ticks are ugly!!!

Desi · Post by **Desi** » Wed May 16, 2007 11:39 am

One of the poodles had a tick years ago,tiny little thing,the vet removed it and charged us 30 dollars.
Cinnamon and Cheyenne sometimes have scabs from rough play,and I felt one in Cinnamons mane the other day,or at least that's what I thought.Checked on it this morning,and I still felt it,so I thought I'd take a closer look.Of course I can only do that in the morning before I put my contacts in,otherwise I don't see to well up close.Yes,I need reading glasses,lol,pretty soon my arms will be too short for me to read anything at all.(I have a flat panel monitor all the way on the back of my desk,I can read this just fine from two feet away,lol).So I kept my finer on the "scab" and got up close and noticed the scab was moving it's legs,eewwwww!!!!!
Read up on removing ticks right away,and it said to be careful not to pop the thing,so when Dh got up I showed him and told him we had two options.He'd have to make sure the dog didn't move and I could pluck the thing out with my fingers (my tweezers were the wrong kind) or we could ask the vet.He saw the size of the ugly monster (about the size of a split pea) and decided on the vet,lol.
Took the tech half a second to pull the thing out with her bare fingers and she told us she had removed a much bigger one this morning,blegh.
Ordered k9 advantix right away,hope that stuff works.And I'm going to spray the $#it out of the lawn.
Cinnamon didn't seem to care about the whole thing,she just enjoyed the ride.

TJordan · Post by **TJordan** » Wed May 16, 2007 12:35 pm

They are nasty little things. YUCK.

Last weekend we went to visit my parents and found that the dog next door was covered in them. I started itching and feeling things crawling on me(all in my head). But I have been checking the Butters since so far so good. But those little things are hard to find in all that fur!

Desi · Post by **Desi** » Wed May 16, 2007 12:41 pm

I ordered one of those tick removers online,just didn't want to touch the ugly thing with my fingers.Could have gone to the pet store to buy one of the tools,but the vets office is much closer by and they don't charge for stuff like that.I've been scratching all day,lol.

Roxana · Post by **Roxana** » Wed May 16, 2007 12:48 pm

This may be kinda sick of me, but I was sort of hoping you'd post a picture of the tick.

So glad we don't have ticks around here, BTW.

Post by **chris** » Wed May 16, 2007 1:07 pm

LMAO @ Roxanna... me too

Love the picture.. they looks sosososo big now. I love them.

vicster605 · Post by **vicster605** » Wed May 16, 2007 1:39 pm

They sure are gettin' BIG!!! What CUTIE PIES

Ugly lil' blood suckers, those ticks!!!
What do you spray the yard with that won't hurt the dogs????

Desi · Post by **Desi** » Wed May 16, 2007 1:49 pm

Roxana wrote:This may be kinda sick of me, but I was sort of hoping you'd post a picture of the tick.

So glad we don't have ticks around here, BTW.

That's what I thought later,darn,I should have taken a picture!!!!

Desi · Post by **Desi** » Wed May 16, 2007 1:52 pm

vicster605 wrote:They sure are gettin' BIG!!! What CUTIE PIES

Ugly lil' blood suckers, those ticks!!!
What do you spray the yard with that won't hurt the dogs????

Good question.The vet said home depot would have something by byaer,we haven't gone there yet.Trying to find what I can on the net.We sprayed against flea last year,but that was before we had the chows ,the poodles only go out for a couple of minutes and they don't eat grass and they don't chew on the trees either.The way the girls dig in the dirt and eat everything they find in the yard,I wonder if the cure won't be worse than the ailment.Maybe I'm better off just using the K9 advantix?
Ideas anyone?

WildThings · Post by **WildThings** » Wed May 16, 2007 2:13 pm

When my family first found Tess, she was covered in ticks (over 30 in all). I had never actually seen a tick, I thought they were little scabs until we saw the little legs on them. GROSS! We removed all ourselves but some actually pulled large chunks of skin with them. We ran into the same problem with Tacia when we found her. She had a few that were so full they fell off...they looked like tiny water balloons. We luckily have not had any problems since we first found both of them. Good thing...they give me the willies just thinking about them.

cheriekynb · Post by **cheriekynb** » Wed May 16, 2007 2:52 pm

You guys are scaring me! I HATE ticks! Can I just build a bubble around Sid's yard? A protective bubble that all air conditioned with green BUG FREE grass and a pool and automatic water dish and a tube that he can come into the house when ever he want? I think that will be the perfect solution WHEN I have a job to go back to. hahaha..

