Just when I think I know it all, have you ever heard of "Seed Ticks?" They are bad dudes Save your dog.....

Seed ticks, until recently I have thought there was one type of tick to look out for. About four weeks ago my mid size border collie mix female began to go crazy with an irritation on her tail end.

We had three times this amount on the dogs tail end. 

We treated her with the normal stuff, I use 50/50 apple cider vinegar and water in a spray bottle, a nit comb for dogs, I feed her 1/2 clove of garlic weekly and hand pick the little buggers off of her. I had no idea just how serious Seed Ticks are. Running the comb through her fur on the base of her tail exposed a lot of pepper looking almost micro-scopic eggs. My first thought was, they are laying eggs! I knew it must be bad, then I saw the live bug. Not much surprises me anymore, but that discovery blew me away. We have been fighting these things for a month, the poor dog is going crazy with the unbearable itching. Now what to do.
   

These guy's are tiny, this is a big one from my experience, stick it on tape and
show your Vet, she will know what to do.

The first thing we did was call the vet, (I still did not discover they were "Seed Ticks".) The Vet wanted a sample of the eggs and the live one. We are still dealing with the eggs, but could not find a live one, great. My friend texted me and suggested I look at "Seed Ticks" on line. Holy smokes, we're in an epidemic. The Vet told me that some of the popular tick and flea repellent did not work this year, many dogs are infested. One more time, Oh Great!
    The first thing we did was make a plan, more of the same comb, apple cider vinegar, garlic and flea treatment. I am switching to the pill type of repellent, it lasts 12 weeks, I'm reluctant but I'm going with it. The ticks have barbs on their mouths, allowing them to attach to the skin of the animal under the fur, difficult to remove. I am picking them off by hand. (Popular advice is to use tweezers, don't touch them.) When they hatch they burrow into the skin and attach, that's where the garlic will help. Hopefully the tick will let go when it gets a bite of it, the infestation is getting better it seems. The bites can cause an infection and serious illness to the animal if left unchecked, they must be removed. They will also find humans quite tasty as well, if we start to get tick bites the entire house must be de-bugged.
   Use tweezers to remove them, try not to leave their heads in the skin, they are tiny. Use a magnifier of some sort, my dog gets real tired of me digging around on her rear end. Use alcohol based mouthwash to remove them, sticky tape on the skin will also remove them, save one for the Vet. Give her a bath with a good flea and tick soap.

Good flea and tick soap, a warm bath will put her on a
solid path of recovery.

    They itch to the point of driving the dog insane, my dog would howl with irritation, there is a strong level of compassion from me. Benadryl, hydro-cortisone, ice packs on the skin, some essential oils work, Aloe Vera is good to use, Calamine, marigold extract will all soothe the itch. Seek medical advice, especially if you detect a fever, that means infection set in, now we have a problem. Antibiotics are the only cure after that, but if the eggs and ticks are still on her, the cycle will repeat. It's imperative to remove them. They can cause death.
    I live in a rural area, tall dry grass is the natural habitat of ticks, fleas and other parasites. Keep the lawn and as much of the area the dog frequents trimmed. I paid a gardener this morning to cut down tall weeds on my neighbors lot where my dog chases everything imaginable. Ticks live in the grass as well, on your cut lawn. diatomaceous earth spread on your lawn will kill the ticks, it drys them out, use organic not the stuff for a pool filter. The pool diatomaceous earth has chemicals in it that could harm you pet. Spread it on the approach to each door of your house. Buy a new bed for the animal, the one she has is infected. Buy one stuffed with cedar, it's a natural repellent to ticks and fleas. Wear a quality respirator, the dust is not good in your lungs.
    If you are the human in charge of all of this, be certain to wear long sleeves and trouser's. An application of bug repellent when you're outside should be applied. Before you enter the house remove your clothes, yep just like when you were 9 years old and had to strip on the stoop. Get help checking front and back, remove any ticks with tape, don't give them time to pitch a tent and camp out on your body. Shake your clothes out and immediately toss them in the washer, the dryer will kill the eggs. Finally take a shower. More information from the State of Washington here.

She'll be good to go in no time, but it will take time.

    Lyme disease, Rocky mountain fever, Tularemia and festering sores can all be the result of being bitten. It is a very serious situation. If you see your dog going absolutely out of control with itching, take a serious look around the tail up to about 8 inches towards the tail tip. Compare what you find with the pictures I have posted, if they match, they are "Seed Ticks". It has taken my wife and I three days of removal to finally realize a reduction in irritation. It seems the warm temperature is helping as well.
   I hope you never experience this, I never heard of them until my friend told me. They are different than the "wood ticks" we have all searched our dogs for, these guy's are tiny and infectious. Wood ticks have eight legs, seed ticks have six, that's one way to tell what you are dealing with.
  Thanks for reading, normally I don't write my blog this wordy however I feel this is of the utmost importance. I'd like to hear from you, I am by far not an expert on this. If you have any knowledge of these pest please share it. Thanks!

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