Bella had a tick.
She's never had one before, so naturally, it freaked me the eff out. I was petting her, felt a weird bump, moved her hair, and freaked out. Keep in mind my version of "freaking out" is minimal. I am a fairly calm person, and so I got up, took Bella by the collar and dragged her into the kitchen where I could see better. My mom kept asking what was wrong and I couldn't even answer her (hence - me freaking out).
I then put gloves on, Googled "how to remove tick from dog" and began the traumatizing experience. (Traumatizing for me, not Bella). I read that I need to use tweezers and apply rubbing alcohol to smoother the tick. I tried to remove the tick with tweezers, but that wasn't working. So, when there is no rubbing alcohol to be found, Clean and Clear astringent would have to suffice. I applied some to the tick and it seems to have done the trick. I was getting discouraged, so my mom took over with the tweezer removal part, and after the astringent was applied, she was able to remove the whole thing. Phew.
We flushed the tick, I applied more Clean and Clear to the spot (at least Bella won't have acne)! Bella wasn't phased by this for a minute. She just stood still through the whole process, what a good dog :)
I immediately searched for any more ticks on her, luckily I didn't find any. I ran to the store and bought tick/flea shampoo and topical treatment. Came home, gave her a bath, and as soon as she is completely dry I'll apply the topical treatment.
I felt so bad, this is something that definitely can be prevented. Bella loves to go in the woods though, so I am hoping the topical prevention treatment and weekly tick baths will do the trick from now on!
Anyway, this is a gross blog, but I have to believe I am not the first dog owner who has had to remove a tick ;). I wanted to make sure to share the astringent tip...it really seemed to loosen the tick's grip on the skin and allowed it to be removed easier! So, remember that!
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