doctors have no idea what to do, usually.
Ticks are serious both for dogs and humans - Lyme's disease is fatal.
Frontline (preventative) sorts out ticks in the main but some dogs react against it and there can be problems if you also have a cat, check with your vet.

Sgurr


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## Georges Mum (Aug 12, 2008)

Never heard the match theory - surely you could set your dog on fire very easily! esp if long fir


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## scoobydoo (Aug 28, 2008)

australia is tick capital hehehe they are bloody awful things. all the pets i have ever had i always run my hands over them every day to check for ticks. thankfully i have never found one but i do know they are a big problem here, especially in the country and bush areas


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