A Tick??

Cherry Blossom

Ticks need a number of different hosts to complete their life-cycle, the larvae require small hosts. There's a pretty good diagram that explains here:

http://www.bada-uk.org/homesection/about/ticks/lifecycle.php

We have plenty of both cattle and sheep around but the only place my dog has picked them up is the area around the duck pond in the forest park which is particularly marshy (not sure if this is purely coincidental or is actually relevant) and has no shortage of small hosts for the larval stage ticks to feed on. Cattle are grazed on fairly short grass which is not really ideal for the ticks and doesn't provide much cover for the small/medium hosts where as sheep graze on 'rougher' grass which may also be a factor.

Interestingly my horses are on permanent pasture part of which is somewhat boggy (we have loads of frogs ) which is also quite highly inhabited by all manner of wildlife and a few pheasants and I have never found a tick on any of my horses which entirely negates all I have just said.

Graces7

adrenalinjunkie wrote: »

Ticks need a number of different hosts to complete their life-cycle, the larvae require small hosts. There's a pretty good diagram that explains here:

http://www.bada-uk.org/homesection/about/ticks/lifecycle.php

We have plenty of both cattle and sheep around but the only place my dog has picked them up is the area around the duck pond in the forest park which is particularly marshy (not sure if this is purely coincidental or is actually relevant) and has no shortage of small hosts for the larval stage ticks to feed on. Cattle are grazed on fairly short grass which is not really ideal for the ticks and doesn't provide much cover for the small/medium hosts where as sheep graze on 'rougher' grass which may also be a factor.

Interestingly my horses are on permanent pasture part of which is somewhat boggy (we have loads of frogs ) which is also quite highly inhabited by all manner of wildlife and a few pheasants and I have never found a tick on any of my horses which entirely negates all I have just said.

Not here; they take the cattle out when the grass is grazed down and they graze in tall grass.

Interesting isn't it? Having just eaten, I decided not to look at the link

And no it doesn't negate what you said; probably the skin/hide of cattle and horses is too thick and tough compared to sheep. Ticks cannot get through it as easily as with soft skinned woollies and dogs and cats. Maybe the length of their jaws is too short! They are tiny in reality when empty.

Cherry Blossom

Graces7 wrote: »

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I decided not to look at the link

It's just a 'cartoon type' drawing of a diagram, nothing gruesome involved.

<EDT. the dogs are out there quite often too and they have got none from there either>

It is easy to tell where my terrier picks them up, you just count the yelps and that's how many ticks you need to find.

Salt001

We have had our dog for two years and in that time she has only had two ticks but there are sheep just up the road where we walk so I'm just keeping her away from the verge there.
I would imagine that cattle hides are too thick for them to get through.

barking1503

A good tip I got before is to remove the tick anti clockwise as the ticks fasten on in clockwise direction. Twisting anti-clockwise they come out easily and the head comes too.
They are gross gross gross......:mad:

Salt001

barking1503 wrote: »

A good tip I got before is to remove the tick anti clockwise as the ticks fasten on in clockwise direction. Twisting anti-clockwise they come out easily and the head comes too.
They are gross gross gross......:mad:

As far as I know the latest advice seems to be not to twist at all but to carefully pull straight out.
I did a bit of googling after I found one on the dog mind you could have done without some of the pictures .
They are totally gross :eek: