Six ticks removed in three days from the lovely dog I’m caring for, pesky things. Thank goodness I have a variety of tools. Having been bitten and infected with Lyme disease I hike in long trousers in woodlands, forests, meadows etc.
Which tools are those? This is an important topic at this time of year, in so many countries.
I bought the set of 3 tools at an outdoor store, thought that I’d lost them and bought the tweezers. According to the CDC removal of the tick within 24-36 hours greatly reduces the risk of transmission of Lyme disease.
Sorry to hear you caught Lyme disease and curious to know how it came about?
It’s DEFINITELY tick season here on the Quantocks, Somerset, UK! I’m big into rewilding and it does mean my garden has natural residents of all kinds including pesky biting insects. Our pets are treated with the strongest available vet meds which means the ticks die just after latching on and there is no need to remove them. Actually it is advised NOT to remove them as it creates a greater risk of snapping the head off and causing an infection. Sadly the meds are not human safe so it’s very much a question of adopting the habit of checking clothing and skin at the door for loose ticks and inspecting every itchy dot on your skin each time you bathe!! (They can be TINY)
I just had a similar experience, including brushing 2 ticks off myself that transferred from the adorable doggo during my last sit (fortunately the ones on me hadn’t yet attached!) I’d never had to remove one before — first one was stuck right in the middle of his poor knobby forehead. Note: was a lot harder to remove than I’d anticipated!
After I found the 6th one on him & the 2nd one on myself I contacted the host to suggest I pick up doggo’s tick medication from his vet. Fortunately they agreed — but then later docked me a star each on self-sufficiency & organization after the sit (?!?), I guess for contacting them on vacation to ask if they had tweezers & rubbing alcohol after I found the first one…? (We were 30m from the nearest store, I didn’t want to dig through their personal things w/out asking, and there’s a fuel shortage/protests in Ireland so I was trying to conserve the host’s fuel.)
Anyway, sorry to digress; just still pretty annoyed as I’ve never been docked before — & definitely not in those two categories. In fact my husband laughed out loud when I told him, because it’s the last thing anyone who knows me would ever ding me for!
In any case, the little beasties are definitely out in force this spring, so I’ll be adding @TheEnglishFlaneur 's tools to my “go bag” for upcoming sits…and I now have an extra reason to really loathe ticks. Grrrr! 
Clapping for this. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Yeah it’s expensive but totally worth it in my mind.
Indeed. Was surprised to find it’s twice as expensive in the US as in Ireland. (OK…not actually surprised 
)
I was in France and had no idea that a tick had attached to me. The first symptom was fatigue, then a rash. Later I had arthritis in one knee. All good now though, no long term issues like many suffer with.
Do you have to tip the vet?
Lucky escape
Not sure what you mean but if you are asking what product we use it’s Bravecto tablet for the dogs and I can’t remember the name of the cat spot on but I think it’s the felpreva- lasts 3 months
Sorry, my reply was for @MerryPuppins . It was a little tongue in cheek as tipping is such a part of American culture.
D’oh! Sorry
Relatedly: CDC website
Where emergency visits for tick bites are highest in the United States
Experts point to several reasons for the larger-than-usual spike, but there are easy ways to protect yourself.
(Link changed to the CDC website, as The Washington Post link had a paywall)
There is some debate about how safe their use is for pets. I do use Simparica Trio as a flea/tick preventative for my dog as I feel the risks of tick-borne disease (not to mention the risks and inconvenience of a flea infestation) outweigh the health risks of the medication. I include in my listing that she is on a monthly preventative so sitters know they won’t have to deal with fleas and ticks.
But in the US there is a growing body of pet owners that have ceased giving flea and tick preventatives, opting instead for careful screening of dogs after hikes, etc as well as homeopathic prevention. Definitely not as effective but they feel it’s healthier and better for the longevity of the pets.
Just this with the HOs I was sitting for, they didn’t like the tick preventatives. They were surprised with how many ticks I found, it was unusual and they think due to a very mild winter.
We always carry an O’Tom Tick Twister. The set includes 2 different sizes. It’s definitely worth being prepared!