Big red spot where tick was!!
 

My Grandpa just removed a tick from Zoey, the second time this month! The first one was just a normal wood tick, but this 2nd one was a deer tick! I don't think it was in there for very long because it was still pretty flat, however she has a red ring where the tick was embedded. So, I'm kind of scared now she may have Lyme Disease...again. She's been acting totally normal, but the red ring is making me freak out a bit. She has an appointment on the 21st to get her dental done.. I'm worried if she does have Lyme Disease, then I'll have to reschedule the dental. Should I wait it out for the next few days and see how she is, or should I call first thing Monday? :confused:

I would call your vet for advice on Monday. Unless there is a part of the tick remaining or the skin is damaged/infected etc I would just call. Do you use tick medS? If the dog is on frontline or an equivalent then the bite should not have lasted as long as needed for transmission of Lyme, but I'm not sure about other tick borne illnesses.

No, I don't use flea/tick preventive right now. I'm going to buy some, though. I thought it was still too cold for ticks to be out. The weather goes from very windy, rainy and cold here to warm...ugh, silly me. What's a good flea/tick preventive, one that's a little cheaper than frontline or advantix?

Teddy has had a couple of really big red bumps after I removed ticks. They were more prominent because they were on the skinniest part of his leg. Our vet checked them and said it would take a couple weeks for the bumps/redness to go away (our vet is an avid camper and suffers tick bites himself). He was correct, took a couple weeks.

We do tick disease blood panel annually with heartworm tests.

We use Frontline, so I don't have any other recommendations. I also check the boys closely daily.

Deer ticks carry Lyme disease. I'd suggest applying Vaseline or antibiotic ointment to the spot to make sure the head works it way out just in case it wasn't removed. If there is a ring around the spot (as you indicated) watch for a temperature or rash & it would be a good idea to call your vet tomorrow to be on the safe side. Symptoms usually don't appear for 2 or 3 days, but since you're already seeing a ring aroung a red spot, I'd be concerned. I hope this helps.

We have similar type of fluctuating weather here so I use Frontline for about 9 months and stop it in the dead of winter. It's not just Lyme or anaplasmosis I'm afraid of -- I know a dog who has arthritis in all his joints after being infected with a tick and he is a young dog so it's terrible. He had to go to a specialist and be on steroids. I use half doses of frontline on my dogs too.

Yeah, Zoey has some permanent damage from her Lyme Disease. For some reason, it only affected the joints and muscles in her back left leg. Now she can't put full pressure on it, or not for very long. You could never tell though, unless you really paid attention to her stance. Why do you use half doses for your dogs? Zoey was 11lbs last time she was at the vets, so I think I can give her a normal doses.

I know deer ticks are the ones that carry Lyme Disease, but not all deer ticks are going to have it. The red spot was there when the tick was still in her head. Yes, the tick was in her head. My Grandmother put some neosporan on the red spot, then some diluted salt water on it.

Frontline is up to 22 lbs....my dogs are all 10 lbs and under. Been using FL for 14 years, never had a tick on them or fleas so it works for us.

I never use a tick remover. Some years ago I saw a video of an easy way to remove a tick.


Gentle finger pressure and quickly do circles with the finger clockwise and anti clockwise. The tick just drops off. Worked every time. We had been in the highlands of Scotland and 4 of our dogs had about 25 ticks between them. This worked a treat without any distress to the dogs...




Shirl

This video make explain it better

That is really wild! The head comes out too?! Thank you for sharing. I would wear gloves and still wash my hands with rubbing alcohol, haha.

Same here. . . They so really gross me out. . .

I am curious how sure you are that it was a deer tick? I thought they were so small that you really wouldn't ever see it on a dog. My hubby had one once, but it was easy to spot because it wasn't in a hairy spot.

I would take a photo of the ring and take Zoey to the vet. I took Maggie once when she had a tick because I had no idea what kind of tick it was and she did have a red area. It is possible the ring you are seeing is just inflammation from you trying to get the tick out. Maggie's spot was big enough that the vet gave her antibiotic just in case the bite had gotten infected, he said if any tick parts were still in there they could get infection. I took the tick with me and he said it wasn't a deer tick. I think he gave me antibiotic for her because he probably thought I expected something since I had brought her in there. (We had gotten the tick out but wanted her checked) I sometimes feel our family doc will give us antibiotics when the need might be questionable. I know they shouldn't, but a lot of us go to the doctors wanting a "cure", not to be told to just wait it out. Who has time to be sick if it turns out you DID need medicine? Fortunately we don't get sick much at all, so a little antibiotic every couple years should be ok!

I would get her checked because Lyme disease scares me. I took Maggie to the vet once when she was limping a little because I thought she was maybe getting lame! (I think it might have been not long after seeing a tick on her...I don't remember). It is so hard that they can't talk and tell us whats wrong!

I knew it was a deer tick because she's had one before, and actually got Lyme Disease from it. The red spot was already on her head while the tick was still in it. The red spot is actually getting smaller. I think because the tick was in her head, her skin just got irritated because it's so thin on the skull. That's my only assumption.