# Tick Bite



## maryam187 (Jul 18, 2007)

I believe Pablo's been bit by a tick on his belly.Last night I noticed a bump with a dot in the center surrounded by a red ring. He's on Frontline Plus and there's no way the tick has stayed on him longer than 24 hours, because I brush him every evening and his belly area is not only white haired but also cut short, so very easy to see. Today the actual bite location in the center is easily visible.
I suspect it was a tick bite because the circular rash looks like what we see in human tick bites called Erythema Migrans. I could be wrong though.

My question: do I need to take him to the Vet to get some antibiotics?

I know it takes a couple of days of tick attachment to increase the risk of tick borne disease. He doesn't show any signs, but it would be too early for signs anyway. It creeps me out to see it on his cute pink belly skin.


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## Beamer (Jan 29, 2007)

I would call the vet to just see what they say.. Who knows what bit him? Ever since seeing that spider bite puppy, I get freaked out!

Hope Pablo is ok! 

Ryan


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## good buddy (Feb 20, 2007)

Aww poor Pablo and his perfect tummy. I would call your vet and see what they say. Hopefully it's nothing to worry about!


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## maryam187 (Jul 18, 2007)

Thanks guys, it looks like the redness is decreasing. Guess what, I also found 2 little motile larvae on his coat far away from his anus though. I'm so close to uke: Oh and of course it has to be on a Saturday when our Vet closes early. *ARGH* DH put the nasty little larva in a zip loc to take it to the Vet on Monday. uke: I haven't seen ANY of those larvae or anything similar in Pablo's feces, wonder if it's just something he scooped off the grass and shrubs he's constantly in? uke:


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## maryam187 (Jul 18, 2007)

Here's a pic of the fading red circle.


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## isshinryu_mom (Mar 23, 2008)

Yikes! That is scary. I hope the little guy is ok. {{hugs}} for you and Pablo. Pests isn't something I considered when taking on a black dog, but maybe I should have thought about how hard it would be to see a buggie!!


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## Lilly's mom (Aug 10, 2007)

maryam187 said:


> Thanks guys, it looks like the redness is decreasing. Guess what, I also found 2 little motile larvae on his coat far away from his anus though. I'm so close to uke: Oh and of course it has to be on a Saturday when our Vet closes early. *ARGH* DH put the nasty little larva in a zip loc to take it to the Vet on Monday. uke: I haven't seen ANY of those larvae or anything similar in Pablo's feces, wonder if it's just something he scooped off the grass and shrubs he's constantly in? uke:


Is this hookworm?


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## Missy (Nov 6, 2006)

Maryam, if you even suspect a tick bite I would absolutely insist on 30 days of Doxicylcine for pablo. And don't bother doing a titer... he won't show antibodies until later--- What can it really hurt in the long run. After what we went through with Cash I wouldn't take a chance. I was told that his tick bite (if it was) could have occurred months before he got sick. As you know the faster treatment happens after the bite the less chance of complications. Of course you know all this. It was just really scary to watch Cash go down hill so quickly. 

What do you think the larvae are? worms?


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## Leeann (Feb 28, 2007)

How scary Maryam, give Pablo some love from us and keep us updated on what the vet says Monday.


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## Julie (Feb 8, 2007)

Maryam,
One year I pulled 13 ticks off of Quincy and he was on flea/tick meds---that being said--after I pulled the ticks off,nothing looked like what you posted in the picture. What is left is just a little red mark where the tick was,no swelling etc. In fact,it looks most like a pimple,but not raised. This looks like something else to me-----

Please keep us updated.


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## maryam187 (Jul 18, 2007)

Missy, you're right. I too thought I'd rather have him treated than not. Will see what the Vet thinks about it on Monday.

Katrina, those funky larvae definitely look like they could be 'baby' hookworms. I've been looking at larvae-pics for about 1 hour and thanks to your hint I looked at the darn hookworms again and that could be the one uke:

Why do these things ALWAYS have to happen on weekends??????


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## maryam187 (Jul 18, 2007)

Julie, yikes, that's an awful lot of ticks at once!
This is a pic of a tick bite on a human, looks A LOT like what Pablo has/had. The 'dot' in the center with surrounding clear than red circle is very typical of a tick bite. I think only the ones infected with Lyme's lead to the Eryhtema Migrans? Yikes, I must admit Parasitology has never been my favorite cause it grosses me out. I'm sure the Vet and his staff will be delighted to see their little Cuban again on Monday


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## Lina (Apr 26, 2007)

Maryam, how scary! I'm sure that Pablo will be fine since he is on Frontline. I think I would still put him on the medication like Missy suggested, just in case.


