Guilt!

[Frannie & Callie]

Last night, Callie had a play date with her yellow lab bestie, Maisy. They had a wonderful time but went through a bunch of underbrush in search of the perfect stick (turns out that there is more than one perfect stick). Once we got home, I got out the brush to try to restore some order to Callie's coat and to remove the grass and debris and approximately nine billion burrs (ok, maybe not nine billion...I stopped counting after I got to 200). While I was brushing, petting, and just loving on Callie, I felt a bump on her back. I parted the fur and there was a brownish black disc. Our first tick of the season! I got the matches and did the "hot match" trick on the back of the bump. It came off, but it turns out that it wasn't a tick...just a scab that I somehow hadn't noticed (and I don't see how I didn't notice it - we do nightly tick-checks). So - Callie had a wound that I didn't see or feel AND then I stuck a hot match on a scab on her back, and then pulled the scab off. None of it seemed to bother her in the least but I feel like the WORST MOTHER IN THE WORLD. The guilt!

[Adina P]

Awwww..I would have felt bad too. But you were trying to help and apparently Callie didn't freak out so you are NOT the worst mother...not even the worst dog owner, but a pretty good one of both!

[Lorraine Bromley]

I have also burned the tick in alcohol after the removal to make sure the little buggers are dead dead dead

[Christine & Shelby]

If she didn't seem bothered, don't let it worry you. She is okay and you are a good doodle mom.... afterall, you removed how many burrs last night (BTW - I HATE burrs). Callie knows you love her!!!

[Kendra K. Rhoton]

Its okay! I shut Remington's tail in the car door once! I think I was more upset than him!!!! It's hard being a good doodle mom!

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Don't feel guilty - she will be okay! The tweezers do work really well....try that next time. ANd hope it won't be a scab! Well, let's hope for no ticks either!

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I absolutely hate ticks! I've always used alcohol first, then the tweezers. Then I torture them...no, not really but I have thought of it. They just get "flushed". For years I saved them and had them checked for Lyme disease, but I've given that up. You just didn't know, and it didn't bother Callie...so no guilt necessary!

[Frannie & Callie]

I'm so surprised to hear that matches are the wrong thing - we've used that method since I was a kid (on dogs and humans alike). Duly noted - bad day all around :(

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

I agree with F. Actually, I paid a LOT of money to get this advice :) Like $157.00 ( something like this ).

~~~ Tissue, is what my vet said, pull slowly, and keep him in a jar as a pet~~~~

[F, Calla & Luca]

Hot matches are not the recommended removal method, I think. Rather, using tweezers, try to remove the tick by it's head slowly in hopes of getting the mouth parts as well as the rest. But no one could keep track of every doodle scratch.

[Camilla and Darwin]

I don't think you should feel guilty at all! The fact that you remained loving as you were combing 200 burrs out of her fur means you are basically a saint. :-)