On the 4th of July, my dog and I had an unfortunate experience with a tick. I had already been familiar with ticks because about a year ago I found one on my son – fortunately, it had not burrowed into his skin. After disposing of the tick, I did a lot of research and learned about how they operate and what to watch out for. Despite my previous experience, I was a bit shaken up when I discovered a tick that had burrowed into my dog Stewie.

Ticks possess a remarkable set of biological adaptations, making them highly successful and clever in their survival strategies. They have unique feeding apparatus called a hypostome, that allows them to anchor themselves securely to their host’s skin. Ticks can survive for extended periods of time without feeding. Once they latch onto a host, ticks can remain attached for days or even weeks, slowly engorging themselves while remaining unnoticed by the host’s immune system.

Furthermore, ticks possess a specialized sensory, located on the front legs, which allows them to detect the presence of hosts through sensing heat, humidity, and carbon dioxide levels. A tick’s saliva contains a numbing agent, so the host will not feel it bite. Worst of all, is their ability to transmit diseases that poses significant risks to human and animal health.  Tick-borne illnesses such as Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever can have severe consequences. So, ticks are not a joke.

On the 4th of July, I was at my parent’s house when my Dad asked me what was wrong with Stewie’s head. I looked at Stewie and I was shocked. At first, there appeared to be a growth protruding from his forehead. It looked like a small grey sack and it was gross. Initially, I was so confused. How could I have missed this?  I am with Stewie every day. I take him for walks, feed him, and play with him. I should have noticed the growth. Then I took a closer look, and I saw a bunch of tiny legs on the side of the sack. OH NO. I instantly knew what it was. It was an engorged tick. It looked so odd because it was engorged – see picture at the bottom. Based on the size of the tick, it must have been feeding for several days.

I knew the tick had to be terminated. But I wanted to be sure I did it right. I turned to Google. I read about all the things not to do. Don’t try to burn it. Don’t use tweezers. Some sites said there were special products to use for tick removal. It was unanimous, tick removal could do at home without medical intervention. The important thing was to remove the tick whole, in one piece – to ensure there is no transfer of any diseases carried by the tick.

Despite it not being an urgent matter, my Dad convinced me to go to the ER pet hospital. We got to the veterinary hospital and spoke with the receptionist. He informed me it was a 6 hour wait because removing a tick was not not considered an urgent matter. He recommended I try to buy a tick removal product – he “Tick Tornado”. His lack of concern made me feel better. He explained that in our area, it is not likely that ticks are carrying diseases. I thanked him and left. Mind you, it was now about 5 PM on 4th of July, so I wasn’t sure if I was going to find a tick removal tool.

I drove down to the Petco that was a mile away. It did not carry any tick removal product. I then called 2 others local pet stores. All of them were sold out of tick removal products. Apparently, the weather this year has contributed to an influx of ticks and everyone is buying tick removal products. Finally, I called and found a Tick Tornado at PetSmart about 20 minutes away. I picked up the tick tornado.

The instructions on the box were very simple – 3 steps. Grab/engage the tick between the tornado, twist continuously, and then lift. I watched a few videos online before doing anything. Here is one for your viewing pleasure.

The Tick Tornado was amazing. To my surprise, I pulle out two ticks, which I still don’t have an explanation for. Finally, I got my chance to terminate those ticks. Stewie had a large red bump on his head where the tick was attached. I treated Stewie with Neosporin and then later with Bactine.

The next day, I took Stewie to the SPCA for a checkup. I showed the Veterinarian some pictures of the ticks. The Veterinarian suspected the two ticks were attached to each other and the smaller one may have been a baby – she wasn’t sure though. She also confirmed everything I had read – primarily that Lyme Disease carrying ticks are predominantly found in the Northeast. There are some pockets of Lyme Disease carrying ticks in the Northern parts of California. – an area heavily populated with deers.

Hopefully, you don’t have to ever deal with a tick. But if you do, I hope this story provides some helpful advice.