[hennypenny]

Daughter had tick on leg after doing DofE...went to Boots in truro and asked for a tickremover...you would have thought Id asked the woman to strip at the counter!  "We dont sell those here".

Any ideas where I can get one  - seems like a good thing to have in the first aid box.

[Mo]

  You should be able to pick one up at any Pet Shop/ Vets. I think I got mine from Pets at Home. I haven't had to use it this year though (yet)

[lazybee]

I buy them from our vets. They come in a little plastic bag with three different sizes in. They are like a little two pronged fork bent at 90deg. They slip over the tick then you turn slowly and the head and mouth parts come out too. Great tool.

[knightquest]

Try local pet shop - we sell 'em 

[Sandy]

When I was bowled over last year, I ended up with a tick between my shoulder blades, my OH removed it leaving the head, it eventualy came out but it was very annoying!!!

[ellisr]

I had a couple last year, the hospital told me to put vaseline over it for 20 mins before removing it with a tick remover as it is easier if it is dead. Please remember to get a blood test if the tick is engorged when you notice it as they can transmit lymes disease.

[Pony-n-trap]

We got ours from the vets and wow did it come in handy last year, I had never seen a tick in 'real life' before I moved up here but I must have removed hundreds in total from my horses and dogs last summer.

Thankfully the dogs are now living with us at the Steading and the horses have moved to better grazing, well grazing that has actually been grazed, where they were last year it hadnt been touched for I dont know how long so the grass was waist high, ticks everywhere and we had 5 snake bites to deal with too! One on one of my horses, one on two dogs and two on one dog!!  I should have been guest of honour at the vets xmas doo!

Have only seen 2 ticks this year so far so great improvement, funnily enough, I cant find the tick removers!!

[lazybee]

Now we live in France we see a lot more ticks than we used to in the UK. They get in the horses manes and under their front leg mainly. The dogs pick them up quite often too. We find them on the dogs quite quickly as they are indoor dogs and are spoiled rotten. About 5 years ago our English Bull terrier became very ill and we couldn't find what was wrong with him. I steadily got worse and had to admitted to the vets and put on an I.V. We were told to expect the worst, he was diagnosed with piroplasmosis even though he had had the jab. We never saw a tick on him, the vet said it was probably in his ear. I don't now if disease in the UK, but something to keep in the back of your mind.

[doganjo]

We were told to expect the worst, he was diagnosed with piroplasmosis

I presume he recovered?  The vaccination should have given him some protection.  All UK dogs visiting abroad have a strict vaccination regime to follow which is why I won't take my French gundogs to French National shows as others in my breed do.  Apart from the long journey I won't put all those drugs into them.

[Mo]

I had a couple last year, the hospital told me to put vaseline over it for 20 mins before removing it with a tick remover as it is easier if it is dead. Please remember to get a blood test if the tick is engorged when you notice it as they can transmit lymes disease.

Not sure about the dead tick bit, but I was told to put vaseline over because it deprives them of air and they let go to come up and breathe?

[Birdie Wife]

I had a couple last year, the hospital told me to put vaseline over it for 20 mins before removing it with a tick remover as it is easier if it is dead. Please remember to get a blood test if the tick is engorged when you notice it as they can transmit lymes disease.

Not sure about the dead tick bit, but I was told to put vaseline over because it deprives them of air and they let go to come up and breathe?

Don't want to scare you but... the current advice is NOT to use vaseline or anything else that might cause the tick to die with its head imbedded in you, as the tick may disgorge its stomach contents and transmit any parasites it may be hosting, including the one that causes Lyme disease. Don't use your fingers as you'll end up squeezing the body of the tick, to the same effect. Use tick tweezers as soon as you can. The hospital are giving very out of date advice   

useful link:
http://www.lymediseaseaction.org.uk/ticks.htm

[Mo]

Birdie Wife - thanks - I thought it was bad but wasn't sure of my facts.

[hennypenny]

Thanks for all this info - will go to the vets tomorrow!

[CameronS]

False nails (or long nails) work just as well for quick infield removal (removers don't allways work for pinhead ticks),

i know i need to get them off as soon as i get them as i react badly to tick/flea bites, and never seem to have a remover when i need one. hence (despite being a boy) i try not to nibble my nails


then SPLAT the tick   

just remember to wash the wound and your fingers,

contradicts everything said above, but I'm not dead yet   

[Mo]

False nails (or long nails) work just as well for quick infield removal (removers don't allways work for pinhead ticks),

i know i need to get them off as soon as i get them as i react badly to tick/flea bites, and never seem to have a remover when i need one. hence (despite being a boy) i try not to nibble my nails


then SPLAT the tick   

just remember to wash the wound and your fingers,

contradicts everything said above, but I'm not dead yet   

Excellent!  Life as it really is. I didn't like to admit I'd used my nails