You should have seen me.. Yesterday I found a foxtail in his PAW!! Ok!! I had him lay on the floor so I could check EVERY paw, ears, everywhere! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!!!

Post by **chris** » Wed May 16, 2007 3:59 pm

Poor Sid... LOL.

sit_by_the_beach · Post by **sit_by_the_beach** » Wed May 16, 2007 4:33 pm

I'd ask the vet whether to spray outside your house.

Those two look full of mischief, beautiful pair, they look like they love life,

Karin

Desi · Post by **Desi** » Wed May 16, 2007 4:34 pm

What's a fox tail,other than the tail of a fox,which I assume it wasn't,cause you would have noticed,lol.Was watering the flowers a couple of days ago,and a fox crossed my yard.(Guess why we make sure the dogs get their rabies shots).First time I saw one alive since we moved here,I usually only see the flat ones by the side of the road.

Desi · Post by **Desi** » Wed May 16, 2007 4:38 pm

sit_by_the_beach wrote:I'd ask the vet whether to spray outside your house.

Those two look full of mischief, beautiful pair, they look like they love life,

Karin

And they wanted to kill them!!!We have had them 3 months now,and I still can't comprehend why someone would be willing to let dogs as sweet and pretty as my girls to be put to sleep.
Would like to know who dumped them,so I could send them a video of me getting my face covered in big sloppy kisses,so they can see what they gave up on !

Post by **chris** » Wed May 16, 2007 5:00 pm

Hey.. just think of it this way.. There loss.. your gain..

cheriekynb · Post by **cheriekynb** » Wed May 16, 2007 8:30 pm

Desi wrote:What's a fox tail,other than the tail of a fox,which I assume it wasn't,cause you would have noticed,lol.Was watering the flowers a couple of days ago,and a fox crossed my yard.(Guess why we make sure the dogs get their rabies shots).First time I saw one alive since we moved here,I usually only see the flat ones by the side of the road.

YUP, if was a REAL fox tail I HOPE I would have noticed!

Ok, it's this grass that has this spiny seed that burrows into a dog.. I googled it and I guess it's a CA thang!!

A serious hazard for field dogs, or any dogs in the field, are the hard seed-bearing structures of some kinds of grasses, often called "foxtails". These structures have sharp points at one end, and microscopic barbs, so that they easily move in the direction of the point, but not the other way. They "work in", but they don't "work out". They can become imbedded in the hair, especially the paws and ears, and in nostrils and even eyes. As they work their way in, they cause infection, and if not treated can sometimes be fatal.

YUK, SO DANGEROUS!!

zingara_princepessa · Post by **zingara_princepessa** » Wed May 16, 2007 9:40 pm

When we lived up in the wine country, my cat Pumpkin used to get ticks on him all the time. I just pulled them off with my fingers, and drowned them in a cup of rubbing alcohol. Apparently, that alcohol suffocates them. The only other way to kill them is to squash them, and that can get blood all over you.

They truly are a disgusting life form. Ick...

Larry Harris · Post by **Larry Harris** » Wed May 16, 2007 10:56 pm

With all this talk of fleas and ticks which we also have a lot of, does your area have problems with heart worm? We have to treat all of our dogs. We have found over the years that many of our fosters are heart worm positive. Seems Michigan and the big mosquitoes that carry it love our spring and summer months.

Larry

vtxandy · Post by **vtxandy** » Wed May 16, 2007 11:06 pm

I'd like to add my 2 cents.
This can be "googled" and I've seen it spelled both ways

diatamacious earth
or
diatomaceous earth

We live in Northern California. Fleas and ticks are both problems here. Well, they USE to be until I found this.

ONLY FOOD GRADE PRODUCT WILL WORK. Not the pool filter stuff.

You can buy it in bulk to dust your entire yard and even inside the house.
I studied ALOT about it before I introduced it into my babies environment. I found nothing but positives. It's very very cheap, easy to use, harmless to everything except fleas and ticks. Works fast. Works well.
Andy
ps....fox tails are horrible, my buddies K9 police dog just lost his life to one that went unnoticed, entered his bloodstream and damaged his heart. Tinker was prone to getting them in his ears. They are everywhere out here and we could hardly go on one outdoor excursion without him picking them up. Usually between his toes. They drill in skin (one way only) and need surgery to remove if older than maybe a week or so. They are awful.