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## maryam187 (Jul 18, 2007)

Gosh, when I decided to finally get a dog, I asked God to please spare me from all these creepy bugs, but I guess He has a lot of humor and likes to see me gag all day, LOL. Katrina, thanks for the 'obvious' hint, I must have looked at any other larva on this planet but not the good old common hookworms. uke:


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## Lilly's mom (Aug 10, 2007)

I was just looking up what the word you used was and that came up. I am not too smart about these things just lucky.


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## BeverlyA (Oct 29, 2006)

Maryam, I'm so sorry to hear about Pablo's tick bite. What kind of ticks do you have there? 
Missy, what kind of tick do you think might have bit Cash?

I know the ticks that we have here in my part of Nebraska are relatively large, wood ticks I believe. The ticks I've seen in parts of Missouri are tiny and I think those are deer tick. 

Beverly


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## Julie (Feb 8, 2007)

Maryam,
Quincy had all those ticks in just a matter of a couple of weeks...not all at the same time(but close enough!) That was quite a year we had.YIKES!

We have the common wood tick here,so that is what I'm used to seeing.I can honestly say that I've never seen a reaction like that to a tick bite though in either a dog or a human. I think I should consider myself lucky! 

Are you sure it isn't a spider bite?


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## Missy (Nov 6, 2006)

What I have read...is that the bullseye rash that is an early indication of lyme is rare in dogs-- but can happen (who knows if it's just that no one notices because of the fur.) 

Beverly, we are not even sure if it was a tick with Cash, as we never saw a tick or a bite..it could have been a protazoa infection. But according the vet he had classic tick infection symptoms. Up and down fever followed by pain and lameness in three legs. Although these also could be symptoms of neospora possibly from the raw medallion I broke down and fed raw for that one week. $3500 of tests and they still had no answers Luckily one of the two antibiotics (doxicycline for ticks-- antirobe for protazoan) he was on cleared him up. 

Belly rubs to Pablo Maryam. Is the rash bothering him?


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## Julie (Feb 8, 2007)

I hope Pablo gets better and the rash goes away----poor guy!:hug:


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## maryam187 (Jul 18, 2007)

Thanks Ladies, the rash is gone, just the dot and a little white area around it left (no pus though). The rash/bite never bothered him a second. I was thinking, maybe I just saw the rash because I have nothing else to do than going over him a few times a day to make sure he didn't drag any bugs in the apartment. That's probably why I see these things like the early rash, hookworm larvae that he probably just scooped up off the grass that were trying to find their way to his skin, etc. Will contact the Vet tomorrow early morning and get his input on it. I'm thinking it shouldn't be too harmful if I just de-worm him (last one was Nov.07) although I've never seen anything suspicious in his feces (that I always inspect as well).

The more you look the more you see I guess.


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## Lina (Apr 26, 2007)

Maryam, glad to hear that it is getting better and not worse! It's always better to always look than to never look and be too late! Of course, you shouldn't be TOO paranoid and drive yourself crazy either.


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## Jane (Jun 2, 2007)

Maryam, I am sorry to hear about Pablo's bite 

I wholeheartedly agree with Missy - I'd ask the vet for antibiotics regardless just in case of Lyme disease. 

I was bitten by a tick in my early 20s and my doc gave me antibiotics, just in case, since we didn't save the tick for analysis. He said it wasn't worth the risk of contracting Lyme. 

A :hug: for Pablo!


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## Missy (Nov 6, 2006)

But you know it's not just lyme anymore. My Vet was telling me there are all sorts of tick borne diseases that don't even have names yet. and they can come from all ticks. The large dog/wood tick carries rocky mountain spotted fever. which just like lyme is carried in more places than the rocky mountains. 

I hate ticks!!!! did I mention that I recently found two dog ticks in our bed!!!!!!
two separate incidents-- one was crawling around Jasper-- the other was crawling around DH. Ewwwww. I do a thorough dog and bed check every night now-- and every itch I am sure is a tick. At least they were crawling and not filled with blood...Ewwwwwwwwwww!


