eeek a tick

I had always associated ticks with large, hunting dogs and deer, so it was a real shock to see one firmly attached to my Yorkie's head!

However, ticks will attach to any warm-blooded creature they can. They have special sensors to detect a potential host, and climb up to the tips of grass to wait for their victim. They can't jump like fleas, but will attach themselves as you walk by, and then burrow close to the skin. They are much slower moving than fleas, but once they've found a host, they insert their heads beneath the skin to gorge on blood.

Since ticks can transmit a number of dangerous diseases, it's vital you keep an eye on your toy dog (and yourself) for his health's sake and yours.

Even ticks that don't have diseases can cause an infection if this parasite isn't removed properly.

Above: picture of tick from Lance Nix on Flickr

There are four common types of ticks found in North America and they're all blood-sucking parasites that are not only supremely creepy, but they're very dangerous too, for both animals and humans.

Ticks can be infected with bacteria, viruses, or parasites and can transmit a wide variety of serious illnesses including Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain Fever, Relapsing_fever, Tick-Borne Relapsing Fever, Tick Paralysis and worse. What's worse, these serious illnesses can be very difficult to diagnose with regular laboratory tests.

Many of the symptoms are common to these diseases and include fever, bone and joint pain, aching all over, paralysis and swollen lymph nodes.

After being outside where there might be ticks -- wooded areas, fields with tall grasses and shrubs - run your hands all over your dog's body, feeling carefully for any small bumps.

If you feel one, grab some latex or rubber gloves and carefully part your dog's hair to check the spot. Ticks tend to latch on where there's less hair, such as where the legs meet the body, around the ears or on the belly.

Black or dark brown, the tick can be as small as a pinhead or (ugh) the size of a grape! Depending where it is and its size, you might see its legs too.

If you think you've found a tick, don't panic. It takes at least 24 hours for an infection to spread from the tick to its host. However it is important to deal with it as soon as possible.

Feeding ticks increase in size many times their normal body size. Look at these pictures - before and after feeding.

"Before," ticks look like very small spiders; the "after" the picture looked like a freakish, plumped-up raisin with legs - really disgusting!

Although there are several ways to safely remove a tick, you might want to consider seeing your veterinarian right away. He or she can remove it and show you how in case you encounter another tick. If any part of the tick breaks off during removal, complications like infection can result, especially in a small dog.

While at your veterinarian's, you can ask about tick prevention options including topical products like Frontline, Sentry Pro, Advantage, Natural Defense, and OmniTrol, which are formulated for once-monthly treatment to prevent ticks. The drops are applied between the dog's shoulder blades.

A tick collar, like the one Preventic makes, is another option. Be aware that these products contain high levels of toxins, and if your toy dog is very small, are probably not a great choice. If you and your vet do decide on this route, ensure you don't use any extra product - only what is recommended.

If you and your dog are outside where ticks could live, be vigilant in watching for these horrible little parasites, and keep your toy dog happy and healthy.

You can find tick control products at my Amazon store, EEEK It's a tick!

My next move was to google "dogs removing ticks" as quick as I could. I found zillions of results - actually 1,570,000 hits, so wasn't sure where to start.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I remembered something about applying coal tar or nail polish remover or some other noxious liquid to the tick, so that it would stop burrowing deeper and just fall out dead. Don't do it!

I found directions for the "easy way" dogs ticks can be removed, so set about with alcohol, rubber gloves, tweezers and valium (for me not the dog!). (Also have on hand: soapy water and iodine for cleaning up the spot after the tick's removed.)

(By the way, some directions do say to dab some vaseline jelly or rubbing alcohol onto the tick's exposed body before pulling, which will cause it to pull its head up from under the skin. However other directions don't mention this tactic.)

In either case, you're ready for the procedure: get your gloves on and carefully remove the tick by grasping it near the skin, then begin pulling steadily, straight up. Do not twist or turn the tick. Do not squish the tick. Remember, the tick's head is firmly embedded under your dog's skin at this point. Once the tick is out, thoroughly wash your dog's wound with water and mild soap and apply rubbing alcohol or iodine.

I thought I had done a pretty good job until I washed the area and took a really close look. It seemed to me that "something" was still under the bite mark and I was pretty sure it was the tick head left in.

From there you have two options, and no doubt your choice will depend on the size and health of your dog, not to mention your budget:

1. take your dog to the vet right away and get it removed.
That's what I opted for since my Yorkie is only 3 1/2 pounds. The vet wiped a local anesthetic over the wound and quickly cut it out. However, my little dog required 4 stitches to close the hole; that's how deep the tick had made its way in just a few hours. Ultimately I was glad I made that choice.

One "bonus" of the visit however, was getting more information from the vet on removing ticks, and on getting a special tick removal tool in particular. They can be found online or in stores, often sold as The Tick Key (which clips onto your dog's collar or your key ring); the Tick Nipper (which has a handy built-in magnifying glass) or the Original TICKED OFF tool.

2. wash the spot, continue to keep it clean and wait.

Your dog's skin will naturally form a hard lump around the wound as a way to quarantine it. Eventually that skin will regenerate and die, and the lump will just fall off (several weeks to a couple of months).

Naturally at any time the wounded area looks red or inflamed or starts swelling you do need to go to the vet ASAP.

The old cliche, "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" plays true when it comes to dogs and ticks. It's so much easier to prevent tick attacks than to try to deal with them later.

Five ways to prevent ticks

1Avoid environments where ticks may be more prevalent. If you have a house, you could clean up your own yard well, and then apply tick control dust or spray to the remaining plant life. Don't miss under crawl spaces and crevices where ticks love to hide.

Pros: no toxins or medications applied directly to your dog.
Cons: it can be difficult to avoid all ticks.

2You can protect your dog with a flea and tick collar; some are available at your pet store while others require a prescription from your veterinarian. Preventic® and Preventic Plus® are two brands that are commonly recommended.

Pros: they can prevent attachment of new ticks and even make old ticks fall off.
Cons: these collars are highly toxic - that's why the ticks die! For very small dogs especially, you might want to explore other avenues, given the high levels of toxins.

3Topical medication or spot-on treatments are similar to the flea and tick collar, is topical medication, also known as spot-on treatment. Apply the prescribed amount to the dog's skin, usually between his shoulders. Popular brands include K9 Advantix®, Sentry Pro XFC Squeeze-On Flea & Tick Control, Frontline® and Frontline Plus® Flea and Tick Control and Revolution.®

Pros: like collars, these medications usually work very well.
Cons: again like collars, this treatment is based on applying toxins to your dog's skin which always carries some dangers.

4 A twice monthly bath in an anti-flea and tick shampoo such as Sergeant's Skip-Flea and Tick Shampoo is a less invasive measure to control ticks on dogs. Or, you can try using a powder like Zodiak Flea & Tick Powder. These products are designed to both repel parasites (for about two weeks) and help kill any that might already be on the animal.

Pros: less toxic than collars or topical meds and reported to work well.
Cons: still harsh, and not as reliable as topical medications.

5Natural treatments. These include essential oils like rose geranium, eucalyptus, lemon balm and tree tea. Rosemary oil and lavender are two more. A drop or two applied to your dog's collar can help. You can also check your local health food store and see what they might have: companies like Springtime Inc. have good products you can buy online.

Pros: definitely less toxic than traditional routes to control ticks on dogs
Cons: not necessarily tested or proven to work.

A simple tool like this Tick Key is good to have on hand for tick emergencies. You can order them online at EEEK! It's a tick!

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