Weird green thing attachted to dogs skin

dezzyd

Can anyone shed any light on this for me? While rubbing my dog the other day I noticed a round green thing (like a mini olive is best description) stuck onto his skin. When I pulled it off it had red tentacles that seemed to have been stuck into the dog. I searched a few sites but didn't come across anything like it. Appreciate any ideas!

rebel10

Its a tick!! The tick is usually tiny but when it feeds on the dogs blood it fills up and then usually just drops off. Its disgusting, so make sure you are wearing gloves and pick him off and flush away. I usually rub a little dettol diluted onto the area, but there are probably proper things to do. They are usually picked up in fields or places with tall grass.:)

rebel10

Disgusting, I know, apologies to anyone who has just finished dinner!!

dezzyd

Thank you rebel10! The pic u posted was exactly it - and dam well disgusting so they are! Appreciate that, mystery solved

convert

If you pulled it out it's best to rub some sort of disinfectant on the area, as rebel10 mentioned. It's a good idea, especially as some of the tenticles may have broken off and are still in the dog.

FAYESY

Next time cover the tick totally with vasaline & it will have to pull its head out so it can breath. You can often leave the head in the dog when you pull the tick off - this can lead to infection!

peasant

FAYESY wrote: »

Next time cover the tick totally with vasaline & it will have to pull its head out so it can breath. You can often leave the head in the dog when you pull the tick off - this can lead to infection!

Not a good idea !

The real danger with ticks is not the bite as such, but the bacteria that they carry in their stomach and saliva, Lyme disease among them.

A tick can bite and even suck for quite some time without transferring any of the nasty stuff. What you do not want to do however is squeeze it or suffocate it as by doing so you (or it) will squeeze some of its stomach contents (and the bacteria with it) back into its host.

The only way to remove a tick is in one quick motion, pulling it all out in one move, including the head.

The very best (and simplest) tool for doing that is this

You just thread the tick into the little gap in the card and pull it out in one quick move ...works brilliantly every time. I've used these cards at home for a while now and I swear by them.
There are gaps in two sizes, for big and small ticks and you really get them all.


I haven't found this card in Ireland yet, but zooplus.de do something very similar here:
http://www.zooplus.de/shop/hunde/hundehuette_hundetuer/zeckenzangen/92794

Morganna

wow thanks for showing that Peasan,t not seen that product before .

morganafay

That photo is disgusting but thanks for posting it, so I'll know if I ever see anything like it. I'm so so glad my pets have never gotten ticks before.

breadbin

ah the lovely ticks!! i'm fascinated by them but they are quite dangerous for you and your dog so learn to get rid of them safely. i used to have a retriever so had plenty of practice taking them off - miss it now with my jack russell. there is a knack to taking them off - as someone else suggested you have to get them all out and you can do this with your fingers. first thing is not to let them know you are looking for them. don't alert them to your presence cos they will dig in and hold on and it will be impossible to get them out then without breaking something. you can usually pop them off before they notice:)

thats a big one though never seen one that big!!:eek: there's a group in flickr dedicated to the things so make sure to post pics;)

morganafay

What do you do with them when you take them off? Do you just throw them outside or what?

peasant

morganafay wrote: »

What do you do with them when you take them off? Do you just throw them outside or what?

No ...they will just propagate, having had their fill of blood.
They are extremely tough buggers and even though you think they might be dead, they usually revive after a while and just wander off.

I make sure that they are dead every time and as it is just breakfast time, I'll spare you the gorey details


Best tick prevention is to give your dog a bit of a going over when it comes in from outside. Ticks wander about on the dog for a good while before they settle down to suck ...usually looking for a secure place (behind ears, inside thighs ...somewhere where the dog can't easily scratch it off)


Before they start sucking and filling up, they look like this:

and are quite easily spotted wandering about on the dog, once you know what you're looking for ...they are quite fast too, the buggers.

Only the females suck, but they do so twice, as nymph and as adult ...nymphs are smaller and that bit harder to spot

dezzyd

Does anybody know of any sort of spray or something to prevent these things? They give me the heebie jeebies when I have to take them off, even with gloves on! :eek:

planetX

dezzyd wrote: »

Does anybody know of any sort of spray or something to prevent these things? They give me the heebie jeebies when I have to take them off, even with gloves on! :eek:

Frontline spot-on kills ticks for up to 4 weeks, also available as Effipro (cheaper). I use it less often, as it's so dear and I don't really like putting it on. I've tried vaseline and it has never worked for me, I pull them out with tweezers. That card looks great, might give it a try.

peasant

To my knowledge there are no sprays, collars ore anything that stops the ticks from biting your dog.

There is some frontline (I think) stuff that is supposed to poison them once they start sucking ...but by using that you are also slowly poisoning your dog (some dogs have very bad reactions to that stuff, OES and Collies among them)

Don't be such a wuss ...just check for ticks regularly and pick them off, you'll get used to it.

houndsoflove

Spray the frontline on to the tick and pull it out with a tweezers.

Rub the dogs skin down with disinfectant.

