Extreme Fear of Ticks - Trouble removing ticks from my doggo. (Help?)

[misterboy]

I live in Illinois, an hour south of Chicago. Lots of grass, trees, lakes..

SO. MANY. TICKS.

Im not easily spooked/grossed out. I’ve worked outdoor jobs most of my life. But ticks are another story..

I tend to traumatize my dog when I find a tick on him. I grab a bottle of rubbing alcohol and cotton balls to suffocate and stun the tick for a few minutes.

By this time my hands are usually shaking, heart racing, face pale, and my dog is visibly nervous and shaken up by my reaction.
I get light-headed close to fainting if I continue preparing to extract the tick and am physically consumed by adrenaline for the next hour or two.

Regardless of flea&tick treatment, he still gets them.. I live alone so there isn’t anyone who can help me remove ticks when I get dizzy.

Can anyone help me overcome my fear of removing these nasty pests to keep me from traumatizing my pup in the process?

I would greatly appreciate any advice or tips/tricks anyone has found that help them remove ticks quick and painlessly

EDIT/UPDATE: I bought a set of tick tweezers - they have a V on the end of them so you can spoon the tick off. This has helped a little since much of my fear came from squeezing the tick in the tweezers to pluck it out - sometimes resulting in popping the tick and stomach contents spilling out while the head remained lodged in the skin.

 

[niaa]

@misterboy What flea and tick prevention are you using? My dog got ticks while using frontline, but he’s never gotten them while wearing a seresto collar. If you aren’t already, you can also give him a monthly bath with flea and tick shampoo.

I’m sorry, but you need to start doing tick checks on your dog. Regular checks will help you stay on top of the problem and you’ll be less likely to be caught off guard. If it helps, wear latex gloves so you don’t have to deal with skin contact. It sounds like a part of your phobia is the idea of ticks getting into your house- is there an outdoor area or garage where you can do a tick check?

To do a tick check: Have a bowl of rubbing alcohol nearby and invest in a tick removing tool so you don’t have to touch it with your hands. I’ve used both a tick key and tick tornado. You should do a full body check, but pay attention to your dog’s ears, armpits, groin, and between his toes. Feel all over your dog for bumps and look through his fur when you feel one. When you find a tick, remove it and immediately put it in your rubbing alcohol- that will kill it immediately. I usually dispose of them by flushing them down the toilet or by cutting them in half if I’m outdoors, but you could also put them in a ziplock bag and throw them in an outside trash can.

 

[handess1]

@niaa Yeah we use frontline on all our pets, we have been for years and it used to work like clockwork. But the last 2 years have been like a tick infestation in our area. You don’t even need to walk in the grass to pick them up anymore. Even letting the dogs out on the back patio (cement and mulch) they catch hitchhikers.

I usually just use tweezers which have been difficult for me, so I bought the v shaped metal spoon gadget and waiting for it to arrive. I will look into getting the seresto collar and some flea and tick shampoo. Although I’ve never found that to be effective for more than a week or so till the odor wears off.

I mostly just hope to overcome my irrational fear so I can immediately take the tick off the moment I spot it. I will try latex gloves, I had not tried that before. Thank you for your reply

 

[niaa]

@handess1 I’m in Missouri and our tick seasons have been crazy bad for the last couple of years. When I first got my dog I had him on frontline but the first hike we went on he got completely covered in ticks. My vet suggested switching to the seresto collar and we’ve been able to go on hikes and trail runs without any bites.

The shampoo kills fleas and ticks that are already on the dog, it’s not a preventative. It’ll make sure any ticks you might miss are dead and not harming your dog.

