General Chat

You can buy tick removers from a vet, a veterneary chemist, and I'm sure I have seen them in Boots too.

Thye are small with a wedge cut out one end, the ticks goes between the wedge and you have to twist so you do not leave the head in. If you do you should seek advice from your GP.

Our dogs only have had them once, when we were on holiday in Exmoor, yet we regularly go to Cumbria with no problems :-S :-S

Oh Rose, I hope if it is you can have treatment which will ease your knee problems.
My knees are dreadful these days, it's osteoarthritis, didn't realise how hard I had worked myself in my younger days but am paying the price now. I also understand the pain my Mum must have been in for a long time. My hip will have to be replaced in a few years time so I have been told after an xray.

Take care of yourself

Lizx

Thanks for that Liz, it occurred to me yesterday that my knee problems 'may' have come on since I had what I thought was a mosquito bite, but looking at the pictures I'm wondering if it was in fact a tick bite. Might get it checked out.

Coincidentally I was just reading the information on the site below, which I found while looking for something else.



http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-22468181


Lizx

Reminds me of two years ago when my wife and I were walking through a wood in Virginia USA. A sign said "Beware of Ticks and Snakes".

She said, "wow, why do they put ticks before snakes?"

I said, "trust me, ticks are far more dangerous than snakes, you can see a snake and keep out of its way, but with ticks the little buggers are on you without you knowing ".

LOL ooo, yoo ARE a one!!

Bob don't know about liquid parafin, but if you cover them with butter or marg' to stop them breathing they loosen their grip.

Bobtanian - last time I tried that it turned the tick into a dog.

I was smoking a cigar at the time and the tick went "WOOF!"

was it not once recomended putting liquid paraffin (NOT the kind used for heating)on a tick? kills em off so they retract from the bite site......

think there was feature on tv a week or so ago, a young lady is now confined to a wheelchair after a tick infection(lymes disease)

I have in the past wintered baby hedgehogs.

One little chap who weighed less than half a pound himself,lay still and let me take fifteen ticks out of him at one go.

They must have him feel bad.

Bed bugs are grateful to have someone to chew on at night.

I think I may have to visit to give her a hand for a day or two, I shall be tucking my trousers into my socks...or if I can find one wearing a hazmat suit :-0

Errol, :-D I thought you were dipped every year to avoid that. :-D :-D

Hey don't blame me lol

Seriously though, you are quite right RamblingRose. Another thing you have to watch out for is if they try to burrow under the skin. Do not try to pull them out because they leave their head behind which can lead to infection. Instead you have to extract them in much the same way you would a splinter. I still have a scar from when this happened some 15 years ago.

Thank you Rose.

Not just humans, dogs & cats pick these up from grass, so check yours over regularly

Not intending to worry anyone just as a reminder if you're outdoors a lot.

A friend has just phoned me, she wasn't feeling well last weekend and has seen the doctor this week, and been diagnosed with Lyme disease from tick bite/s, I knew that sheep ticks had to be watched out for but this is in her very suburban garden and has come from ticks from possibly foxes or badgers.

Symptom's in her case are a rash around the bite site ( quite distinctive, pics online) and swollen legs and ankles, and antibiotics have been prescribed. Google Lyme disease as it's worth knowing what to look out for if you spend time outdoors, apparently it's on the rise.