Removing ticks from between dog's toes? (vet, aggressive, black, train)
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My dog has a tick embedded between his toes and he is trying like crazy to remove it by licking. But when I try to grab the tick the dog is highly offended and growls at me. Not surprising since he also hates to have his nails trimmed. I was hoping the Nexgard that I have been using would have something in it that causes ticks to let go, but apparently not. So who has an idea of a good way to get the tick off? Or should I just wait to see if it lets go eventually? It has been there probably 48 hrs by now.
My dog has a tick embedded between his toes and he is trying like crazy to remove it by licking. But when I try to grab the tick the dog is highly offended and growls at me. Not surprising since he also hates to have his nails trimmed. I was hoping the Nexgard that I have been using would have something in it that causes ticks to let go, but apparently not. So who has an idea of a good way to get the tick off? Or should I just wait to see if it lets go eventually? It has been there probably 48 hrs by now.
A bigger problem than the tick is you have a dog that you’ve allowed to get to the point that it dictates what you may and may not do to it! Seriously, you are allowing you dog to growl at you?! And that doesn’t surprise you? For now, slap a muzzle on your aggressive dog and remove the tick, then do some serious thinking about your relationship with your dog and how it got to this point. Hopefully you will find a balanced trainer to help you have a respectful dog. I can’t even imagine having a dog that would even consider growling at me (or anyone else for that matter) because it “highly offended” and “didn’t like” something, and I’ve had quite a few dogs.
[Edit: massive re-write, as I missed the mention of Nexgard, and 48 hours]
I'm going to leave what I originally wrote, as it is good and pertinent advice about ticks. However, if your dog is taking Nexgard, that tick should already be dead. In my experience with Nexgard, ticks who attempt to feed are dead in less than 15 minutes of being on the dog. If it is still attached, it will eventually fall off. I would STILL recommend removing the tick, and determining what kind of tick it is. If it is a deer or lone star tick, you should want to know, too, so that you know if they are active in your area, and so that you know what they look like. That short lifespan after attaching makes disease transmission unlikely - but it could still happen.
I originally didn't think you had mentioned what tick prevention you were using. My apologies for not reading thoroughly. What I originally wrote might be useful, tho, so:
Original~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Muzzle, and get assistance. If the tick lives, it will eventually finish feeding and drop off. It it is dead, or if it dies, it will drop off.
However, permitting this tick to feed and drop off ignores the potential for disease. Ticks carry disease. Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and many more. By the time you read this, if this tick carries disease, there is a very strong likelihood that it has already transmitted the disease to your dog.
So identifying what KIND of tick is important. I'll get back to this. First, let's finish up with removing the tick. Get help. Around my house, that means going to the vet, because my family are pretty useless in helping to restrain a struggling dog. A lot of dogs don't like their feet touched or held. I don't know why - but it is not uncommon.
I would not try to teach the dog to permit this at one go by punishing them for struggling. You should work on this in the future, over time. Gently handle the paw when you are petting the dog - or giving them treats. Start with small steps, and gradually work up over weeks and months to more definite handling of the foot. I say months, because I've spent many months on this very thing with one of my dogs - but I've only bothered with it when an opportunity hits me in the face, so to speak - maybe a couple of times a month. He still doesn't like it, but he no longer automatically responds by going into a full struggle to get away. He tolerates it now. But DO work on this - you should be able to handle ANY part of your dog without the dog growling, or struggling to get away.
Back to ticks and disease. If the tick is a deer tick, there is a strong chance it carries at least one disease - something between 25 and 50% chance. If it is a wood tick (aka dog tick), it might carry Rocky Mountain spotted fever, which is less likely, but I was recently told has been on the increase in recent years. If it is a lone star tick, there is a greater chance than a wood tick, but less than a deer tick. Lone star ticks have been less common - but their territory is rapidly spreading. Back when I was a kid, we didn't worry too much about a tick bite. It was always a wood tick, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever was rare.
But, with deer ticks, that picture has massively changed.
