Kali's first tick! (or, The killing of a tick)

[MyBuddy]

Yesterday, I was getting ready to take the dogs outside for a walk. I reach down to attach the leash to Kali when I notice a black 'something' on her face. Honestly, my first thought was a growth! In a nano second my mind had her at the Vet, in surgery and burying her!!!

When I took a closer look, the growth had legs!!!


Why you dirty rat! To think that I thought she would rarely get a tick because she is never loose, running through the woods like Buddy does!! Wrong!

So I got out my cue tips and grabbed some soap to smother this stupid thing! Well, either it wasn't working or I was running out of patience..... I'm not known for my patience. So I grabbed my trusty tweezers and yanked! It came right off.



I placed a ruler next to it for size.


I texted my husband with a picture so I could rant to someone and he says his usual......."Squeeze it with the tweezers to be sure it's dead!" Well, don't ask me why, but that 'crunch' just creeps me out so I'm sitting here trying to figure out what I do with this thang to be sure it never lives on another dog again.

So the first thing I try is hot water. I run the water hot and drop it in a cup.


I leave it and go out to the horse barn, clean stalls and come back later..........and forgot all about the damn tick. So I'm washing my hands in the sink (with the cup/tick) when I suddenly remember!! Egads! Where is it???? After a bit of searching, I see that it has sunk to the bottom of the cup! Whew!~So maybe it finally died and sank?

So I dump the water and the tick and it's still moving!! How do I kill this dang thing! I won't just flush it or rinse it down the sink. I have to SEE it dead to feel confident it's gone!

Then I remembered....last time, I burned it! So I get out a lighter and start the cue tip on fire.
Suddenly, I hear a "POP" ......and the tick is gone! Now I'm like, did it explode? incinerate? Ok, maybe its gone, but dang, I like to see the dead product, ya know? It just 'finishes' it in my mind.

So I'm looking around a bit and for some reason my eye caught something! Just to my right, still on the kitchen counter, is the damn tick!!!!!!

AND still moving!!!!!!!! It's the tick from hell!!!

Ok, you're gonna die, MF!
I light the cue tip again and watch with pleasure as he is toast.


And toast he was.............

.......until he was just a speck of nothing that didn't move again. Success!

*KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK*
Excuse me, PETA is at my door.

 

[MyBuddy]

Next time I think I'll do what my girlfriend says she does.......take it outside and hit it with a hammer!! Now, THAT I can do!

 

[JanS]

Ha-ha your narratives are always so funny when it comes to ticks.

We always either crunch them with channel locks or drop them in the toilet and pee on them, then flush it.

 

[MyBuddy]

Jan!! I'd have to have my hubby pee on it since I won't 'hover' over a tick I can't see!!!

 

[CloverMom]

Hilarious! I hate those little blood suckers too! I also burn them to a crisp when I find them. I made the mistake once to burn a full one that I found inside my daughters ear! Ick that dirty sucker had to die a slow and painful death! I am not a smoker so I usually only have one lighter around to light my candles and I couldn't find it. I had the bright idea to use the flame from my gas stove. I used the tweezers to roast the bugger over the flame like a hot dog. The head and legs burned first. I would take it in and out of the flame. Until finally I held it there until it exploded. Blood went everywhere. It was sooo nasty. I sprayed everything down with bleach spray within a 12 foot radius lol. I haven't found a full one since but I'd do it just the same except I'd do it outside

 

[MyBuddy]

Yours exploded too??? This one made that popping sound but as you could see, it was still very much intact! Maybe because I wasn't holding onto it like you and keeping it in the flame. And it was not engorged with blood. Looks like I got it early on!~But isn't that funny......they must explode with heat!

 

[CloverMom]

Yes, it's absolutely disgusting but I could hear the blood boiling inside of it. It was inside the fold of her ear and flesh colored so I couldn't see it until it was huge! I've never seen one that big before and I just so happened to see it. It was a pain in the butt to get the sucker out of there. It completely freaked me out so I had to make it pay! Pay it did indeed!

 

[MyBuddy]

They all should pay!!!

 

[Marinegeekswife]

Ew! You come up with some creative ways to kill bugs, MB. I usually do what Jan does.

 

[GennyB]

Yuck! I hate ticks. None so far for us!

 

[Rits]

LOL jeez, that thing wouldn't die. Just drop it in a container with rubbing alcohol. Done!

