[Kand3]

I just found another engorged tick on Bailey! Yet, when I went to pull it out it was though it had already detached/died. There is a bite mark, and there was blood in the surrounding fur. I can't believe how quickly it must have become engorged as it was in a spot where I would NOT have missed it.

My questions are:
Is the Advantix what caused it to be detached/dead?

If it had already fed, even though very recently, is there still the chance of TBDs?

This is the second engorged tick I've found in the past week or so, even with the Advantix. Should we start a round of antibiotics to be on the safe side?

I HATE THESE EVIL BUGS!!!

 

[BeauShel]

bumping up I dont know

 

[lgnutah]

I have wondered about the exact same thing about whether the damage is already done by the time the Advantix kills the tick.
I took a parisitology course in college (a LONG time ago) and remember (vaguely) that ticks and mosquitoes inject something into their host to thin the blood so it will flow easily into their body. So when they do this, that is when the spirochetes (in the case of the tick) are transferred to the host.

 

[Faith's mommy]

yes, i believe that means that the Advantix did it's job.

from what i remember, it takes 24 to 48 hours for a feeding tick to pass lyme on to the dog. frontline / advantix kills the tick in 24 hours, so, usually the treatment kills the tick before it can do damage, even if it attaches and starts to feed.

 

[Kand3]

Thanks. I'm going to put a call into the vet in the morning and see what they have to say. Wish us luck!

 

[hotel4dogs]

according to my vet, it takes 24-48 hours for the tick to pass along lyme, but some of the other TBDs can be passed in as little as 2 to 4 hours.
He suggested I have the SNAP 4 panel run on Tito in 3 weeks and then again in 3 months, just to be safe (he knows I'm rather neurotic about my dogs) after I removed an engorged tick from him a few days ago. My vet doesn't believe in starting antibiotics unless there is a confirmed disease.
Also, save any ticks you remove in a little vial with a drop of water, and label it with the date you removed it. EWWWWWWWWWWWWW
Hope that helps!

 

[Ljilly28]

It stinks bc the tick treatments might kill the ticks before they transmit Lyme, but there is still anaplasmosis and RMSF to worry about. I've had two ticks myself in the last two weeks.

 

[tippykayak]

Alas, it's true that TBDs other than Lyme do seem to transmit quickly. Comet is always Frontlined, but he caught Anaplasmosis without catching Lyme. At this point, it's probably most prudent to keep an eye on him and go in for a SNAP test at the three week and then three month window that hotel4dogs suggested.

If you do prophylactic antibiotics for tick bites, you might find that you have the dog on doxycycline year round, which kind of defeats the purpose.

 

[Kand3]

Thanks everyone. I just can't get over the fact that we didn't have any all summer, and now the amount we've had in the last two weeks. I am starting to wonder if the Advantix is doing anything at all, as I JUST found another one crawling on her belly! I've become like a mama monkey constantly checking her over!

I'm going to keep an eye on her and then take her in three weeks for the SNAP test. Thanks again!

 

[GoldenJoyx'stwo]

I know we use the Frontline Plus on my two, they have gotten the Lyme Vaccine every year since the age of one, and we've pulled ticks off of them. So far, so good.

 

[Minnesota Rosie]

The ticks have been pretty bad here lately, too. I found two of them crawling on Rosie in the past week. We've already had frost and below freezing temps at night, so I thought they'd be gone by now. Guess not!

 

[Duke's Momma]

Wow! This is a little scarey as I really thought tick season was in the spring to early summer when they drop off timber towards heat. Am I completely wrong? Makes sense in the fall then I guess as well, just never heard of it.

NASTY NASTY NASTY

 

[laprincessa]

You have no idea how much I envy you. Yesterday was the first day I didn't take at least a dozen off Max every time we came in from the field. He's on antibiotics now because while we were at the vet for something else, she took 2 off him and said she wasn't even going to test, just treat. I called the other day with a couple questions and part of the discussion was the possibility that either the dog or the ticks are becoming immune to Frontline. (Max has been on it for 2 years.) She said the number of people reporting that their dogs have had numerous tick bites while on frontline is huge this year. Thank goodness, yesterday I only took one out of him, and today none so far.
They are evil.