I usually put the tick into an alcohol based spirit after that.

dezzyd

Found another one today, same place, just behind his ear which seems to be the place he always gets them. And tyring to get a very energetic black lab to stay still while removing it was trying to say the least!!! :rolleyes:

breadbin

ha ha yeah the fun trying to keep the dogs quiet - thats why you have to be quick:)

don't think the tick medication would be poisoning your dog though - how could they get away with that and the vets recommending it? not sure. i never used it eitherway cos its much better fun to pull them off and watch them!!

the way it works is it introduces some drug into your dogs bloodstream and when the tick drinks it poisons the tick:( probably way too small a dose to harm the dog though.

not sure how you should dispose of them, they really are hardy souls. when they are full of blood its comical to see them trying to walk around but they do go back to normal after a while when the blood is gone. i used to have a tick farm:) couldn't bare to kill them - i'm scratching here just thinking of it

peasant

breadbin wrote: »

don't think the tick medication would be poisoning your dog though

read this:
http://www.alternet.org/story/123420

and this:

Veterinary use
Ivermectin is also used in veterinary medicine, particularly for horses, dogs and cats. It is sometimes mixed with other medications to reach a wide spectrum of animal parasites. Some breeds (especially the Rough Collie, the Smooth Collie and the Australian Shepherd) are affected by a genetic defect, a mutation within the MDR1 gene. Affected dogs are very sensitive to some drugs, such as Ivermectin, as well as to some antibiotics, opioids and steroids – over 100 drugs in total. Kittens are also very sensitive and ivermectin should never be used on kittens less than 10-12 weeks of age. Nor should it be used on any weak, dehydrated or debilitated animal except in dire situations

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivermectin

and this:

Ivermectin-sensitive breeds
Studies have been performed to determine the safety of Advocate when administered to ivermectin-sensitive collies. Ivermectin-sensitive collies were treated with up to five times the recommended dose for three consecutive treatments at 28-day intervals.

There were no clinical abnormalities or adverse reactions observed in any of the dogs. Work carried out to determine the safety of accidental oral uptake of Advocate in ivermectin-sensitive breeds of dog revealed that 10% of the unit dose given orally resulted in no adverse effects, while 40% resulted in severe neurological signs.

As with any product containing macrocyclic lactones, special care should be taken with Collies, Old English Sheepdogs and related breeds or crossbreeds, to correctly administer the product. In particular, oral uptake by the recipient and/or other animals should be avoided.

http://www.advocate-spot-on.com/4363.0.html

I'd rather search them for ticks regularly

breadbin

peasant wrote: »

I'd rather search them for ticks regularly

going by that me too!!

Graces7

They drop off after three days.
I used to use tweezers, but now when I go a hunting, I just put a bit of tissue over the tick and pull... Never any problem.

I keep a jam jar by the bed where is where the cats are most, and drop them in that if the fire is not lit.... with a lid of course;)

padunne

we have had dogs in my house since before i was born. now 20. they have always gotten ticks and i never realised they were as dangerous as they are until now.
i have a collie at the min and we live on farm so he is always picking them up. all i ever used to do was have a good look for them at least once a week when your giving him a good rub down. sometimes you could find 2 or 3 on him. was never a major deal to us

VERYinterested

Strike a match, blow it out, put the hot match on the tick, he lets go of the dog, no claws left in the dog, all over very quickly! Did it last week for my neighbour's dog.

funkyjebus

peasant wrote: »

Not a good idea !

The real danger with ticks is not the bite as such, but the bacteria that they carry in their stomach and saliva, Lyme disease among them.

A tick can bite and even suck for quite some time without transferring any of the nasty stuff. What you do not want to do however is squeeze it or suffocate it as by doing so you (or it) will squeeze some of its stomach contents (and the bacteria with it) back into its host.

The only way to remove a tick is in one quick motion, pulling it all out in one move, including the head.

The very best (and simplest) tool for doing that is this

You just thread the tick into the little gap in the card and pull it out in one quick move ...works brilliantly every time. I've used these cards at home for a while now and I swear by them.
There are gaps in two sizes, for big and small ticks and you really get them all.


I haven't found this card in Ireland yet, but zooplus.de do something very similar here:
http://www.zooplus.de/shop/hunde/hundehuette_hundetuer/zeckenzangen/92794

FYI - There has never been a reported case of lyme disease from ticks in ireland. Though infection can still occur

funkyjebus

peasant wrote: »

Not a good idea !

The real danger with ticks is not the bite as such, but the bacteria that they carry in their stomach and saliva, Lyme disease among them.

A tick can bite and even suck for quite some time without transferring any of the nasty stuff. What you do not want to do however is squeeze it or suffocate it as by doing so you (or it) will squeeze some of its stomach contents (and the bacteria with it) back into its host.

The only way to remove a tick is in one quick motion, pulling it all out in one move, including the head.

The very best (and simplest) tool for doing that is this

You just thread the tick into the little gap in the card and pull it out in one quick move ...works brilliantly every time. I've used these cards at home for a while now and I swear by them.
There are gaps in two sizes, for big and small ticks and you really get them all.