 

[GennyB]

Have you ever heard of witch's brew? It is something you make and put on the food. I think it helps with ticks and I know it helps with flies and those pesty little gnats. Let me know if you want the recipe. I got it from D4E and I swear by it. It also makes their coat really shinny.
If we are going to be somewhere with a high risk of ticks, I will spray them with cider vinegar and brush it in

 

[JanS]

Have you ever heard of witch's brew? It is something you make and put on the food. I think it helps with ticks and I know it helps with flies and those pesty little gnats. Let me know if you want the recipe. I got it from D4E and I swear by it. It also makes their coat really shinny.
If we are going to be somewhere with a high risk of ticks, I will spray them with cider vinegar and brush it in

Oh yes, I'd love the recipe!

I bought one of those all natural tags we were talking about in another thread and put it on Della a few weeks ago. So far so good, but the ticks aren't out in full force yet either.

http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/products/Only-Natural-Pet-EasyDefense-Flea-Tick-Tag/999024.aspx

 

[GennyB]

Witches Brew
1 cup flax seed oil
1 cup buckwheat honey
1 cup crude molasses
1 cup apple cider vinegar
Just put all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk it up.
I store mine in a ketchup bottle in the fridge. When it is time to feed, I just get it out and shake it up and squirt about a tablespoon on top. They eat twice a day so it is 2 tbls. a day that they get.
I don't know if this stuff is the answer, I just know that Drake has never had a tick and Greta has had only one before I used this stuff. The big thing for us is the flies. We spend most of our time outside of the dogs can be with us without all the flying bugs bothering them.

 

[JanS]

Thanks for the recipe Genny!

The big thing for us is the flies. We spend most of our time outside of the dogs can be with us without all the flying bugs bothering them.

Really? If it works for flying bugs that would be a huge bonus since they're also a huge problem here.

 

[Liberty & Justice]

Oh yes they are out in full force here with all the warm weather we've had early in the year. They are certainly pests. Our issue is their size, because they are in fact " Deer Ticks " they are so, so small, and I mean the size of a pen tip. And guess what they are black ! So it's very, very hard to actually see them. I found one the other night that had made it's way up Justice's head, and actually latched on. Well luckily for us the K9 Advantix II works like a charm and kills them on contact.

For the record burning them is the easiest way, it assures a kill versus flushing them down a toilet only to disperse somewhere else. The little bastards seem to LOVE water and are like Dolphins in it.

So far K9 Advantix II is the only one that repels/kills fleas, ticks, and mosquitoes.

 

[GennyB]

Thanks for the recipe Genny!

Really? If it works for flying bugs that would be a huge bonus since they're also a huge problem here.

I think so! We have been places with other dogs and my dogs are not bothered while other dogs are going crazy trying to keep the bugs off. When bugs are really bad, I keep a spray bottle with cider vinegar and I spray it on and brush it in. The smell goes away pretty quick, at least to the human nose. Vinegar is also a natural deodorizer so it helps with the dog smell between baths.

 

[MyBuddy]

LOL jeez, that thing wouldn't die. Just drop it in a container with rubbing alcohol. Done!

WooHoo, I like that one!

If we are going to be somewhere with a high risk of ticks, I will spray them with cider vinegar and brush it in

Boy, if that's works, I'm gonna try it! Thanks!

For the record burning them is the easiest way, it assures a kill versus flushing them down a toilet only to disperse somewhere else. The little bastards seem to LOVE water and are like Dolphins in it.

Boy, I saw that!! That thing was at the bottom of the glass!! And still alive!!!! Sheesh, what did he have on, scuba gear???

When bugs are really bad, I keep a spray bottle with cider vinegar and I spray it on and brush it in. The smell goes away pretty quick, at least to the human nose. Vinegar is also a natural deodorizer so it helps with the dog smell between baths.

Gnats too? Those things are horrid here. Sometimes I can tell by the way poor Buddy is sitting (kinda tucked sit) that the gnats are at his little bun !

 

[StarlightDobe]

We use Trifexis here, but as far as I know it doesnt deal with ticks. Where we live it is not a risk factor, at least not as far as I know. In the entire time I have had dogs I have found 2 ticks on them, one on Mysti when the guy behind us let his weeds get out of control and one on her when we were in Arizona. I thought it was an odd place to pick up a tick but who knows.

 

[Ingrid H]

I usually just pull the tick off with tweezers and flush them down the toilet