Desi · Post by **Desi** » Thu May 17, 2007 8:44 am

Going to mow the fenced in part of the yard,and dust it with diatamacious earth ,I think it was Bubba that mentioned it as well,sounds safe to me.
Not sure we have that foxtail stuff in Georgia,haven't seen it around the house,but I'll look for it.
We have all sorts of critters romaing the yard,so it's no miracle we have fleas and ticks (also scorpions and black widows in the garage ).The deer steal my peaches,the bunnies eat my sunflowers,the squirrels don't steal anything because we built special feeders for them,lol,and every now and then there's a possum in one of the trees.
And there are foxes and the occasional coyote,and stray dogs in packs.

Desi · Post by **Desi** » Thu May 17, 2007 8:50 am

Larry Harris wrote:With all this talk of fleas and ticks which we also have a lot of, does your area have problems with heart worm? We have to treat all of our dogs. We have found over the years that many of our fosters are heart worm positive. Seems Michigan and the big mosquitoes that carry it love our spring and summer months.

Larry

We had them in Florida,and we have them here,lots and lots of mosquitos.All dogs are on interceptor.Darn bugs love me,as soon as I walk outside they start attacking.Even as a kid they bit the beep out of me.Don can sit right next to me and they won't touch him,hey just suck me dry.Made the mistake of spending a whole night on someones deck last summer,and I had 126 bites!!Got me pretty sick for a couple of days!No repelllant works

Even when I'm in the pool they still come for me,straight for my face.

cheriekynb · Post by **cheriekynb** » Thu May 17, 2007 1:47 pm

That's where I live.. DEEP in wine country! I think we have EVERY STICKY weed in the world growing here. BURRS, Foxtails.. this weird weed that the leaves stick to you when you brush by them... argh!! And silly Sid, I'm constantly picking up pine cones from the yard because, yup, you guessed it, he EATS them, or tries to anyway!!

bama · Post by **bama** » Fri May 18, 2007 9:41 pm

i HAVE TWO GROSS TICK STORIES...

When my brother was a teenager, he went from healthy to paralyzed in one day. Couldn't figure out why my brother could no longer walk.. Problem was a tick had embedded in his armpit. It burrowed so deep in the skin that the skin had begun to grow over hit and hid it.
It took doctors forever to figure out why my brother couldn't walk??? After it was removed, my brother bounced back to a normal life.

Just thought all of you would enjoy my story!

Sherill

edited, spelling corrections

***if you can handle this story, I'll tell you another true story!!!

Desi · Post by **Desi** » Sat May 19, 2007 10:21 am

Hmm,,will try to remember that one just in case.I roam the woods behind the house all the time,and I'll spend hours under the trees trying to get the perfect shot of a bird or squirrel.Only ticks I'd ever seen were small.
Ok,next story,lol

bama · Post by **bama** » Sun May 20, 2007 10:16 am

When I was a new mother, I had my 3 month old baby girl, Ashley on a quilt in the middle of the floor. I was working all around her, cleaning house.
From a short distance, I looked over at her to see what looked like freckles. Immediately, I went to her to see what was up. When I got close enough to see, I found her to be covered with ticks!!! I mean covered..hundreds!!!
I quickly picked her up and took her to the kitchen sink where I dunked her into the dishwater! I kept her lower body and clothes under water while I stripped her. Then, I put her on the other side of the sink and sprayed off the rest of the ticks with water. That left only a few ticks around her ears that I plucked off with my fingers!
OMG, I was freaking out...ticks all over my baby girl!!

Full of fear, I held on to my baby tightly, as I went back to the quilt for a closer inspection of what just happened??? I was horrified to see the quilt covered with ticks! In the corner of my eye, I could see something moving on my windows...it was an army of ticks!
There was not one place on my south wall and windows that was not covered in ticks, they numbered into the thousands!!! They were everywhere, crawling on my furniture, on my drapes, in the closets! It didn't take long for them to enter the south side of my home's interior and march to the north side.
This was the stuff that bad movies are made of!!!
I wrapped my baby in a dish towel and ran out of the house and to my parents home.
There, I called pest control...we had to stay with my parents for 3 days while Orkin killed the ticks who had invaded my home!
I had never seen or heard of such a thing! Neither had the reps from Orkin!! They used my tick infested home as a learning experience, adding it to their portfolio of bazarre cases!

**The ticks were traced to a flower bed which was full of mulch and up against my house. When the army of ticks fled the nest, they treked into my house by the thousands.
Lesson learned...always spray around the foundation of your home, especially if you have flower beds or mulch next to the foundation.
Now, as I re-live that moment in time, I am itching all over!!