Your tick is going to be bloated from feeding now, so I think the only way YOU would be able to tell them apart is by size, and without experience with these ticks, I have to doubt that you would be able to. A bloated deer tick is larger than a dog tick who hasn't fed, even though they start out about a tenth the size. Ask the vet when you get him to help remove the tick.
If you live in an area where Lyme and other tick-borne illnesses are common, I would consider getting the tick tested for disease. Check this out: https://www.tickreport.com/ You can go online and look for something similar in your part of the country.
hiero2 thanks for the very complete reply. I am a little concerned that the Nexgard was at the end of its cycle, just a couple days short of a month. Maybe I need to ask for the next larger dosage given that there are a lot of ticks in my area.
For everyone commenting on the training, let's just say that as a young dog he was more comfortable with the nail trimming idea, but as he got older I tried to have id done by the vets office. Two different ones in fact. And it was a disaster. Now he is totally frightened. Last time the vet had to give him a deep jab in the back with some sort of tranquilizer and I am sure that will be even more of a fear problem in the future. And yes, I am trying to get him over this fear but it does look like it might take quite a while. He is a longer haired dog and I think that contributes to his sensitivity.
hiero2 thanks for the very complete reply. I am a little concerned that the Nexgard was at the end of its cycle, just a couple days short of a month. Maybe I need to ask for the next larger dosage given that there are a lot of ticks in my area.
For everyone commenting on the training, let's just say that as a young dog he was more comfortable with the nail trimming idea, but as he got older I tried to have id done by the vets office. Two different ones in fact. And it was a disaster. Now he is totally frightened. Last time the vet had to give him a deep jab in the back with some sort of tranquilizer and I am sure that will be even more of a fear problem in the future. And yes, I am trying to get him over this fear but it does look like it might take quite a while. He is a longer haired dog and I think that contributes to his sensitivity.
Yup, understood - "stuff" happens, and a dog can get suddenly wary because of a negative experience. I had a hound with black nails like that - HATED having her nails trimmed. But with reason - we almost always got at least one quick in the process. And that was painful for her!
I don't know this, but I THINK, based on my usage of Nexgard, that there is probably a week overlap (a fifth week) where the drug is still effective. I would be cautious about going up a weight grade. What I have found interesting is that, after the 2nd month of treatment, I believe I see a repellant effect. I've had a dog, on the same run with mine, but using a shoulder spot treatment, come back with several ticks. And none on mine on the same runs. I've also found ticks on me in the house after a run with my dogs. The ticks are seeking, but they are also obviously dying - which means they left the dog.
When the ticks are REALLY, REALLY bad, which happens a few days a year when the weather is right, I will see a few seeking on my dogs after a run. I can spot them in their fur when I check. When they are that bad, I will use a permethrin flea/tick spray as an added protection. But I only do that a few days per year.
The major reason I use the Nexgard is because my dogs are mouthy - far more than typical - when they play. A lot of people around here have also had excellent results with the Seresto collars. Based on what I hear from other users, both methods appear to be more effective than the shoulder spot treatments.
That won't do a thing. The alcohol will evaporate long before it bothers the tick to any degree. I've put ticks in alcohol and watched them squirm around for a long time.
A bigger problem than the tick is you have a dog that you’ve allowed to get to the point that it dictates what you may and may not do to it! Seriously, you are allowing you dog to growl at you?! And that doesn’t surprise you? For now, slap a muzzle on your aggressive dog and remove the tick, then do some serious thinking about your relationship with your dog and how it got to this point. Hopefully you will find a balanced trainer to help you have a respectful dog. I can’t even imagine having a dog that would even consider growling at me (or anyone else for that matter) because it “highly offended” and “didn’t like” something, and I’ve had quite a few dogs.
This is over the top.
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Seriously, you are allowing you dog to growl at you?! And that doesn’t surprise you? For now, slap a muzzle on your aggressive dog and remove the tick, then do some serious thinking about your relationship with your dog and how it got to this point. Hopefully you will find a balanced trainer to help you have a respectful dog. I can’t even imagine having a dog that would even consider growling at me (or anyone else for that matter) because it “highly offended” and “didn’t like” something, and I’ve had quite a few dogs.
