I was just petting Cooper when I noticed a tick in his neck, so I called my mom over with the tweezers and peroxide, and before I could tell her to pull from the bottom she pulled the only the butt. Now the head is still in him and the skin around it is all red and irritated. How do I get the head out?! Or should I just leave it alone?
Heeeelllp!

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For future tick problems......I was told by a friend to put liquid hand soap on the tick . A few days later we found a tick. Applied the soap very thick a couple of times. After about 5 minutes the tick came out on its own. We were pleased and hope it works again if needed.
From k9web.com:
Infections or abscesses
If you have left the head of the tick in your pet's skin, chances are there will be an infection or an abscess in a week or so. Try disinfecting the area thoroughly with 70% alcohol (it takes about 5 minutes for alcohol to sterilize an area). Ethyl alcohol is less toxic than rubbing alcohol; vodka or any high-proof liquor will work, but good commercial antiseptic cleansers are recommended. Then apply a combination antibiotic ointment. If an infection occurs anyway, take your pet in to the vet to have it drained.
I own a product called the Tick Key it removes ticks very easily and safely. I'm very happy with it and you might want to check it out. WARNING...I saw this advertised in a back packers mag. and looked for it on line and came across a website called THETICKKEY.COM it looked like a good website so I ordered some and then didn't get them I emailed, called the number given and then one day I got back on line and got ahold of a reprasenative I asked them where my product was? it's been 2 months the lady told me that they don't sell to the public but knew what happened she transfered me to a nice lady you explained my mistake it seems this time I called TICKKEY.COM and they are the manufactures of this product she told me that this guy had set up shop and was ripping people off through his site annd they've had a rash of problems and were in the courts trying to shut him down so TICKKEY.COM sent me 6 keys even though I had only ordered 3 through this fradulent site for free. So please go to TICKKEY.COM not the one that says THETICKKEY.COM or you'll get ripped off. but the real website will give you names of stores in your area that sell this product. Sorry this was so long I just want to make sure if you want one you don't get ripped off because it's the difference of one little word.
My son saw the Tick Key at REI (a sporting goods store) and told me about it, so I picked one up to keep in my hiking backpack. It was only $6. Looks simple enough to use.
Yes I've only had to use it once since I bought it and it completely remove the tick it's a neat little invention and because of the generosity of the manufacturers I was able to give one to other members of my family also!
Thanks Ill make sure to check that out!
Leave it. It's not the head; it's just the mouthparts. It will be red and bumpy for a couple of days and then the body will shed the mouthparts with the scab that forms and all will be well.

I've had HUNDREDS of tick experiences in my dog-owning life and, I promise, all is well.

Do NOT add salve or ointment or anything else to it. If you're concerned that it's dirty, you can clean with betadine or similar, but do not use hydrogen peroxide or anything but saline solution or clean water.
Hey Joanna, I read your blog fleas & tixks and found the flea/tick stuff useful. I may try that Comfortis stuff; if it kills ticks for a week, I could apply it as-needed, rather than keep both dogs dosed with permethrin all the time and getting a snootfull myself whenever the dogs do Teddy Bear Duty.

Getting complicated in Washington state: the Dermacentor wood/dog ticks are on the dry east side of the Cascade mountains, but apparently the smaller Ixodes deer ticks are here on the wet west side. Lyme not a big problem. Yet.
In your situation, yes, I would consider Comfortis if Frontline isn't working. You should get an extremely effective week and then it will fall off for the next several weeks.

The studies showed that they could achieve 100% tick kill for a month if they pushed the dose high enough, but they were not comfortable doing that because it started to affect the most vulnerable dogs (tiny puppies, pregnant moms). So the current dose is what works for fleas, and it will initially work on ticks too.
I'm gonna do a lot of research before Comfortis. I found some stuff that gives me pause: dolittler
Anyway, I'm realizing that with two dogs on variable hiking trips, the logistics of "as-needed" dosing would be too complicated.
Dolittler tends to attract the crazies, a little bit, so just be aware of that.

The side effects that seem to be real, as opposed to "My dog never had a XX before and now he does, and I used Comfortis last month so that must be it!" have to do with vomiting. Evidently it has an extremely bitter taste and makes some dogs throw up pretty violently. That can lead to a cascade effect where the dog then can't get it under control and a few of them have even bloated or been pretty sick for several days. The "seizures" people have seen in toy dogs are probably because of that effect; the dog gets hypoglycemic from not getting calories in and from vomiting and has a hypoglycemic attack.

In everyone I have talked to, the vomiting can be controlled by giving the pill WITH a meal, and INSIDE other food. So wait until the dog has eaten, roll the pill in a piece of ham, feed it.

The fact that it is such a new medication, even as encouraging as the studies have been, is why I would rather see people use Frontline or Advantage first. It's when the fleas are laughing at those spot-ons that you're down to the second-tier choices, which include Revolution, ProMeris, Comfortis, Advantix, etc. Of those, I'd go with the Comfortis because whereas I am watching for credible side effect reports on Comfortis I already KNOW there are side effects of the others.

As with every medication, you have to balance risks and benefits. Nothing is without risk. The question is whether the risk of the medication is greater or less than the risk of not using it. In dogs with flea allergies, or to prevent the spread of disease through fleas, or where there is an existing infestation that is making the dogs miserable and possibly causing anemia in young or unhealthy dogs, it's arguably worth the risk. If you're in the high desert and haven't seen a flea in three years but somebody told you that your dog should be on flea preventative, that's NOT worth the risk.
If it was that visible it was more likely a dog tick than a dear tick, but still watch for any signs of Lyme disease.

http://www.dog-health-guide.org/lymediseasedog.html


They may also get the bullseye rash that people do, but it may be absent and/or obscured by fur.

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