 

[laprincessa]

Wow! This is a little scarey as I really thought tick season was in the spring to early summer when they drop off timber towards heat. Am I completely wrong? Makes sense in the fall then I guess as well, just never heard of it.

NASTY NASTY NASTY

The vet told me it was like their last massive push before frost. Also, since it got a bit cold, they were looking for any warm spot to land.

 

[tippykayak]

Just as a thought, I don't think ticks are becoming immune to Frontline at all. I think the issue is that when there's a massive number of them, the chances that one will get embedded before dying is simply higher.

If a dog gets three ticks and is Frontlined, they wander around the fur, and frequently head up towards the head. We grab them when we see them there. Since ticks aren't in a rush to bite, and since Frontline eats at the brain before they die, they often don't get embedded.

If a dog gets three dozen ticks instead, the odds that one or two will bite faster than normal or die a little slower is simply higher, so we see more and more ticks. This fall in New England was ridiculous for ticks, probably due to some temperature and moisture factors over the summer. We're going to see more embedded ticks due to this and greater rates of Lyme and especially the faster-transmitted diseases like anaplasmosis.

 

[hotel4dogs]

a question for the "tick experts"
A customer's dog, lab, who walks in the woods a lot (and he's always picking ticks off her, including embedded ones) but is on Frontline Plus and gets vaccinated for Lyme, shows the following symptoms:
vague limping about 3 weeks ago, treated with rimadyl, went away
a week ago, out of sorts, seemed in pain but vague
a couple days ago...limping badly, but seeming to favor different legs (sometimes front, sometimes rear). Quite lethargic, but good appetite. No diarrhea.
SNAP 4 is negative.
I told him to pursue other TBDs further.
Advice???

 

[tippykayak]

a question for the "tick experts"
A customer's dog, lab, who walks in the woods a lot (and he's always picking ticks off her, including embedded ones) but is on Frontline Plus and gets vaccinated for Lyme, shows the following symptoms:
vague limping about 3 weeks ago, treated with rimadyl, went away
a week ago, out of sorts, seemed in pain but vague
a couple days ago...limping badly, but seeming to favor different legs (sometimes front, sometimes rear). Quite lethargic, but good appetite. No diarrhea.
SNAP 4 is negative.
I told him to pursue other TBDs further.
Advice???

False negative on the SNAP for anaplasmosis?
Bordatella?
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever?
There's also Babesiosis in the Long Island area.

You might convince the vet to give doxy anyway. Three days is often enough to show huge improvement if it's a bacteria that's susceptible to it.

 

[Zeppelin]

TICKS MAKE ME WANT TO SCREAM!!! I hate the bugger so much, i cant even explain it. I am pulling them off him left and right, just within the last few weeks. This fall has been really bad.

I feel pretty good about the protection in place for Zep but i have to admit, i fear for myself sometimes. I dont Frontline myself...nor do i get vaccinated against Lyme. I know a few people who have the disease.

Do what you can to prevent ticks, other than that, what else can we do? I've tried screaming, it doesnt help.

 

[Noey]

our vet is watch and wait. Does not start anything unless symptoms appear.
I hate ticks...someone needs to figure out how to get rid of these things. Do they even have a purpose in life? :yuck::yuck::yuck::yuck:

 

[mybuddy]

I just found another engorged tick on Bailey! Yet, when I went to pull it out it was though it had already detached/died. There is a bite mark, and there was blood in the surrounding fur. I can't believe how quickly it must have become engorged as it was in a spot where I would NOT have missed it.

My questions are:
Is the Advantix what caused it to be detached/dead?

If it had already fed, even though very recently, is there still the chance of TBDs?

This is the second engorged tick I've found in the past week or so, even with the Advantix. Should we start a round of antibiotics to be on the safe side?

I HATE THESE EVIL BUGS!!!

In my experience yes.

I protect my Buddy every month to the day. I even keep record of it in his little doggie book. I never miss a month. He was bitten by a tick and contracted a TBD. We are not exactly sure which one. Her was tested for ehrlichiosis but results were negative. The vet called it a type of rickettsia.
I was floored, asked my vet why in the heck this happened when he is protected every month and he said unfortunately with frontline, advantix etc...it does not prevent them from the bite.

So, for us, it is extra protection.