Found a tick imbedded in dog skin

[ChristinaB]

Hello, my Dog Kala was bit by a tick.

Age: 4 years and 5 months
Female
Spayed
Maltipoo
8.2 pounds
BEAM (normal)
Just switched her to raw food (Small Batch)

Vaccination history / exposure to toxins, other medication: she just got Bordatella, DAAP and rabies vaccines on 2/9/23

Anti flea/tick/heart worm medication: I stopped it over a year ago and and that helped her eyes cleared up. She used to have frequent tearing with strong odor and a stained face. since I stopped those monthly pills it got much better.

Primary problem: I was petting her when I felt a bump and I saw the tick. Unknown to me how long this has been there! I used tweezers to remove the tick unfortunately I was not able to remove it all. A portion is still in imbedded in her skin. Please see pics attached.

How do I remove it?

I’m new and I’ve been learning from your wonderful site. I have been keeping a journal for 5 days now and Kala seems normal.

Other health concerns: per my first post, she has some crystals in her urine discovered in a urinalysis in December 2022 and a follow up in February 2023 still shows them. Vet recommended:

Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Urinary SO Canned Wet Dog Food​

I have not given her this food because I want to try new batch food, per Dr. Jeff’s recommendation, to see if that helps with her overall health, since she has no symptoms from this either.

Thank you!

 

[ChristinaB]

Forgot to mention above. I applied peroxide to her skin after removing the tick. The tick was dead when I removed it. Also found another dead one on my sofa ?

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Great work that you removed the tick Christina!

For removal, I use a tool that lassos then pulls off the tick called a Trix Tick remover (I don't know if it is still available in the US). My wife Amy just grabs as close to the skin and pulls them off (which I don't recommend but...).

Trix Tick Remover

This plastic Trix tick lasso is ideal for easily removing ticks from people and pets. The tick is not damaged by the lasso. This removes the animal in its entirety, preventing inflammation. easy, safe, painless and effective removal of even the smallest ticks. For humans and animals the lasso...

euregio-gundogs.com

https://www.amazon.com/Trix-Tick-Lasso-painless-chemical/dp/B00J4RGC6G/ref=sr_1_2?gclid=CjwKCAiAl9efBhAkEiwA4Toriv8LdfZiwkVZpqExZJTaEinDSKqS6v7JzC155z1VEOQZlk88n7PitRoCJ5gQAvD_BwE&hvadid=174281057492&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9003451&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=8379864025326808566&hvtargid=kwd-8204428840&hydadcr=10695_9614679&keywords=trix+tick+remover&qid=1677079024&sr=8-2

Path Away sprayed on the skin after you remove can be useful for reducing any Lyme bacteria in the tick bite area.

Path-Away 8 oz. spray - HomeVet

Path-Away is a unique safe and natural antibiotic and anti fungal spray. Use it directly on your pet, or as a natural cleanser.

www.homevet.com

 

[ChristinaB]

It’s hard to see from the picture I posted but the remainder of this tick is imbedded under her skin. Are there other ways to remove it? That tool you sent is not available in the US. Is there a product that could be used to soften the skin so we don’t have to cut her?

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Ah, got it!

No worries about the head parts from the tick. Kala's body will treat this like any superficial foreign body (like a splinter) and expel it over the next week or two (or less depending on her vitality and cellular energy level).

You can speed up the process by applying hot compresses to the area 3x/day.

Soaking the compress in comfrey and/or using topical calendula can speed up the process.

If her BEAM drops or if this is not healing then a vet visit is warranted. A call to your vet may also be helpful (and maybe you can even share the pics with them).

 

[ChristinaB]

Ah, got it!

No worries about the head parts from the tick. Kala's body will treat this like any superficial foreign body (like a splinter) and expel it over the next week or two (or less depending on her vitality and cellular energy level).

You can speed up the process by applying hot compresses to the area 3x/day.

Soaking the compress in comfrey and/or using topical calendula can speed up the process.

If her BEAM drops or if this is not healing then a vet visit is warranted. A call to your vet may also be helpful (and maybe you can even share the pics with them).

Ah, got it!

No worries about the head parts from the tick. Kala's body will treat this like any superficial foreign body (like a splinter) and expel it over the next week or two (or less depending on her vitality and cellular energy level).

You can speed up the process by applying hot compresses to the area 3x/day.

Soaking the compress in comfrey and/or using topical calendula can speed up the process.

If her BEAM drops or if this is not healing then a vet visit is warranted. A call to your vet may also be helpful (and maybe you can even share the pics with them).

Thank you, Dr. Jeff. I’ll do that and keep monitoring her symptoms. My vet is not holistic and he is going to want to give her antibiotics, so I am going to hold off for now. I just did some energy work this morning and feel pretty good about it. Thank you so much!!!

 

[Dr. Jeff]

YW Christina! ? ? ?