merledogs Posted July 7, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 7, 2012 Moaning Michelle - I hope it works itself out Marge - hope you feel better this morning I feel rough as a badger's arse this morning - too much Cidre and too many dogs on the bed The rain was dire last night, literally pouring down the driveway. At least it's forecast to be better today, although more rain expected later. Bit of a pain for the garden all this rain, it's really stunted all the plants which should be flowering away happily by now. RMF : I may have saved another rose from certain death last night. They sell mini roses in shops as indoor plants, but roses are outdoor plants and don't do at all well indoors so someone would probably have killed it off. I only paid £2 for it and same as the last one I bought, it's actually four plants in one pot, so a bargain really. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merledogs Posted July 7, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 7, 2012 Just found what looked like a small tick on Max's ear - ewwww Where the hell would that have come from? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gooster Posted July 7, 2012 Report Share Posted July 7, 2012 Ticks are quite common in the summer Alex. Tend to attach themselves if the dogs have been running in long grass - nasty things We have a tick spanner that 'unscrews' them from the dogs skin, that way the head isn't left in, which can cause infections. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murtle Posted July 7, 2012 Report Share Posted July 7, 2012 bleugh - I should have gone to bed earlier as I knew I had to be up early (for me anyway!) maybe from walking in the woods Alex?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merledogs Posted July 7, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 7, 2012 It wasn't there last night but is there this morning (and we haven't been out yet). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murtle Posted July 7, 2012 Report Share Posted July 7, 2012 (edited) hmmm, ick springs to mind Alex...and maybe it just looked like a tick, but wasn't a tick? Grasping at straws maybe.... OH is riding the Marmotte today http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Marmotte so hoping the weather stays good for them and that they all get round in a fit state to ride Etape1 http://www.letapedutour.com/ET1/us/the-route.html tomorrow!! xxx Edited July 7, 2012 by murtle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merledogs Posted July 7, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 7, 2012 Ooo Murtle our MD is riding in la Marmotte too! Deffo think it was a tick, specially when I squashed it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yantan Posted July 7, 2012 Report Share Posted July 7, 2012 We get lots of ticks here, I'm forever taking them of The Archibald. I use a Tom O'Tick which is the best invention since sliced bread and is the same thing Jayne has described above I think. I've even found a couple of ticks on me! Yak, yak, yak. Alex they look like little spiders before they attach themselves and bloat with blood. My friend and I once took literally hundreds of them off our collection of 5 dogs in this unattached state after they'd all been romping in bracken (one of the worst places for ticks.) A girl in town got a nasty infection from having had a tick attached to herself. She got really, really poorly and was ill for a good couple of years! The problem really was that it took them weeks to diagnose the cause of the problem and since her case all the surgeries and hospitals around here have had training to make sure that anyone presenting with similar symptoms are very quickly sorted out. I hope I haven't put the wind up everyone now, but forewarned is forearmed! If you ever find a tick attached to yourself and start feeling ill in any way then see your doctor and tell them about the tick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
owl Posted July 7, 2012 Report Share Posted July 7, 2012 Yantan is right, ticks look quite different before they attach themselves and that is when they crawl off vegetation and land on passing animals. You would not have seen it in Max's coat. I was spared them much of the time when we lived close to sheep, as they hate puli coats for some reason. But a puli did get one on an eyelid and we got vet to remove that one as we were afraid of hurting her eye. My ginger and white cat was a tick magnet, but he loved to sit with the sheep which didn't help. So far Wispa has avoided all ticks and fleas, and I don't give her anything to prevent them. Either she has some kind of mysterious built-in repellent or they prefer a quieter life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
houndzrus Posted July 7, 2012 Report Share Posted July 7, 2012 Hope the bike ride goes well. Ticks are horrible,jack gets them from time to time. been to the lottie to do some damage limitation. About a third is waterlogged and the rest is very wet. On the plus side, i rescued the garlic. Here's the biggest elephant garlic. Going back now to cover the ground that we have cleared. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacobean Posted July 7, 2012 Report Share Posted July 7, 2012 Touch wood my lot haven't had ticks on them for years but they are about. Our Yorkie picked them up in some long grass. Hope Oh does well in the cycling Murtle Very hot here so have washing on the line. Fully expected downpours all day. Scoobs has had his swim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merledogs Posted July 7, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 7, 2012 So far Wispa has avoided all ticks and fleas, and I don't give her anything to prevent them. Either she has some kind of mysterious built-in repellent or they prefer a quieter life. The only time mine have ever got fleas is when they caught them off the cats, so the cats get Frontlined in the summer and that seems to keep them all clear. RMF : I had a lovely nap on the sofa, then mowed the lawns front and back and squished some weedkiller around. It's lovely here at the moment, but showers forecast for later. Could do with a few dry days cos we haven't even had spring yet, let alone summer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murtle Posted July 7, 2012 Report Share Posted July 7, 2012 Thank you :-) OH has finished as have his friends. Alex, I hope your MD enjoys his ride and that he did lots of *proper* training beforehand!! The Brits are well known on the Marmotte and L'etape for not training sufficiently! The French mountains are not quite like our Box Hill :-) Is it ever going to stop raining? I can't believe it's summer. I am going to have to consider going away for a few days of sunshine soon before this weather sends me round the bend!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackmagic Posted July 7, 2012 Report Share Posted July 7, 2012 Yantan is right, ticks look quite different before they attach themselves and that is when they crawl off vegetation and land on passing animals. So far Wispa has avoided all ticks and fleas, and I don't give her anything to prevent them. Either she has some kind of mysterious built-in repellent or they prefer a quieter life. My dalmatian didn't attract ticks but my retriever cross does. I think the dallie short, fine coat was difficult for the ticks to attach to. I did once find one crawling over his head. Similarly, my retriever/gsd cross has a dense , velvety coat and I regularly find ticks crawling over her. I think her coat is difficult for them to penetrate. They look like money spiders, but a wee bit larger, before they attach and get engorged. They do wander around the dog looking for the best place to attach. We have lots of ticks around here. A neighbour's 8 year old son was diagnosed with Lyme's disease last summer. Nobody was aware of him having a tick attached but he developed the classic round , itchy area which the local immediately diagnosed. Lyme disease can produce flu like symptoms so is not always picked up immediately. Symptoms of Lyme disease in dogs are recurring lameness, depression and loss of appetite which can lead to more serious conditions. However, not all ticks carry Lyme dsease. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merledogs Posted July 7, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 7, 2012 Thank you :-) OH has finished as have his friends. Alex, I hope your MD enjoys his ride and that he did lots of *proper* training beforehand!! The Brits are well known on the Marmotte and L'etape for not training sufficiently! The French mountains are not quite like our Box Hill :-) Him and his mates have been training since last year, so hopefully they'll be okay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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