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Vet tech is not available for another few days. One of our kids got infested with more than a 100 ticks - in one day! I think it was because the lawn just got mowed that day, makes sense.
Anyway, the other dogs are not infested... only one. Granted, she doesn't interact with the others, so again, makes sense.
I used the front-line two days in a row (called the vet and he said, fine). Still, these little blood suckers are not giving up. Three days of hell, now - for the pup, obviously, not us. We have a container of gin set up to put the bad guys in as we pluck them out and we're keeping her isolated from the others.
Here is the issue - when you're "of a certain age" and therefore, can't see very well (yes, we've got the readers, they don't help much here), how can you tell the difference between a scab from having pulled an enemy tick versus the real thing? I keep hurting her when I go to retrieve what I think is a tick but have erroneously picked a scab.
Help from the forum is always appreciated! We're in a rural area so we don't have a lot resources.... fyi - they are deer ticks from key deer.
Sounds like you've run into a batch of what we call seed ticks. Did your vet not recommend a dip to get rid of them?
What breed and age is the dog? Country remedy is to send you to WalMart to pickup some Sevin liquid, mix it hot , and drench the dog. Don't rinse. Let it dry on his coat. The ticks will die and fall out. Seed ticks are usually too small to embed like the bigger ones.
Thanks for the input. Vet's recommendation is to wait until the vet tech (a.k.a. the groomer) gets out here so I'm guessing she'll likely have some sort of a dip when she gets here since she knows of the issue.
I was just thinking there might be an easier way to distinguish between ticks versus scabs left by ticks with a certain feel when you're searching for the enemy. When I asked the vet he said using our sight was the way to make the determination. Thought there might be some other "trick" to make sure we're getting the tick and not a scab.
WalMart? Oh my gosh, just wish we had one of those!
The dog in question is a 13 or 14 y/o terrier mix. Of course she's a rescue, so not real sure of the age but I am also not certain she could tolerate the Sevin since she's been hospitalized for Pancreatitis twice.
Yep, I think you're right about the ticks not getting embedded too far into her. Still, picking out the teeny blood sucking marbles - well, simply put, not fun.
Again, thanks for the reply... was feeling pretty alone and helpless out here.
+1 to you for your thoughtfulness.
oh, sunset, wow! i hear the word tick, and i shudder! i know you hate seeing all these ticks on your baby! did the vet tech come yet?
also, i just wanted to let you know to keep an eye on your terrier after this...if you she starts to vomit or have diarrhea, or if she seems to have joint pain or seems lethargic, you'll want to have your vet run a tick titer panel on her. you probably already know about this, living in tick country, but i just wanted to make sure.
i've had a couple of run-ins with tick-borne illnesses with my 12-year old shih tzu (rickettsia = rocky mounty spotted fever and bartonella henselae = cat scratch fever), and they can be hard to diagnose...so i just wanted to mention that in case your vet didn't or in case no one has ever told you.
and it IS hard sometimes to tell between a tick and a scab...i once pulled a scab off barnaby's back and then felt TERRIBLE when it bled b/c it was actually a scab, and then another time actually took him to the vet b/c i couldn't tell the difference and didn't want to leave the head in if it were a tick (it was a scab again)!
Thanks SO much for the support! Vet tech/groomer will be here Saturday, supposedly (maybe this Saturday - we're on Herman Wouck's "island time" here, so not too sure).
Thankfully, the second dose of the front-line seems to be working- honestly, just a few hours ago they are coming off DEAD!
As previously mentioned, I gave her 2 doses of the recommended amount, 2 days in a row, as mentioned earlier, Vet said it was okay, and we are now able to feel around and can actually determine (pretty much), dead ticks versus scabs, still hard, though.
Damn, it sucks to get old and not be able to see. Thanks for the heads up on the vomiting and other issues that may arise. We'll definitely be checking on her. Slept with her - and not my DH - for the last few nights.
I'm definitely a helicopter mom with serious issues about these babes.. guess we are all hovering or we wouldn't be on this forum, right?
Our island shuts down for Independence Day from this afternoon until next Monday, so hoping the vet tech shows and finishes this up for all concerned. So, thanks very much to you and "oldenfatt" for helping me out.
I live north of you in NE GA and have a real tick problem and I switched over to the spray so I can get the whole body and the under carriage and that has helped big time. Also, it sez to only spray once a month but I do it every 3 weeks during the height of the tick season and has helped big time.
Thanks. Didn't even know about the product. We'll see if it is offered here or if they'll ship here. Anything for our "little old lady"!! Thankfully, ticks are winding down but now we have matted hair showing up, like, literately overnight. Am keeping a keen eye on our girl, thanks to other posters letting me know that I need to keep a lookout for odd reactions to this "attack".
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