I haven't found this card in Ireland yet, but zooplus.de do something very similar here:
http://www.zooplus.de/shop/hunde/hundehuette_hundetuer/zeckenzangen/92794

FYI - Ticks in Ireland don't carry lyme disease.

@ very interested. Thats not waht should be done, the shock of the burn will make the tick eject it stomach contents under the dogs skin before it releases, this can cause soreness, inflamation and infection. The tick should be left to to its thing or should be carefully pulled out by its head.

EDIT: Sorry for double post. Stupid work computer!

Alun

funkyjebus wrote: »

FYI - Ticks in Ireland don't carry lyme disease.

That's not what the consultant who I saw recently (Prof. Bergin at St. James) said. It's not a notifiable disease in Ireland at the moment so there's little in the way of statistics, but he stated categorically that it was present in Irish ticks, and he personally had seen a number of cases esp. on the west coast.

Also see this http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/health/2010/0615/1224272506521.html

funkyjebus

Alun wrote: »

That's not what the consultant who I saw recently (Prof. Bergin at St. James) said. It's not a notifiable disease in Ireland at the moment so there's little in the way of statistics, but he stated categorically that it was present in Irish ticks, and he personally had seen a number of cases esp. on the west coast.

Interesting. My vet told me not to worry, that there has never been a reported case of lyme disease from ticks as they dont carry that disease. but i see what your saying.

Alun

Well the main problem as I mentioned is that it's not notifiable here (yet) so pretty much by definition, there wouldn't be any reported cases. There are people, including Prof. Bergin, who are lobbying for it to made notifiable so we can get a handle on how prevalent it really is. The problem is also that many cases go undiagnosed, esp. chronic cases that didn't display the characteristic bullseye rash (more common here than in the US), and get mis-diagnosed as everything from ME, CFS through to fibromyalgia and MS.

Wisco

FYI, Frontline is fipronil, not ivermectin. I don't know any vet that would recommend ivermectin for collie type dogs or collie crosses, but the toxicity problem does not include fipronil/frontline in that case.
I only use Frontline on my dog if it's tick season (around this time of year) and I know I'll be taking him to tick habitat. Otherwise, I'd just spray the tick with alcohol and pluck it off. Tick borne disease is VERY rare in Irish dogs (it is a problem with cattle- babesiosis) but may be on the increase as we don't test routinely for tick borne diseases here.
If you find ticks disgusting (and I think most do!) put on Frontline and it will be effective for a month for ticks and 2 for fleas. I wouldn't worry about toxicity and you won't have to worry about plucking the little suckers off.

cucoigcrice

lymes disease can be found in ireland but it is rare and hopefully that is the way it will stay!! We use alot of frontline combo in work and i know it is dear but it is alot better than these things that you by in the pet shop and in supermarkets. The frontline combo should be used every 2 months and it is good. I know that on my own dog i have used vaseline and alcohol to remove a few ticks after a long walk in the forest. It works well alot better than pulling them out as you can leave the mouth part behind causing infection and may lead to abcesses etc.
I have been taught by lectures about using the vaseline and alcohol when a tick is present but ideally use frontline to prevent them!! Hope that is helpful . P.s please dont use ivermectin on dogs or cats alot of adverse reactions take place. These are alot of products that do an individual job, i.e. frontline combo does, fleas, tick, bitting lice. Milbemax a wormer does roundworms, hookworms, tapeworms, whipworms, heartworms and reduces lungworm too. SAfer product.

Graces7

cucoigcrice wrote: »

lymes disease can be found in ireland but it is rare and hopefully that is the way it will stay!! We use alot of frontline combo in work and i know it is dear but it is alot better than these things that you by in the pet shop and in supermarkets. The frontline combo should be used every 2 months and it is good. I know that on my own dog i have used vaseline and alcohol to remove a few ticks after a long walk in the forest. It works well alot better than pulling them out as you can leave the mouth part behind causing infection and may lead to abcesses etc.
I have been taught by lectures about using the vaseline and alcohol when a tick is present but ideally use frontline to prevent them!! Hope that is helpful . P.s please dont use ivermectin on dogs or cats alot of adverse reactions take place. These are alot of products that do an individual job, i.e. frontline combo does, fleas, tick, bitting lice. Milbemax a wormer does roundworms, hookworms, tapeworms, whipworms, heartworms and reduces lungworm too. SAfer product.

What is known is that some deer ticks have recently been found to have Lymes; most of the cases reported in Ireland are traceable to bites sustained overseas.

Each to his/her own method of ejection. we never use chemical on the cats as they lick/wash each other. Also nothing we used actually worked. We are in sheep country and they are endemic here.

They don't seem to bother the cats and they do fall off after three days.

If any disease is there it has already been passed on.

My own chosen and perfected method over several years is to put a bit of tissue over the tick and pull it out. You can feel when it lets go....

As i said, each to his own; our cats are very compliant and helpful over these matters..