# Ticks!



## CanadienHedgie (Feb 4, 2011)

So tonight, I found 3 HUGE ticks on my dog. I'm sure there is more because he has a long shaggy 6 inch coat, and they're hard to find. All of my dogs are going to the groomer tomorrow now to get rid of them. So this leads my to wonder, *can hedgehogs get ticks?* I don't see why not, other animals/people can... And if they do get ticks, *what do you do about them? *To get them off my dogs, we use rubbing alcohol, but I don't know if that's safe for hedgies. *Would they lose a lot of blood?*


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

The chance of a caged animal getting ticks is next to nil unless they are exposed to them through other animals, or are out in the grass. I would assume that ticks carry the same disease risk to hedgehogs as they do dogs and other animals.


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## LarryT (May 12, 2009)

You need to put your dog on a good flea and tick preventive like this one http://www.advantixdog.com/


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## Jen.Uh.Fur (Mar 29, 2011)

Going to the groomer will not get rid of ticks. Neither will rubbing alcohol. You need to take them to the vet to get them removed.

I also agree with Larry, you need to get them on a good preventative.


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## Jen.Uh.Fur (Mar 29, 2011)

Since your Canadian, the kind Larry is offering isn't available over here. 

I would recommend Advantage Multi. It's the best bang for your buck, prevents against fleas, ticks, HEARTWORM, and all roundworms.


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## HodgepodgeHedgehog (Apr 3, 2011)

uh, no offense to every body on this topic, but you really don't need to spend the money to take your animal to the vet to get a tick removed. i'm from Wisconsin, where there's at least a tick a day in the summer. all you have to do is take some eyebrow tweezers and pull the tick off, then flush it down the toilet...it's actually really simple.


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## Jen.Uh.Fur (Mar 29, 2011)

It's actually very dangerous to do it yourself. I'm a vet tech student, and even I wouldn't do it myself.

If you miss the head, you could cause a lot of problems.


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## HodgepodgeHedgehog (Apr 3, 2011)

Jen.Uh.Fur said:


> It's actually very dangerous to do it yourself. I'm a vet tech student, and even I wouldn't do it myself.
> 
> If you miss the head, you could cause a lot of problems.


well, i have 8 siblings, 3 dogs, and 3 cats, and woods in the back yard, and that's the way we've been doing it for 10 years...i don't mean to sound snobby or anything, and i apologize if i do, but we've never had any problems w/ either critters OR humans doing it that way...


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

HodgepodgeHedgehog said:


> uh, no offense to every body on this topic, but you really don't need to spend the money to take your animal to the vet to get a tick removed. i'm from Wisconsin, where there's at least a tick a day in the summer. all you have to do is take some eyebrow tweezers and pull the tick off, then flush it down the toilet...it's actually really simple.


Yep, that's how people do it here too. If rural people had to take their dogs to the vet for every tick removal, they'd go broke really fast. :lol:


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## LarryT (May 12, 2009)

Nancy said:


> HodgepodgeHedgehog said:
> 
> 
> > uh, no offense to every body on this topic, but you really don't need to spend the money to take your animal to the vet to get a tick removed. i'm from Wisconsin, where there's at least a tick a day in the summer. all you have to do is take some eyebrow tweezers and pull the tick off, then flush it down the toilet...it's actually really simple.
> ...


Same here but it's not what vets/vet schools teach.


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## susanaproenca (Aug 14, 2010)

HodgepodgeHedgehog said:


> uh, no offense to every body on this topic, but you really don't need to spend the money to take your animal to the vet to get a tick removed. i'm from Wisconsin, where there's at least a tick a day in the summer. all you have to do is take some eyebrow tweezers and pull the tick off, then flush it down the toilet...it's actually really simple.


Yup that's how we do it here too... With tweezers. And as mentioned before, try and put your puppies in a flea and tick control program.


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## Jen.Uh.Fur (Mar 29, 2011)

HodgepodgeHedgehog said:


> Jen.Uh.Fur said:
> 
> 
> > It's actually very dangerous to do it yourself. I'm a vet tech student, and even I wouldn't do it myself.
> ...


I knew you weren't being snobby .

I know around here ticks aren't as common as other places. But I have just seen too many abscesses as a result of people plucking them out themselves.

