dog tick anyone?

springtime-2011-dog-tick  
at least we are hoping it's a dog tick! soon after my husband anthony got home from work he found this bugger on priscilla's back. I can't tell you how much I am itching all over my body just writing about this! I've spent the last 2 and a half days mostly sleeping off a fever and cold which means our beloved priscilla has been sleeping right next to me during most of that time. in fact, earlier this very day she was literally sleeping on top of my pillow right next to my head! if I wasn't so fatigued I probably wouldn't be able to sleep tonight. hopefully I won't have nightmares. luckily anthony was home since I am not so sure priscilla would have stayed so still for ian & I. 
first we smothered the tick with vaseline, then we read online that takes 48 hours to work. the same website said it was ok to use tweezers if we made sure we grabbed it by its head. I am fairly certain I got the pincers out along with a bit of priscilla's hair. I know I am repeating myself here but it really is a small miracle priscilla stayed calm the entire time the three of us were hovering around her holding her under our brightest kitchen light. this is the same dog that seemingly reads my mind if I so much as think about cutting her hair-she will run in the opposite direction. if she sees me holding a scissor while she is in another room she can somehow tell immediately whether I am about to wrap a present or whether I want to trim her bangs. you would have never known this when I took out the largest pair of scissors we had in the house to trim the hair around where the tick was, she stayed perfectly still. I figured this was important so I could check on the area for infection later.
and yes, as you can see, I kept the tick for identification purposes.
I just read that if you stun the tick with a bit of alcohol first, it will suddenly release from the animal but you must be ready to grab it with a tweezer quickly. hopefully we will never have to go through this again but I think it's good to know.
the scary thing is priscilla was only hanging out in our backyard...yikes!
to share a part of your world or just see more of others, please go to "that's my world tuesday". a big thanks to klaus for hosting with his team of helpers, sandy, wren, and sylvia.

Comments

Sylvia K said…
First of all, I'm so sorry you've been ill! That's never any fun! But with ticks, too!! Nightmare! Hope you get it all cleared up -- for all of you! And yet, what would we do without our dogs????? Hope your week gets better by the hour, Lily!

Sylvia
dianasfaria.com said…
I am a lot better Sylvia, thank you. I hope to actually have a more productive day tomorrow!
Halie said…
It's good to know that you're better. I hope Priscilla is doing well also.
Christine H. said…
Yup, that's a tick, but a tick that didn't get much of a meal. They look really gross once they've been fed. Good work!
Hope you and Priscilla are feeling much better.
Kay L. Davies said…
I remember my dad getting ticks of our collie by using a hot needle, but I don't remember the details.
Grim business, no kidding, but Christine is right, that tick hadn't been on Priscilla for very long.
Glad you're feeling better. Nothing like a jolt of emergency adrenalin to get the body up and running (sometimes in the opposite direction, LOL).
-- K

Kay, Alberta, Canada
An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel
snowwhite said…
Such a tiny bug caused a big fuss. Sorry to hear that. I hope everything is all right now.
Daryl said…
What a good girl, I hope she got rewarded .. and trust me its insane how these things happen .. how did two cats who never go out get ringworm? I am still puzzling that one ...
Thérèse said…
Fun for us to read but not for you of course! We have these kind of memories too...
mari said…
I know what you mean when you itch all over just thinking about the tick. Bleh. Glad you got it out!
Al said…
Yuck, that's a nasty part of the world. I'm glad you're feeling better, and hopefully no more ticks!
Alexa said…
Glad you're feeling better. There are pictures of me picking ticks off my cocker spaniel—when I was 3! Hope Priscilla doesn't bring home any more of those.
Pietro Brosio said…
Yes, scary. I'm glad you are better, Lily.
Linda said…
They are nasty beasties. Our dog used to get them from being among the heather when he was retrieving pheasants - he was a gun dog, a springer spaniel. My dad would check him over every time they came back from a shoot. If he missed one and found it later it would be really huge. Shudder!
Hope you're on the mend now. And what a sensible dog you have.
Martha Z said…
I pulled many a tick of dog and child during our years in the rural Eastern Sierra. It's just part of playing in the brush.

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