ticks: August 2008 Archives
Few things are as disgusting as ticks. My former dog Mercy wound up with one some years ago after we'd walked along some of the horse trails on the Palos Verdes Peninsula one day. But I didn't
notice it until a few days later, when it was quite prominent. They look like pinkish, fleshy growths, I honestly didn't realize it was a tick. (Because Mercy was an Australian shepherd with long hair, it wasn't readily noticeable until I happened to feel it as I was petting her.)
I let her veterinarian take care of pulling the thing out, but here's a helpful article telling dog owners how they can do it themselves if they're so inclined. Popular flea products like Frontline will also prevent ticks and cause existing ones to fall off. But you don't want a "full" tick falling off your dog and staying in your house after using one of the anti-tick treatments.
That's what happened to someone I know at the dog park who was telling me yesterday that they wound up with dozens of baby ticks covering an inside wall of their house after using Frontline on their tick-infested dog.
Like I said. Gross.
But here's more good tick advice.
About the Bloggers
Daily Breeze reporter Donna Littlejohn has shared her homes with a succession of wonderful, funny, and occasionally difficult canines -- Muffin, Fritz, Ellie, Mercy, Pilgrim and now Cowboy, an Australian shepherd-border collie, and Tess, a border collie. From strong-willed terriers to weirdly obsessed Australian shepherds, they've invaded her world with boundless energy, wet noses, muddy paws and soggy tennis balls. But they've really brought so much more than that -- like laughter and joy, some unexpected life lessons, and more than a few tears along the way.
E-mail Donna at donna.littlejohn@dailybreeze.com.
Josh Grossberg grew up with the usual array of animals: goldfish, dogs, hamsters, parakeets and turtles. He now owns the loudest dog in the South Bay(Video: Rocket the Dog) and is the least popular person on his block. He spends his free time in dog parks, pet shops and always has an extra plastic bag in his pocket just in case. He also has a cat.
E-mail Josh at josh.grossberg@dailybreeze.com.