tdierikx Posted December 7, 2016 Share Posted December 7, 2016 I just pulled a grass tick off Harper... wasn't there yesterday, and it wasn't engorged, but had managed to create a fair lump on Harper nonetheless. I've lived here since 1998, and never seen a tick... so this is new. She hasn't been out and about - neither have my other dogs. Immediate neighbours all round don't have dogs. My back yard grass is short due to not a lot of rain since it was mowed. Beats me where it has come from... not to mention that all dogs here have been flea and tick treated within the past 2 weeks. Obviously Fipronil (active ingredient in Frontline) not overly effective... *sigh* I've checked her all over, and there are no more... but this is concerning... Nothing on Trouble or Pickles. T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottsmum Posted December 7, 2016 Share Posted December 7, 2016 How will you check the foxes? (That is you isnt it?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdierikx Posted December 7, 2016 Author Share Posted December 7, 2016 How will you check the foxes? (That is you isnt it?) Ghost will be easy as he likes being handled... Tom might be a bit more problemmatic, as he's a biter. Their pen is on concrete,and I keep the surrounds clear of foliage, so hopefully they won't be affected... fingers crossed (and will count after handling Tom... lol!) It's wierd really, as I've never seen a tick in all the time I've lived here... we are not a known tick area by any stretch of the imagination. Most times, I only treat the dogs with flea stuff, not tick stuff. All I can think of is the recent foster pups may have had larval stage ticks that they shed, and they are now hatching and looking for hosts... we've just had a bit of rain and warm weather... T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottsmum Posted December 7, 2016 Share Posted December 7, 2016 Yuck. How annoying Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Avanti* Posted December 7, 2016 Share Posted December 7, 2016 I'm glad you found it in time tdierikx. I don't know about your specific area but I have read in general that insect populations are and will be moving due to climate change. We already have some different issues down here in Victoria like the citrus gall wasp that has moved south when they never used to be an issue here. Maybe we might have a resident dol entomologist who might know more about this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdierikx Posted December 7, 2016 Author Share Posted December 7, 2016 Riverwood is not generally a tick area, and a quick check with a couple of vet clinics locally says that it still isn't... I'm thinking eggs came with the foster pups... or I brought it home with me from a bush walk I did in Manly on Sunday... which I think is the most likely scenario. Harper has had a reaction to the bite - typical - she is allergic to bees, so why not ticks? The area is raised up and about the size of a 50c piece - the tick was about 5mm long, and it didn't look like it had even started feeding on her blood yet. Have checked with my vet, and have been told to just keep an eye on it and see if it goes down on it's own. The tick has been fully removed intact, so no head or mouth parts still in Harper. She's not worried about the lump at all and is her normal self, so I'm not overly worried. Ghost is clear of ticks/fleas... and I'm going to dose both foxes with tick spot on asap anyways. No need to stress out Tom more than necessary for the possibility of a grass tick, they are pretty harmless really. T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loving my Oldies Posted December 8, 2016 Share Posted December 8, 2016 Lots of changes going on. And as they are happening quickly, no time to get accustomed. :( Hope this tick is the one and only. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westiemum Posted December 8, 2016 Share Posted December 8, 2016 Thank for posting that T. I was at a friends place in the Adelaide Hills last night and noticed Andy licking his back right paw. Had a closer look and he's licked it raw and theres a raised red area with quite big puncture mark in the middle. I gave him an anti-inflammatory when I got home and bathed it in saline solution and finished with Neotopic. Its still there this morning but it looks better. Whatever it was I'm not sure if he picked it up at the dog park earlier in the week (unlikely I think), in my backyard or in my friends backyard... We're not known for ticks here either but I wonder if it was a tick? Don't know... hmm... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdierikx Posted December 8, 2016 Author Share Posted December 8, 2016 Come to think of it, I've got an insect bite of some sort on my hip... could have been the tick... it's a bit raised and itchy - much like the tick bites I used to get as a teen on the farm. I'm thinking this little fellow was a one-off. Have messaged the friend I went bushwalking with to check her animals asap, just in case... T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ness Posted December 8, 2016 Share Posted December 8, 2016 Westiemum - not a grass seed - they can look similar to how you have described. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westiemum Posted December 9, 2016 Share Posted December 9, 2016 Yes thanks ness very true. And highly likely around here it was a grass seed. Its looking better but poor little man is still licking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jemappelle Posted December 9, 2016 Share Posted December 9, 2016 It's good that she's had a reaction to the tick T - makes them easier to find! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdierikx Posted December 9, 2016 Author Share Posted December 9, 2016 It's good that she's had a reaction to the tick T - makes them easier to find! And that she's very short coated... lol! The lump is going down nicely too. No infected looking bits. T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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