# Endless Battle with Ticks!



## Oquirrh the V (Jun 24, 2011)

Has anyone ever heard of ticks burrowing in a dog's ear canal? Here's the situation:
10/14 - I did a routine ear cleaning on Oquirrh's ears. Over the next week, he would shake his head a lot and scratch at his ear, so I was keeping an eye on his ears for infection or anything else. 
10/22 - I found two ticks in his right ear. His right ear looked very irritated and he would whine anytime I cleaned it. 
His ear still looked red and swollen over the next week, but was looking better. He still had some gunk in his ear that I couldn't get out, but I was cleaning it every 3 days. 
10/30 - I found two more ticks in his right ear that looked double in size of the last two that I had found. After removing the ticks, the ear was still looking less red and swollen. 
11/2 - Cleaned his ears, got all the gunk out. This time was much easier to clean because the swelling had completely gone away. I thought we were on the mend.
11/3 - Found another tick in his right ear! Double the size of the last two that I pulled out. 

So, I've pulled 5 ticks out of one ear. Each time the ticks were in the same spot, deep in his ear but not deep enough that I couldn't get them out myself. I have been checking his ears every single day, sometimes multiple times a day. My theory is that they are crawling up/out of his ear, usually the day after I clean his ears. I've even been flooding his ear with cleaner and there is never any sign of ticks. I have a vet appointment scheduled, but just wondering if anyone has heard of anything like this.


----------



## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

I would highly suggest you buy a Preventic collar made by Amitraz. They work better than anything else I have seen on the market for ticks. 
Next I don't pull ticks off of dogs. I put a dab of Dawn dishwashing liquid on the tip of my finger. Then rub it on the tick, a few moments later the tick will release for easy removal. Then just remove the excess Dawn with a damp napkin.


----------



## Oquirrh the V (Jun 24, 2011)

Thanks, TexasRed. We have never had a problem with ticks until 3 weeks ago, but now I will be doing some research on preventative options. As for removing the ticks, all five ticks were not attached to him when they were removed. It seems they are crawling up/out his ear when I find them.


----------



## ghentheath (Jul 26, 2014)

I just took the first tick of the season off my pup. :-[ does anyone have any new tricks for tick removal? I have tried the dawn trick, but it hasn't worked. Do you just leave it on til the tick comes off? How long? I never can get the tick to release, and it breaks and leaves the mouth of the tick in.


----------



## redbirddog (Apr 23, 2010)

My two almost always have their tick collars on. We replace them three times a year (spring, summer and fall) and no ticks. They can go "naked" during the winter. We used to battle ticks as we hike in the hills all the time. I pulled one off me last night after a hike but the dogs were clear. - Rod

_What is the Preventic Amitraz Tick Collar for Dogs ?_

The Preventic Amitraz Tick Collar for Dogs kills and detaches ticks. As long as your pet is wearing the collar, prevention lasts for up to three months. Preventic Tick Collars also prevent new ticks from attaching and feeding within 48 hours after application. It contains amitraz, an ingredient that kills and detaches ticks for up to 90 days, including the Amercian Dog Tick, Brown Dog Tick, Lone Star Tick and the Deer Tick (the major carrier of Lyme disease).	
For: 
Dogs (12 weeks of age or older)

Benefits:
•	Contains amitraz to kill and detach ticks for up to 90 days
•	Kills ticks carrying tick-borne diseases such as Lyme Disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
•	Reaches full effectiveness within 48 hours of application
•	Over 97% effectiveness against ticks for up to three months
•	Water resistant
•	Available in 2 sizes
•	Safe when used as directed
How it works: 
The ingredient amitraz is an antiparasitic drug. It rapidly paralyzes the ticks mouth parts before killing the tick, preventing attachment of the tick and preventing the transmission of disease. On animals, it is used to control ticks, mites, lice, and other animal pests. It works to kill Deer Ticks, which can be found mainly in the North and South East regions, the Brown Dog Tick, located across the entire U.S., the Lone Star Tick, located in the Southern U.S. and the American Dog Tick, which can be found mostly in the Midwest and North and South East regions.

Cautions: 
The Preventic Tick Collar contains Amitraz, a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI), and should not be used on pets being given any other MAOI such as Anipryl or selegiline. Humans taking MAOI medications or who are diabetic should use this product with caution and should wash hands thoroughly after applying the collar. Use rubber gloves when putting the Preventic Tick Collar on your pet.


----------



## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

I don't know why your having a problem getting them to release. I just put a drop of it on my finger, and rub in a circular motion and they release. Maybe 30 seconds to a minute tops.


----------



## Canadian Expy (Feb 27, 2013)

We use a device called the Tick Key, which we have had great success with on both dogs and humans. The only time it hasn't worked is if the tick is too small to be extracted with the device. We are currently looking into additional options to add to our first aid kit, since this will be another bad tick year here. I will look into the collars mentioned.

Due to the high risk of Lyme in the areas we frequent we do regular tick checks on our dogs (and us), and thorough brushing afterwards. If you do find an attached tick it is important to remove them immediately, as the longer a tick is attached, the greater the likelihood of them passing on infection. You also want to do it with as little disturbance to the tick as possible (do not squeeze the body) as you do not want it to potentially regurgitate infected fluid into your dog, or who whoever you are removing it from. 

We were advised against putting anything on the tick to try and get it to release, as this can cause it to release infected fluid into the host before it let's go (if it does let go).


----------



## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

I do know that lavender oil mix with water, and put in a spray bottle is suppose to help keep ticks off. I don't know if your dog goes for a swim, if it will stay effective. I tried it once on a run, and there was no ticks on the dogs. The bad part was the dogs could not scent birds when sprayed with Lavender. I would have to assume that they could not scent snakes either while wearing it, and half of their snake avoidance training would be useless.
I would only use it if caught in a pinch, and it was not during weather when snakes are active. 
IMO The Preventic collar is the best option.
SniperJohn can tell you firsthand the damage a tick can do to your dog, and wallet.


----------



## Bob Engelhardt (Feb 14, 2012)

Here's a link to a short video of a tick. The file is really large (340MB) & I don't know why, cause it's so short. It's .avi & maybe they're not compressed. 
https://www.dropbox.com/s/0eyjfd5k0yl9rqv/scope.avi?dl=0 

The tick as an adult female Blacklegged tick. Aka deer tick. The Lyme-carrying one.

What's most interesting is that what appears to be a head are really huge jaws. There's only a couple of brief moments when one or the other opens and can be seen for their size. One can understand how hard ticks are to remove when you think about those jaws penetrating and opening under the surface of the skin. They would be a very effective anchor.

Bob


----------



## Bob Engelhardt (Feb 14, 2012)

Bob said:


> ...
> What's most interesting is that what appears to be a head are really huge jaws. ... One can understand how hard ticks are to remove when you think about those jaws penetrating and opening under the surface of the skin. ...
> 
> Bob


OK ... I got that wrong - sorry.

What I called jaws are really just flaps/covers and fold back when the tick is embedded. The central part is what penetrates and it has rear-facing barbs to anchor it. It is the "hypostome" and the side parts are "palps", in the unlikely event that anyone wants to know.

Bob


----------