If you do remove it yourself at home, the way you do it is the recommended way .

But I think the preventative is still a good idea, if the dog had multiple ticks on it.


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## CritterHeaven (Feb 21, 2011)

I do it myself as well. I grew up on a farm in central Canada. Ticks are just a way of life there. Getting myself to the doctor or the dog (or horse) to the vet every time we found a tick was not an realistic option.

In some ways they are worse in North Carolina. I think the season may be shorter but the ticks are TINY. Very hard to find. Plus my Chesapeake has dark brown wiry hair. There are the "usual" places the ticks tend to go (yep even with preventative) but you pretty much have to feel the bump not see it.

I use tweezers and keep an eye on the site and watch for any side effects. 

If you take your hedgies in the grass outside for play time, the chances are there I would think for them to get ticks. Especially on their underside.


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## Judi (Jul 9, 2009)

CritterHeaven said:


> In some ways they are worse in North Carolina. I think the season may be shorter but the ticks are TINY. Very hard to find. Plus my Chesapeake has dark brown wiry hair. There are the "usual" places the ticks tend to go (yep even with preventative) but you pretty much have to feel the bump not see it.


We get the itty bitty brown ticks here too (Texas). One of my dogs has a really oily coat, and I wash her with Dawn dish soap. The dish soap makes the ticks come off too.

I've tried the topical preventatives on her, and she's had a bad reaction to two different ones already...shaking, twitching and having bathroom accidents when she never usually has them...so during the hot weather I give her a bath with Dawn at least once a week and she seems to stay as tick (and flea) free as my other dog, who doesn't have bad reactions to the topical preventatives.


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## Jen.Uh.Fur (Mar 29, 2011)

Judi said:


> CritterHeaven said:
> 
> 
> > In some ways they are worse in North Carolina. I think the season may be shorter but the ticks are TINY. Very hard to find. Plus my Chesapeake has dark brown wiry hair. There are the "usual" places the ticks tend to go (yep even with preventative) but you pretty much have to feel the bump not see it.
> ...


What kind of dog is she?


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## Judi (Jul 9, 2009)

Jen.Uh.Fur said:


> What kind of dog is she?


She's a chiweenie. She gets to smelling really horrible really fast...I tried just about every dog shampoo I could find at Petsmart before I read in a grooming forum about using dish soap on really oily dogs. My husband doesn't tolerate stinky dogs in the house :roll: so if I want her indoors, she has to have a bath pretty often.

My other dog is a mystery mix...the people I adopted him from said they were told pomeranian and chihuahua, but he's about 18 lbs, so I'm thinking there must be something else in the mix. He has a really, really dense coat...when I shave him for the summer, the fur fills an entire bathroom wastebasket. He never gets stinky, even outdoors.

We live in an area where they're still building part of the neighborhood, and sometimes we just can't resist a run through the field or a little exploration of the dry creekbed, but Chiquita always ends up with itty bitty ticks in her armpits. Rusty's more of a sidewalk dog, if I can get him to walk at all (we start out with the kid in the stroller and the dog walking, but by the time we're a block from the house, the dog is in the stroller and the kid is walking :lol: ).


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## hanhan27 (May 12, 2011)

Nancy said:


> Yep, that's how people do it here too. If rural people had to take their dogs to the vet for every tick removal, they'd go broke really fast. :lol:


I definitely agree with Nancy. Even WITH flea & tick preventatives, our 4 cats and our Westie get ticks regularly. In the spring, it's not uncommon at all for them to get 3 or 4 a week. That's just what happens when you live in a rural/country setting.  Ya have to deal with the icky bugs!


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## silvercat (Oct 24, 2008)

Judi said:


> CritterHeaven said:
> 
> 
> > In some ways they are worse in North Carolina. I think the season may be shorter but the ticks are TINY. Very hard to find. Plus my Chesapeake has dark brown wiry hair. There are the "usual" places the ticks tend to go (yep even with preventative) but you pretty much have to feel the bump not see it.
> ...


I recently read (actually yesterday) that you shouldn't use soap/oils, etc on ticks as when it hits them, they may release their poision as a self defence. Rather the safest way is what people on here where describing, tweezers & making sure you get the head.


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