 

[handess1]

@niaa Ohh this is great to know about the shampoo. I used to work at a dog salon as a bather and I can remember how awful those shampoos smelled but I only ever used it on dogs with fleas (which it killed them all before my eyes(the fleas not the doggos)) but I was always skeptical about the efficacy on ticks. I’m definitely doing that this weekend.
I’ve been reading a lot of comments on other forums on here of people in the Midwest saying they are noticing them getting worse and worse each year. I don’t know if it’s the humidity or the shorter milder winters each year but tick season is turning into 6-8 months out of the year now.
Def making a trip to petsmart for a seresto collar and flea and tick shampoo

 

[niaa]

@handess1 Yeah, my roommate’s dog got covered in seed ticks on a camping trip last year. Two baths with flea and tick shampoo later they were just falling off of him, which was disgusting but effective!

 

[jdh1015]

@handess1 Do not use flea and tick shampoo. Best case, it'll dry out the dogs skin. We have seen more severe reactions at the clinic I work at.

 

[youngearthcreationist]

@misterboy The only cure is to keep the ticks off your dog in the first place. As an owner of Newfoundlands (big shaggy dogs)..all sorts of things can be in their fur. Fleas, ticks, random insects. YUCK.. Aside from being disgusting parasites, we live in an area in which Lyme disease is rampant. Ticks are revolting in every way.

Nothing works better than a Soresto collar! They're pricey for the large dogs but they are great. They don't stink or anything. They work wonderfully. Good luck.

 

[misterboy]

@youngearthcreationist Thank you! I’ve ordered one for after so many comments boasting it’s effectiveness. My dog hasn’t had a tick in months

 

[youngearthcreationist]

@misterboy Very cool to hear that! Give your doggie some lovies for me.

 

[misterboy]

@youngearthcreationist hell be gettin the good pets tonight

 

[vikinglutheran]

@misterboy This was very descriptive. Do you use the match trick? Light a match for a few seconds and hold it to the tick and he'll pop right out. Ticks are f ing gross I feel ya.

 

[misterboy]

@vikinglutheran I’ve heard of that before but my dog has long fine hair so he’d probably catch fire instantly. But I read ticks have a gag response wherein if they need to let go of the skin fast to flee they will actually regurgitate the contents in their stomach which passes diseases and bacteria into the bite as it detaches

 

[handess1]

@vikinglutheran I read all the “stun the tick out” tricks actually cause the tick to release toxins into the dogs bloodstream in the effort to release the skin, so it almost defeats the purpose. I’ve been using the stun it with cotton all soaked in alcohol, hold it tight against the skin for 25 minutes till the tick stops moving (although they never let go of the skin) and just recently read the tick has an instinctual reaction to regurgitate in process of unlatching mouth from skin, releasing all toxins inside. Fuck ticks man.

 

[elaineb97]

@misterboy Yeah, frontline. No ticks.

Otherwise, buy a tick-key. They work.

 

[handess1]

@elaineb97 All our pets are on frontline almost year round, but the ticks still bite him regardless.

 

[christfollowergift]

@misterboy I'm also in a heavy tick area. Topical permethrin does a really good job of keeping ticks away. It's not 100%, but it's a huge improvement. Talk to your vet, but we use it in addition to a flea/heartworm pill.

You should also buy a Tick Key. It is much better for removing ticks than tweezers.

 

[handess1]

@christfollowergift I saw those on Amazon, the tweezers freak me OUT! They work well on a tick that hasn’t latched yet that is flat and tiny crawling in the hair, but for the big chubby ones attached to their skin I’m always imaging popping it like a pimple and the tick guts exploding at me.
Does the tick key work for fat and skinny ticks & in hard to reach places like behind the ears, the armpits, neck and legs?

 

[christfollowergift]

@handess1 Yes. Honestly, it works great.

 

[veritas2016]

@misterboy every year, here in oregon, tick infestations have dramatically increased. i feel your pain.

nexgard is practically black magic. i went from finding 10 to 20 ticks PER WEEK on my dogs, to zero ticks found within 24 hours, and lasted just over 2 months per dose. it is kinda pricey if needed yearear round, and requires a prescription.

as for removal: they breathe. suffocate them. long baths, a slather of vaseline, etc. they will die and fall off on their own, usually within 24 hours.

i recently discovered toothpaste seems to kill them onstantly, but the hardened corpse can remain stuck for over a week.