Seriously GROSSED OUT!!!!

[Katie, John & Parker pup]

Just removed my first ever (they don't have them where I'm from) engorged tick off of Parker's face! I was just giving him a face massage when I felt a bump (i also felt it a couple mornings ago but it was smaller and in a sleepy haze I forgot to check it later in the day. So when I felt it tonight, it felt much bigger...and when I parted his fur to see what it was (thinking it was a growth or something) and I saw a dark grey bulb on his skin I freaked out! I have never seen a tick like that and didn't know what it was until I google imaged it....ugh I just want to pesticide my whole apartment now!

Should I call the vet about the tick though??? I plucked him out of Parker's skin and he has a little scab there but I do use the frontline (which I thought would have killed the blood sucker before it got engorged like that!) and he's had his lymes disease vaccination I believe. This is what I saw!!!! Sooooo have the heebie jeebies right now!!

[F, Calla & Luca]

No need to call the vet. It is a tick and it is engorged. If this is the actual tick you can see you got it head and all. I got one off Luca's face yesterday. I found one in Calla's crate and so on. I use Frontline and the doodles get the vaccine too. The vet hopefully would not treat without symptoms but it is scary. I find this is the worst time of year somehow for ticks. I am going for the vaccine this week and intend to ask if anything better is out there than Frontline.

[Katie, John & Parker pup]

The picture isn't the specific tick but when I plucked him out, he did wiggle legs and stuff...though there is still a little black dot on Parker's face and I don't know it it's part of the tick or like a scab from being bitten. If your vet suggests anything to replace frontline, let me know! That was horrifying! I guess I should look up symptoms so I know what to look for in Parker if he does get sick from this nasty parasite!

[F, Calla & Luca]

I think early symptoms like fever etc wouldn't be easy to detect in a dog. With Lyme's dogs generally show some stiffness, difficulty getting up, lethargy etc. There are many tick born illnesses but don't look for trouble. If your dog gets sick then it's time to check it out.

[Jennifer,Chloe & Myla]

Ok that is GROSS! So far so good with our dogs!

[Melody & Bruin]

Bruin just had two pulled off last week....gross!  I did take him to the vet and the one above of his was infected so he got a shot of antibiotics and the vet told me to put Neosporin on the spots.  They are not common in my area, but that day, the vet said I was the 10th person to come in with ticks.  Apparently due to the rainy wet season we have had, they are seeing more than usual.

[Melody & Bruin]

And they gave me a tick collar

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Katie, The ticks are terrible this year in our area. I walked them a couple of weeks ago up at our park and Vern had 8 ticks on him when we left. Yuck! Unfortunately, if you have dogs, it can happen. I complained about Frontline to our vet and they changed it now to another one made by Frontline. I will look up the name later and post for you. It is supposed to kill ticks faster. I just applied it tonight to both dogs.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Oh, do tell us!

[Diane and Alma]

I'd want to make sure that you got the entire tick.  Their head and mouth can become embedded and bacteria can still transfer to your dog.  Did you save it?  Can you take a magnifying glass to make sure you got the whole thing?  Call your vet and see what they recommend.  I have pulled ticks off Alma.  I soak a cotton ball in rubbing alcohol and gently wet the tick and skin area before I pull it out.  A friend suggested this as a way to stop any infection.  Good luck, I hope you got it all. 

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Here in TN we have tick checks - it's so funny - when DH and I first married, he was like "what the heck is a tick check"???  And I replied "um, hello!  Everytime you are out in nature during certain times of year in TN, you must do a tick check on yourself and your dogs before going inside the house!"

Literally last week mom and I took a hike with the dogs in her backyard, came back, checked each other and our dogs for ticks.  We always find them.  Par for the course here!

[Amanda & Riley]

Ewww!! I didnt know that I had to worry about ticks because shes been on frontline!! Now I will have to double check her over. Yikes!

[Sue, Lola, Pongo & Hubby]

ooooooooooh, I'm so sorry you went through this. There's a lot of tick activity going on this fall. It would give me the heebie-jeebies too!