How to help an old stray dog with ticks that won't let me treat?

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern! Poor Rusty! Ticks are no fun and can be quite painful when in large quantities. I would recommend using a flea and tick preventative such as Frontline, Nexgard or Bravecto. He will likely need a shampoo to help soothe his skin after the ticks die. I would recommend Douxo PS Calm shampoo, which can be easily found online. I hope this helps and that Rusty improves! Please let me know if you have any other questions / concerns!

Oh no, that's not good! I would have Rocky seen by a vet to confirm that he does have mites, which the vet can diagnose with skin scrapings. Treatment depends on if he has sarcoptic mange or demodex mange. Medications and shampoos can be administered at home for sarcoptic manage depending on the treatment used, but must be prescribed by a veterinarian before use. All animals in the house must be treated, and the home must be disinfected as well. Demodex mange can also be treated at home with medications from the veterinarian. Because sarcoptic mange is so itchy, anti-itch shampoos or medications such as anti-histamines may be recommended by the veterinarian to help relieve the itchiness. Dogs affected with sarcoptic mange must be isolated from other animals in the home. There are several different medications that can be used to treat sarcoptic mange. Ivermectin is a common medication, but it must be given only by a veterinarian. Selemectin (Revolution), Moxidectin (Advantage Multi), amitraz washes, and 2% lime sulpher washes can be used as well. Generalized demodex mange involves treating any underlying systemic illness, antibiotics for skin infection, amitraz dips, milbemycin, and ivermectin, which is given by the veterinarian. Ivermectin treatment has to been given for 90-120 days, and should be used for one month past resolution of symptoms. Amitraz dips should be given every two weeks for between six to 14 dips, and should continue for one month after mites are not found on skin scrapings.

There are several possibilities here: 1) you pick off the ticks with tweezers and drop them in a glass with rubbing alcohol to kill them. Carefully grab the tick as close as possible with tweezers and pull straight up. If the head stays in the skin it is not a problem, evntually the dog's skin will reject it. 2) you can get some "Bravecto" or Nexguard from your vet. It is a chew that will, when given to the dog, kill all parasites on the dog including ticks. You may still have to pull off the dead ticks. But Bravecto and Nexguard will keep the dog form getting attacked by fleas, ticks and mites for a few months. Costs vary from vet to vet and area to area, so the best would be to call your vet and/or the vets in your area and inquire about their fees. The shelter where you picked up the dog should actually tell you which vet will remove the stitches for free,

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I’m sorry to hear that Lucky ran off but I’m glad he is back with you. I would recommend bringing Lucky to your veterinarian as soon as possible to have all of his ticks removed properly. Ticks can be challenging to remove and if not done properly, can form abscesses in the skin. Ticks carry a number of diseases such as Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever, that can make dogs very sick and have long last effects on their organs. Some of these diseases, such as Lyme, require the tick to be on a dog for 24 hours before the dog becomes infected, so the sooner the ticks are removed, the better. Your veterinarian will want to remove all of the ticks and likely submit bloodwork to evaluate Lucky’s blood cells and kidney and liver function. Also, if Lucky is not already on a flea and tick monthly preventative medication, I recommend asking your veterinarian about starting him on a topical or chewable medication that will help prevent infection with these tick-borne diseases in the future. I hope this is helpful!

Hello. Oh dear, those are a lot of ticks & I am VERY glad you are wearing gloves. I would get her in a tub with warm soapy water, preferably one labeled to kill fleas & ticks, but dish soap will work, & try & remove as many of the ticks as you can. The skin will bleed, but just try to get as many ticks off as you can. The soap will stun/kill the fleas, but the ticks can take days to die & fall off. It may take several baths to get all of the ticks. If you have access to any of the oral flea/tick products, give her one appropriate to her size. If all you can get are the topicals ( not sure what is sold in your country, but an Advantage or Frontline type product is great). Bathing shortly before or after applying a topical can diminish its effectiveness, but you should go ahead & apply anyway. If none of these are available, just use the soapy water & tweezers to remove the ticks, even if it takes a few days of bathing. Good luck & thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Great questions! I will give you first the method I suggest for potty training puppies, which can work on Trent even though he's an older dog. I used it with success on my two year old Basset when I got him from a breeder and he had never lived indoors. Then, I will give you my recommended flea treatment program. I hope these help you :-) Potty training: Start by keeping Trent on a regular feeding schedule, and taking away his food between meals. Take him out to potty first thing every morning, and once every 30 minutes to an hour. Always make sure he goes out after meals, first thing when he wakes up from a nap, last thing before bedtime at night, and right before you leave the house. Take him to the same spot each time to go potty. His scent there will encourage him to go. Stay with him outside each time he goes to potty, at least until he is fully house trained. When he goes outside, praise him and give him a treat. You might want to consider crate training as part of his house training. It allows you to keep an eye on him for signs that he has to go potty, and will teach him to hold it until you put him outdoors. The crate needs to be big enough for him to stand up, turn around, and lie down, but it should not be big enough for him to go potty in. Flea and tick treatment: First, I would give him Capstar. It's a one time pill that starts killing fleas within 30 minutes. Then follow up with a spot on treatment, such as Revolution which kills both fleas and ticks. This is a treatment that has to be used once a month. You will also have to disinfect the environment. Wash his bedding in hot soapy water, and vacuum the furniture and carpet surfaces. You can use a spray to kill fleas in the house, such as Indorex, or a flea bomb would work well to kill the fleas in the home.

Rocky is very handsome! It is possible he contracted a tick-borne disease when the tick was attached. I recommend taking him back to the vet to run some blood work and find out why he isn't feeling well. If they find the cause, they can start medications to help him feel better. Remind them about the tick when you see the vet. Good luck and kisses to Rocky!