Dugan
New member
The best way, as Quietman said, is the tick hooks. Those get underneath the tick's body so it can be pulled off without squeezing the body.
Squeezing the body (like with fingers or tweezers) runs the risk of "injecting" contaminated blood from the tick's body into your dog's body. However, if fingers or tweezers are the only method of getting the tick off in a timely fashion, my guess is that it's better to get the tick off rather than leave it on for a few hours.
The tick should not be burned or punctured to kill it - again the risk of contamination from the tick's body. At home, I flush them (eek! mutant tick in my septic tank!). Out and about in the woods, I will crush them between two rocks. Yes, I've punctured, but I'd rather be sure the evil critter is dead. In the car, you can heat up the lighter place the tick in it, then reheat it. Warning: the fumes are awful!
Vaccines: There are two Merial's Lymevax and another by Fort Dodge. I prefer the Lymevax. Do your research.
Squeezing the body (like with fingers or tweezers) runs the risk of "injecting" contaminated blood from the tick's body into your dog's body. However, if fingers or tweezers are the only method of getting the tick off in a timely fashion, my guess is that it's better to get the tick off rather than leave it on for a few hours.
The tick should not be burned or punctured to kill it - again the risk of contamination from the tick's body. At home, I flush them (eek! mutant tick in my septic tank!). Out and about in the woods, I will crush them between two rocks. Yes, I've punctured, but I'd rather be sure the evil critter is dead. In the car, you can heat up the lighter place the tick in it, then reheat it. Warning: the fumes are awful!
Vaccines: There are two Merial's Lymevax and another by Fort Dodge. I prefer the Lymevax. Do your research.
