View Full Version : Should I bring my puppy to a vet from a tick bite?
cookie721
Dec 20, 2008, 06:36 PM
I know this may sound silly but I had noticed she was scratching her ears and at times would wimper a bit so I took a closer look and found a small tick under her ear and also noticed one of her ears are reddish on her inner flap but not the other. BTW she is a beagle pupy if that helps at all. I obviously got rid of the tick and so far the only thing I've done to clean her ears with is wipe them with baby wipes because I don't want to use anything that may hurt her. I've gotten a bit off topic but I guess my question is would it be overreacting to make a vet visit for a tick bite? TIA
nitelight198073
Dec 20, 2008, 06:42 PM
I would say give it a day or so see if the redness goes away it may be from the scratching and it will not hurt to clean the area with alcohol it may stop the itch. If it gets worse or stays the same no it is not over reacting to take the puppy to the vet
starbuck8
Dec 20, 2008, 07:02 PM
This is NOT a silly question at all. It's a very serious question. First of all, how did you remove the tick? You need to get your dog to the vet for treatment ASAP. Tick bites are serious! The tick feeds on the blood system of your dog, and then the blood goes into the ticks intestines, where the disease lies. Then the tick regurgitates this back into your dogs bloodstream.
Your dog could have contracted lyme disease, or several other diseases, that need to be treated quickly. It can cause paralysis, and in some cases it can be fatal without immediate attention.
Did you save the tick? If not you should have, so the type of tick can be identified.
cookie721
Dec 20, 2008, 07:17 PM
Well I'm definitely glad I asked. I will bring her in tomorrow if possible. I took the tick off with tweezers but I did not save it, I flushed it. I'm not sure where it came from since she has never really been in long grass or any woody areas yet but we do have a cat, maybe that's where the tick came from? I don't know but thank you for the information, I would hate to have her infected with something and not know and have it go untreated. She's such a sweet puppy.
starbuck8
Dec 20, 2008, 07:32 PM
You're welcome, and yes, take her in as soon as you possibly can. You can't be sure you got the entire tick out. Sometimes you can leave part of it in that you can't see, and it could still be feeding. Tweezers were probably the best way to go for the time being.
It doesn't necessarily have to be in long grass or wooded area's, although that is where there would be more ticks. After you get her to your vet, from now on I would check her every time she comes in from being outside, just to be safe. If there was one, there could quite likely be more.
Good luck!
rex123
Dec 21, 2008, 02:57 AM
Well i'm definitely glad I asked. I will bring her in tomorrow if possible. I took the tick off with tweezers but I did not save it, I flushed it. I'm not sure where it came from since she has never really been in long grass or any woody areas yet but we do have a cat, maybe thats where the tick came from? I don't know but thank you for the information, I would hate to have her infected with something and not know and have it go untreated. She's such a sweet puppy.
I wouldn't suggest taking it off with tweezers, I've had veterenarians even tell me this is dangerous, because there is a chance that the ticks head could still be in your dog, which could then infect the site. I would suggest a product called a Tick Twister, it allows safe removal of the ticks. And I've also been told to burn the ticks, after you take them out of the dog. Also I would check yourself and family out just make sure they don't have any ticks on them either.