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## KristinFusco (Jun 5, 2007)

Yuck, I'm sorry to hear about poor Pablo's tick bite. Ticks are so disgusting, they are so evident on Nico with his all white coat, but I always have to do a thorough search on Lito after we've been outdoors. Both boys are on Frontline Plus, but I believe it takes several hours for the ticks to die once they've latched on, even with the tick prevention medication.


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## Poornima (Jun 29, 2007)

Maryam, sorry to hear about Pablo. The furballs dragging in bugs is always worrisome. I hope that the rash will disapper soon and Pablo will be fine. :hug:


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## maryam187 (Jul 18, 2007)

OK guys, just got back from the Emergency Vet. No panic please! I inspected the area after our morning walk and thought I could scrape the little crust off, but it turned out to be a little ulcerated. So *I* panicked it could possibly have been a spider bite and off to the emergency Vet we went. I'll make it short: she doesn't think it was a tick bite, looks more like an insect bite/sting to her. Also, spider bites tend to turn the area black real quick. He got an ointment and will be on broad-spectrum antibiotics for 10 days. I will talk to my Vet again tomorrow to get his input, but the Vet there said that they don't recommend to give prophylactic tick antibiotics without evidence and symptoms. Also, as I mentioned before, the tick needs to be attached for quite some time >18hours before it can potentially infect the dog/human. That's what I learned to do for human tick bites, no need to treat unless you see symptoms. Not all ticks transmit disease. 
However, I will see what our regular Vet says tomorrow, I trust his judgment.

As for the nasty little larvae, she too thinks it was probably something he scooped up in the grass and doesn't recommend de-worming him. FYI, I always thought Interceptor was just a heartworm protection, but it turns out it also covers for all other common dog worms except for tapeworm, which he doesn't have.

Phew, what a WE! While waiting we were watching Paula on the Food channel and we saw one of her 2 dogs for 3 seconds and he looked like a Hav. Does anyone know about it?


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## hartman studio (Feb 14, 2008)

Maryam, so sorry to hear about poor Pablo; I can relate to you- I HATE bugs,too. I just about freaked when I found a couple of ticks on Cocotini when I first got her ( and she was on Advantage AND had a dose of Frontline Plus before I got her!!!) Needless to say, I've been giving her a bath every week and combing her 2 to 3 times a day. No more ticks and fleas 

Do you think he could have been bitten by a fire ant? They can be nasty little bites, too.

Tell Pablo I'll be posting pics of Cocotini in her bikini tomorrow- maybe that will make him feel better!


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## maryam187 (Jul 18, 2007)

Pablo says he can't wait to see sexy Cocotini! Don't think it was fire ants, cause he hadn't had any discomfort whatsoever. If it were up to him, we didn't have to spend the $150 in a hurry, LOL.


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## Leeann (Feb 28, 2007)

Glad you went to the vet Maryam, even if Pablo feels great it's better to give mom some piece of mind. Monte sends you some hugs and kisses, Riley just wants to play with Pablo.


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## RikiDaisyDixie (Apr 15, 2008)

*thanks for keeping us posted*

we send healing thoughts his way. Please keep us informed.

Doggy kisses.


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## juliav (Nov 21, 2006)

Poor Pablo!!!

We are sending healing wibes and puppy kisses his way.


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## Me&2Girls (May 11, 2007)

So glad you did go to the vet - I know it's expensive but it is peace of mind. I hope he's feeling better soon. That's interesting that they have to attach for 18+ hours to transmit disease. At least there's hope if you find one that you get it off in time.


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## maryam187 (Jul 18, 2007)

FYI, talked to my Vet about the regular procedure after (potential) tick bites. Just like in humans, they tightly observe the dog for ca. 4 weeks and only if they develop a rash/symptoms they treat with antibiotics.


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## ivyagogo (Sep 11, 2007)

I've already pulled about 5 ticks out of Gryff's fur this summer. He's on Revolution, so I'm not worried, but they really are gross.


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## kelrobin (Jan 21, 2008)

Maryam . . . what a time you have had!! Just read this thread and learned about the bite. Jackson had a couple of attached ticks early this spring before I started him on Frontline Plus. I know they had just attached . . . I inspect him after every playtime outside . . . and they left a red ring, but it was gone the next day. I need to be educated on the symptoms but I never took him to the vet as the bites went away quickly with no other symptoms. 

Bad weekend for critters . . . :suspicious:


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