Are they serious?

[sumbirdy]

I was on Yahoo! answers (I like to put my 2 cents in wherever I can) and someone was asking about removing a tick on a dog. You wouldn't believe how many people suggested...get this...BURNING IT OFF. BURNING a tick off of a dog. Don't these people know you could burn your dog?! Surely they're not that stupid. Have you ever heard people say stuff like this?

[Queen of Poop]

When I was a kid, and I had a tick in my ear, my mom lit a match, blew it out and touched the tick with the hot match. It backed out and they were able to remove it, no harm done. Perhaps this is what was meant.

[sumbirdy]

Hmmm....perhaps that could be what some of them meant. But one of them suggested lighting the fur on fire around the tick.

[shais_mom]

If its done carefully and not by an idiot (which if they are thinking of lighting the fur - sounds like they are idiots) - it can be very effective. I saw an engorged tick on a dog once (think size of a grape tomato) and my friends dad lit a lighter under it and it backs the head out.

[.sarah]

I know this works sometimes but I have also heard that some ticks instead will release everything back into the dog/person, which is obviously bad (I'm not sure if I'm even describing that right, but you get the idea, haha). Personally I just use tweezers if I find one, although there was one time that there was a tick that had blown up to the size of a pea on Mandy and I didn't want it to pop so I used dial soap and a cotton ball and it came right out. It was so easy. But for whatever reason, I can't get it to work on the ticks that are still flat.

[Twisterdog]

That's actually pretty effective. I remember my grandpa holding a cigarette above a tick on his dog. The tick indeed did pull out its head, and was easily removed. Of course, his dog was used to this and taught to be still.

Now the word is more so that it is not harmful to simply pull the tick out with tweezers. But for a long, long time everyone was told to NEVER pull out a tick like that. So, burning it was a common means of removal.

[sumbirdy]

Okay, yeah I get it now. But I would just worry, what if the dog moved and you burned him? And I know the burning the fur around the tick just can't be right.

[Genny]

if i see a tick i just pull it off with my fingers....sometimes they're stuck on pretty tight, but they always come off with a little pull.

[lunasmom]

It's better to use tweezers. Most ticks produce a glue like substance that sticks them in there until they're done feeding, and they *can't* back out even if they want to. At least that's what my medical husbandry teacher told us...I am surprised the match method worked so well for so many people.

[Pam]

I know this works sometimes but I have also heard that some ticks instead will release everything back into the dog/person, which is obviously bad (I'm not sure if I'm even describing that right, but you get the idea, haha). Personally I just use tweezers if I find one, although there was one time that there was a tick that had blown up to the size of a pea on Mandy and I didn't want it to pop so I used dial soap and a cotton ball and it came right out. It was so easy. But for whatever reason, I can't get it to work on the ticks that are still flat.

Sarah you are absolutely right. My vet said to never ever burn a tick for the reason you mention (regurgitation). Also, should they pop, the *stuff* inside is then deposited on your dog and this *stuff* could contain Rocky Mountain Spotted Tick fever, something we don't hear much about these days now that Lyme has become so prevalent. My vet always suggests pulling a tick out by tweezers and then dabbing a bit of alcohol on where the tick was attached. He said if the head is left in don't worry about it. It eventually will come out (sort of like your own skin when you have a scab) and, contrary to popular belief, will not cause the area to become infected. We have been using tweezers for 30 years and on six different dogs and it works like a charm.

[sumbirdy]

I just read some more answers on this same question and one person said not to pull the tick out unless you are a vet. (or something along those lines)
If I had to get a vet to pull ticks off of my dogs I'd be back and forth from the vet all the time

[Pam]

I just read some more answers on this same question and one person said not to pull the tick out unless you are a vet. (or something along those lines)
If I had to get a vet to pull ticks off of my dogs I'd be back and forth from the vet all the time

In my area if everyone took their dog to a vet each time they got a tick, the line would be way out the vet's door into the parking lot.

[sumbirdy]

In my area if everyone took their dog to a vet each time they got a tick, the line would be way out the vet's door into the parking lot.

Yep, same here. We would probably live at the vet's office during tick season.

[pitc9]

My sister in Missouri has 3 dogs and they have ticks on them all the time. They use the match/lighter method to remove ticks.

I'm thankful I've never had one on my dogs, bugs freak me out, I'd loose my mind if I had to touch on to get it off.

[Freedom]

Yup, grew up with the match / cigarette method, saw my Dad do it many times on our dogs. No one in my house smoked, Dad had to beg cigarettes from neighbors -- or matches, as we didn't have those either.

Light the fur? GAH!!