tick! tick! tick!

Hello Pergammano, Ticks are our worse enemies. Here they spread the disease called Babesiosis which, if not treated in time, can be lethal. I always said it is better to prevent than to treat. Against fleas I use natural remedies as fleas don't put my dog's life in danger. But with ticks I don't want to take any risk. That's why as soon as the weather becomes warmer (now here are minus 8 degrees celsius! ) I'll apply a good tick repelent product (as Advantix or Frontline or other similar ones). Also, whenever we come back from the woods (we are lucky to have a lot of woods surrounding our little town ) I double check Binne's coat to remove the ticks that still walk on her in search for a place to bite. If any bit Binne, I take a piece of tissue with alchool and I keep it pressed on top of the tick until it gets dizzy. Then I remove it slowly with the tweezers, making sure I removed the whole beast and its head didn't remain under the skin.

Ugh, don't remind me, of either tick.....No, I think it is still too cold for ticks and the best way to remove them for me is, "Honey, there's a tick on Penny/Ciara!" Yeah, I don't like messing with ticks if they are embedded. Now if the tick has just jumped on my dog and has not gotten a hold, I will just pull it off, but once embedded, I am afraid that I wouldn't get it all..

I have not even thought of them this early. I hate those things. Thanks for the heads up about them. Poor brui, i'm glad u found them. This may be another sign of bad things to come. Hope u have a great day. love & hugs.

oh my. i look at coco all the time to see if she has fleas or anything on her as she has a tendency to get allergies and break out in red patches at times. which she scratches and im afraid of infection. when we lived in florida i had to give her a monthly pill for fleas and such because she often got fleas there. now here in az, ive heard and noticed that fleas and ticks dont seem to be bad at all and she hasnt had either ever since we've been here.

Oh my no...not yet. Those nasty little devils are quite common here in the summer and they are a huge concern for spreading illness. Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever is one that we worry over. Last year I went fishing with my b/f and was preactically run off by the ticks. There were so many that you could see them crawling up to you on the ground!!! We got out of there quick. I don't think our winters have been cold enough to kill them for a while though. I think this one will have an effect on them though..at least I am hoping.

I have found one on my dog before I live in an area were they are not to common on dogs you are more likely to find them on raccoons and squirrels then dogs here but I still check my guys over often for both ticks and fleas just to be safe

I have not found them on my cats. My black cat seems to repel pests, but she does not let me check her either. My light colored cats get flea combed every day. I think I would find a tick. They actually get combed every time they get up in my lap. I think they like it. I had tried flea and tick treatments for their fleas and they just did not work. I am pleased to say the combing does, then I dispose of the eggs and larvae.

I occasionally find a tick on Lucy and can successfully remove it in total, there doesn't seem to be a particular time for them and she hasn't had one for a few years now.. The problem we are having in our district at the moment, and for the last couple of months is FLEAS. I've spoken to many people and the conventional and expensive treatments are ineffective. I've been doing my pup with dog shampoo and killing dozens but they are back again within two days. I was even dipping her in sheep dip every 3 days but this did not work either. It's driving us all to distraction. We seem to have a minor mouse plague at the moment too. (Can a mouse plague be minor?)

What next my dear friend. We'd never get through the year if we didn't have something to worry about. I'm not good at the computer and hope this goes through , here goes. http://www.anapsid.org/Lyme/removingticks.html

Until yesterday, I was finding 2 to 4 everyday on my cats.

My dogs don't get ticks because I treat them each month with tick and flea repellent. It's the kind that you apply along their back and neck. They hate it but it's over quickly and lasts all month. I also give them heartworm medicine to prevent that disease. Bugs can live in extreme conditions so I do this year-round. You never know where they might find a warm place to hide and attack your beloved animal!

I learned the proper way to remove ticks awhile ago. I had to drill it into my hubby's thick head, though. He insisted that burning them off was the proper way. I THINK he understands now. I always keep an eye out for those tiny nasties. My little girl, Lilly, was recently diagnosed with Lyme Disease. Thankfully, it was just a "slight positive" so, hopefully, she won't have much of a problem with the symptoms associated with it. She's already had her Lyme Disease vaccination for this year and I will NEVER let that slide for even a week. When her next shot is due, she'll be at the vet's getting that shot! (That will prevent her from becoming "re-infected", as the vet put it, and having a more serious case of Lyme.) I found a tick on me a few years ago. Hmmm, that was right before we moved here... to the COUNTRY... go figure. I had to see my doctor who gave me a preventative course of antibiotics, just in case, since it was a deer tick that was on me. Yep, I know they are something we should constantly watch out for. I've been checking myself recently, each time I come inside from working in the garden when the temps go up enough for me to work in the garden. I still take precautions, like tucking my pants inside my socks and making sure there are none in my hair or crawling around on my body anywhere. Blech!!! They are such CREEPY bugs!!!!!