Is this a tick?

Poker Face

https://ibb.co/k2B5md

Is this a tick?
Should I remove it myself or is it safer take her to the vet?

seagull

It is a tick. You can pull it yourself with needle nose tweezers.

endacl

Go as close to the skin as possible. A gentle steady pull. You don’t want to be leaving any tickhead bits in there.

ratracer

Also, twist the tweezers as you remove it, make sure the tentacles/ teeth come out.

Graces7

Had one on my own foot a few weeks ago. Must have come in on the long hair of a cat..

Pulled it out no problem but the itching and inflammations lasted weeks. I have serious allergy problems so that is why.

lawred2

Graces7 wrote: »

Had one on my own foot a few weeks ago. Must have come in on the long hair of a cat..

Pulled it out no problem but the itching and inflammations lasted weeks. I have serious allergy problems so that is why.

that can turn into cellulitis

TopTec

Also pick up a tick removal tool. Small piece of plastic that slots under the body and you spin it and the tick lets go. Most vets or online for a couple of Euro's. I have 4 different designs and all work.


I have also removed them by spinning them around with your finger which makes them withdraw their heads and they fall out.



https://www.google.com/search?q=tick+removal+tool&client=firefox-b&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=oOBS7F5hzHphFM%252C1je5EJA_Qdu_wM%252C_&usg=__3mcVWHiymrk2hnQNuvG22H5tBfA%3D&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwic-o-VuIfcAhUCKcAKHY29DiMQ_h0I8AMwFQ&biw=1408&bih=612#imgrc=oOBS7F5hzHphFM:


TT

scuby

Graces7 wrote:

Had one on my own foot a few weeks ago. Must have come in on the long hair of a cat..

Graces7 wrote:

Pulled it out no problem but the itching and inflammations lasted weeks. I have serious allergy problems so that is why.

You could also contract Lyme's disease, so get it checked

smurfjed

Does LYMES disease exist in Ireland?

Graces7

smurfjed wrote: »

Does LYMES disease exist in Ireland?

It apparently does but I feel is being overhyped, They say it is in areas where there are deer, and it is spread by the ticks that prey on deer,,

Also that the faster you get the tick out the less risk of infection

No deer here and i got it out immediately and that was weeks ago now

Addle

seagull wrote: »

It is a tick. You can pull it yourself with needle nose tweezers.

Or smoother with an alcohol soaked cotton pad.

DBB

smurfjed wrote: »

Does LYMES disease exist in Ireland?

Yes it does. I know one person who contracted it some years ago when bitten by a tick which she picked up in grassland in Blanchardstown, of all places.
I know of maybe 2 or 3 others who've contracted it, and have heard of several more.

Alun

Addle wrote: »

Or smoother with an alcohol soaked cotton pad.

Absolutely do NOT do this. Aggravating the tick in any way by smothering it or burning it will cause it to disgorge it's contents into your bloodstream. You don't want this to happen.

Addle

Alun wrote: »

Absolutely do NOT do this. Aggravating the tick in any way by smothering it or burning it will cause it to disgorge it's contents into your bloodstream. You don't want this to happen.

A vet recommended that method to me.

lulu1

smurfjed wrote: »

Does LYMES disease exist in Ireland?

It does exist in Ireland. A friend of mine has it and had a terrible time.

Still not better

DBB

lulu1 wrote: »

It does exist in Ireland. A friend of mine has it and had a terrible time.

Still not better

Jeepers lulu1, wishing your friend a speedy and full recovery. Poor thing.

New Home

Just to scare people (sorry), ticks can also cause a form of encephalitis unrelated to Lyme. Nasty, nasty disease.

https://www.cdc.gov/vhf/tbe/index.html
https://www.cdc.gov/vhf/tbe/symptoms/index.html

FrostyJack

A tick remover is the easiest and safest way to remove them. They are for nothing online. Should be in everyone's first aid kit. Any bit you leave in yourself or your pet runs the risk of infection. Lyme disease is horrible, wouldn't wish it on anyone.

goat2

Graces7 wrote: »

Had one on my own foot a few weeks ago. Must have come in on the long hair of a cat..

Pulled it out no problem but the itching and inflammations lasted weeks. I have serious allergy problems so that is why.

Be aware that ticks carry lymes, and a rash itchy and all can be a sign of this

TopTec

https://www.thejournal.ie/readme/lyme-disease-i-became-a-shadow-housebound-a-virtual-recluse-4117006-Jul2018/?utm_source=twitter_short


TT

Alun

TopTec wrote: »

https://www.thejournal.ie/readme/lyme-disease-i-became-a-shadow-housebound-a-virtual-recluse-4117006-Jul2018/?utm_source=twitter_short

I suspect that there are many, many cases, just like this, that have been misdiagnosed as something else over the years here in Ireland. The lack of awareness of the disease here, even amongst some members of the medical profession, is staggering.

Alun

New Home wrote: »

Just to scare people (sorry), ticks can also cause a form of encephalitis unrelated to Lyme. Nasty, nasty disease.

https://www.cdc.gov/vhf/tbe/index.html
https://www.cdc.gov/vhf/tbe/symptoms/index.html

TBE is present in Germany certainly, not sure if it's here or not.

smurfjed

Having used Frontline and other main brands and found that the ticks remained, I then found a brand called Seresto by Bayer and finally got rid of the problem. Not sure if this brand is available in Ireland, but it should be available through Amazon and shipping from USA.

New Home

That's the one that mustn't be used on cats or rabbits.

Alun

New Home wrote: »

That's the one that mustn't be used on cats or rabbits.

There's both a dog and cat version of the Seresto collar available.

smurfjed

Why not?

https://www.amazon.com/Bayer-Seresto-Collar-weights-Protection/dp/B00B8CG5NK/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1531740188&sr=1-1-spons&keywords=seresto+flea+collar+for+cats&psc=1

New Home

Alun wrote: »

There's both a dog and cat version of the Seresto collar available.

Ah, my mistake, apologies - I must've been thinking of a different one.

goat2

Alun wrote: »

I suspect that there are many, many cases, just like this, that have been misdiagnosed as something else over the years here in Ireland. The lack of awareness of the disease here, even amongst some members of the medical profession, is staggering.

I know of a person going to doctor with tiredness in the extreme with past four to five yrs, and they were looking into depression, and trying to convince him of same, at age 30, just a week ago he found out he has lymes, but had to change doctor to get another opinion, the new doctor suggested the test and , low and behold it was lymes, it is just shocking that the first few months of being tired all the time, that this test could not have been done, paid out loads, and now having to go through v severe treatment to try get back some bit of life, will take ages, and a lot of trouble, and tests according to him can only be confirmed in Germany I think, he does remember the tick bite, but did not know at time the dangers he faced with it, as he had no rash