# Ticks



## 747 (Oct 2, 2009)

Not long back from Scotland and we have found a few ticks on the dogs. On 2 occasions, we were staying on C & CC THS's where sheep had been grazed and this is the likely reason for them.

It is worth carrying a removal tool for getting rid of them. We carry a pack of 2 which are easy to use. There are 2 websites on the packaging, www.otom.com and www.tick-twister.com. We actually got ours from a Scottish Vet who particularly recommended this type and they were cheap.

So if you have pets and were at Scoughall Farm, North Berwick or Peebles then check your pets, especially Peebles as the sheep droppings were still fresh. :lol:


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## ardgour (Mar 22, 2008)

Lots of ticks again this year - mild winter. Long grass and bracken are prime suspects for harbouring them and deer host them as well as sheep.
We use advantix on our beardie over the summer months and this keeps her tick free (vet recommends this rather than frontline). Don't forget to check yourself for ticks after walking in the countryside, there is quite a lot of Lyme disease around but can be avoided if ticks are removed quickly

Chris


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## gaz44 (May 21, 2009)

My girls get one garlic tablet a week during spring/summer never had a tick ever.

Other ways of getting rid of the little horrors are vaseline, talc, alcohol. Ticks breathe through their skin while their heads are buried in the dog, so smother the body with any of the above, its stops them breathing and they have to let go for air, be careful if you pull them out as you need to get the whole head out with the body!


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## Patty123 (Oct 4, 2010)

Our Betty got 2 last year after spending an afternoon in the New Forest, luckily by sheer luck we had bought a tick remover to keep in the van so was able to remove them quickly. yuk! made me feel quite ill removing them but poor Betty thought I had gone mad!!!


Patty


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## cheshiregordon (Sep 24, 2011)

when in Tic country I use adventix by Bayer - expensive but effective.


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## Scattycat (Mar 29, 2011)

Just a point regarding tics. 
When they attach themselves to an animal, or human, that they burrow in clockwise, so when you remove it remember to turn it anti-clockwise. 
Otherwise, apart from it being more painful there is a chance that you'll break the head off which could cause an infection


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

Adventix does not protect against lungworm so do you use a combination of two types of repellent?

Shadow had a few ticks in France at different times

I worry about overdosing him

Aldra


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## Spacerunner (Mar 18, 2006)

gaz44 said:


> My girls get one garlic tablet a week during spring/summer never had a tick ever.
> 
> !


Just a word of caution, although a tablet per week is well within the guidlines.

See this article


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## hsscrm (May 24, 2012)

We live in Scotland and have a six month old pup. She has had ticks on two of our trips. We managed to get them out cleanly the first time with tweezers but have since got the tick remover device from Pets At Home which is good. We plan to use Advantix for any more Highland trips and our imminent trip to France.

Can I ask what garlic tablets you use, gaz44?


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## cheshiregordon (Sep 24, 2011)

aldra said:


> Adventix does not protect against lungworm so do you use a combination of two types of repellent?
> 
> Shadow had a few ticks in France at different times
> 
> ...


It was my vet that recommended "adventix" following a conversation regarding taking Rosie abroad (this year will be her sixthg trip). If it doesn't cover lung worm then I haven't given her anything else. In fact I have concerns regarding the use of Adventix - but suppose its the lesser of two evils!!


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## 4maddogs (May 4, 2010)

gaz44 said:


> My girls get one garlic tablet a week during spring/summer never had a tick ever.
> 
> Other ways of getting rid of the little horrors are vaseline, talc, alcohol. Ticks breathe through their skin while their heads are buried in the dog, so smother the body with any of the above, its stops them breathing and they have to let go for air, be careful if you pull them out as you need to get the whole head out with the body!


Garlic is a good inhibitor. 
Using alcohol etc is not usually recommended by vets as it can cause the tick to regurgitate the blood back into the dog.....along with any nasty disease it has.

I also use advantix and it does work. We live in an area with loads of bracken (I have removed up to 30 ticks a day from one dog previously! ) Advantix is highly poisonous to cats though.


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## cheshiregordon (Sep 24, 2011)

thanks for the warning of Adventix and cats - we have both dog and cat.


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## muggers (Jul 14, 2007)

I also use a tick twister even though our 2 are Frontlined monthly during the season you occasionally get one that's slipped through. Once out they are of course still alive - boiling water sorts that (evil laugh while rubs hands together... :twisted: )


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## Twirlys (Jul 28, 2011)

We have just returned from the Saxony region in Germany the ticks there are horrendous! our border collie was treated with Advantix on the advice of our vet before we went and again whilst there have to say it was useless we finished up going to a local pet shop and applying good old fashioned bob martin spot on treatment this actually worked the man in the shop told us the ticks are particularly bad this year in most regions but worse in Saxony and Bavaria


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

Although I treat Shadow for ticks all the time we are away

I must say living in the middle east took away my repulsion to them

Each evening I would check not only the dogs but also the kids for the little blighters and I was very adept at removing them with just my finger nails--practise makes perfect :lol: :lol:

Anywhere where there are sheep and livestock there are ticks

They are part of life on this planet

Aldra


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## KeithChesterfield (Mar 12, 2010)

Scattycat - Just a point regarding ticks. 
When they attach themselves to an animal, or human, they burrow in clockwise, so when you remove it remember to turn it anti-clockwise.

Does it matter which way you turn the tick removal tool?

The removal of a tick on this demonstration video turns it clockwise -


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## Scattycat (Mar 29, 2011)

KeithChesterfield said:


> Scattycat - Just a point regarding ticks.
> When they attach themselves to an animal, or human, they burrow in clockwise, so when you remove it remember to turn it anti-clockwise.
> 
> Does it matter which way you turn the tick removal tool?
> ...


Well, all I can say is that we've had cats and dogs for more years than I can remember and we've had to remove countless ticks. It has always been traumatic removing them, the animals have always kicked, bit, scratched and squealed. We had always followed others advice and twisted them clockwise as we pulled them out.
Two years ago we bought a bit of kit over here for removing ticks called O'TOM. The instructions are specific in saying to hook the kit between the skin and the tick and twist "anti-clockwise" while pulling gently upwards. This is because the tick buries itself into the skin clockwise, so twisting anti-clockwise unwinds it rather than burying it further in and probably breaking the head off and leaving it still in the animal.

Now removing ticks is usually easy and without trauma or squeals.

But hey, what do I know? But if my cats could talk, or type I'm sure they would tell you which they'd prefer . . . . and believe me it wouldn't be clockwise


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## muggers (Jul 14, 2007)

Just back from hols in Deeside/ Cairngorms and only discovered the one crawling on cream Lab Megan, trying to find a place to burrow in...

Picked off and dispatched with aforesaid boiling water, but I'm glad I got it as we're not Frontlined  

Just wondering how many escaped notice in black Lab Maggie.... :roll:


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## HeatherChloe (Oct 18, 2009)

Chloe got a tick from the C&CC site in Sandringham.

The vet says that she should wear a tick collar if going somewhere in the woods, to stop them


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## Oscarmax (Mar 3, 2011)

We regularly go to the New Forest several time a year, we have the tick twist tool etc.

We originally used Frontline, however, a couple of years ago we had to remove several ticks from our dogs despite being very careful (our dog always on leads and kept away from undergrowth).

At the same time our friends corgi did not have 1 tick, her vet recommended Advantix, the ticks have become resistant to Frontline.

We have been using Advantix now for the past 2 years and have just returned from the New Forest last week, fortunately not 1 tick noticed or removed over the 2 week period.


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