Just pulled a tick off my doodle-

[Buxton]

I just pulled a tick off of Buxton-he is on Frontline-and utd on his Lyme Vaccine- the tick appeared to be dead-what should I do-should I take it to the vet to be tested-should I have Buxton put on antibiotics?  I cannot believe how early the ticks have come out seeing the brutal winter we had here in Rhode Island-and I am so worried about him contacting Lyme-I know firsthand how devastating this disease can be and it would kill me if he ever got it-

 

[shelly]

WOW!  I can't believe TICKS already!!! They scare me too!  I would call the vet asap.. they'll let you know for sure what to do.  I would just try and dad a bit of bacitracin ointment on the spot for tonight - just to be safe...

[Suzann, Rosey & Bandit]

I agree with shelly, call the vet and see what they say.  Keep us posted!

[Buxton]

THanks guys-I will call the vet in the am and keep you posted-good idea about the ointment-

I have a feeling it is going to be a rough tick season-I saw other postings for the Rose Geranium essential oil-just ordered some-will try that as well-

This whole Lyme /Ehrlichia Disease is real scary

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I'm pretty sure you don't need to worry; the Frontline plus the Lyme vaccine should be protecting Buxton pretty well. remember, these preventatives don't keep the ticks off of them, they're just supposed to  kill the ticks before they can do any damage. Looks like that part worked pretty well. And the Lyme vaccine helps prevent Buxton from getting thast, as well. A call to the vet can't hurt, but I wouldn't worry too much in the meantime.

[Harley Girl & Linda Neff]

When Harley was on Frontline seemed like we were always finding ticks (and fleas).  Harley got the Lyme vaccine and last year we used K-9 Advantix and didn't have any problems with ticks or fleas.  When I was finding ticks, vet said to pull tick off and put neosporin on the site where it was and just to watch her.  We never had any problems....so far.  Hopefully the same works out for you too.

[Nugget's Family]

I got a tick off of Nugget on Sunday, too.  (We live in southeastern NY state)  Nugget is 4.  We have used Frontline Plus and she has rec'd Lyme vaccines since she was old enough.  We live in a very "tick heavy" area and she is outside in the woods a lot.  When I remove a tick, I take it off with a tweezer and light it on fire in a tea light candle.  I let some of the wax melt around it and then the little bugger is stuck there.  If you flush it or throw it in the trash, and it's not really dead, the tick could bite you. 

Nugget has never contracted Lyme and neither have any of we.  The Frontline will kill the tick before it has the chance to infect the dog.  (Ticks need to be embedded for quite a long time to infect a host with Lyme) This assumes regular use of Frontline, as directed.  What I have observed is that the ticks will typically "grab a ride" on her fluffy feet and climb up until they reach her head area and then try to bite her there.  So, when she comes in from a walk, I check her legs very carefully.  Her coat is very light, so they are easy to see.  If I see them before they bite, I immediately remove it and do the candle thing.  However, sometimes they get past me and bite her, but then the Frontline does its job and the tick dies.  I remove it and still do the candle thing.

In order to protect the human members of the family, when we know that she is most likely carrying ticks that we cannot find (she's been out in the woods) when she comes inside, we isolate her in her crate or put her out on our enclosed deck by herself for about 30 mins..  By then, the ticks have had their chance to bite and the Frontline can do its job.  That way, the heat-seeking little buggers will not fall off of her and come looking for a human.  They would much rather hang-out on the dog than find a human because dogs are warmer and the ticks just seek the body heat.

I know some vets will take ticks and test them, but I have never done that.  Some weeks, we remove 4 or 5 ticks from Nugget.  So, getting them all tested is just not practical.  But, if it will make you feel better to call your vet, by all means go ahead.

We are very faithful with tick-checking ourselves (kids and adults) and Nugget every day.  I was pretty shocked to pull one of of her on Sunday.  Our snow just melted on Saturday!  I wonder if the extra snowy winter will mean a "worse than usual" tick season?

 

Good luck!  Your dood is adorable.

Susan

[Lindsey & Rowdy]

Hi, Dory.  What did your vet say about Buxton's tick bite?  We pulled a huge tick off Rowdy on Friday night and there was a large bump on his leg where the tick was attached.  We've been watching the spot.  It's gotten smaller and isn't red anymore but it's still there.  I'm not sure how long it should take for the bump to go away.