Welcome to Minnesota. If you're not from here, then you should know that this is the buggiest, creepiest, crawliest place that I have ever lived. Yes, it's gross to find a tick attached firmly to your best friend. Grit your teeth, grab the tick up against the skin and pull it out. You can crush the tick with a rock or put it down the toilet, choose your method of destruction.
Now what? Shouldn't you be doing something to prevent infection?
Hopefully by now you are already feeding your dog a raw food diet and giving supplements at least occasionally, such as probiotics, essential fatty acids, and enzymes. That is your basic foundation for health.
Ticks can leave a nasty bite. The bite of the tick alone can be toxic, even without the added bounty of tick-borne diseases. Sometimes a large welt develops with an open wound on the top where the tick was attached. There is even a condition called "tick paralysis," which is solved by removing the tick.
A tick bite is not an reason to reach for an antibiotic. If you feel that you need to treat the wound, you can use a solution of half water, half vinegar, and soak it onto the spot with a cotton ball. Blot gently to dry, and repeat 2-3 times a day for two or three days, and it will heal.
But what if the tick was attached for a while? What if my dog has already contracted a disease from this tick?
There is no way to test a tick to see what diseases it might be carrying, or to determine what it might have transmitted to your dog.
Want a quick boost for the immune system? Give echinacea for a week, or spirulina, or bee pollen. Any of these provide a wealth of antioxidants and minerals to support the immune system in doing what it needs to do to protect the interior of the body. There is no specific dose for these supplements, so use about 1/8 teaspoon for little dogs, 1/4 teaspoon for medium sized dogs (up to about 60 lbs., say), and 1/2 teaspoon for large dogs.
You can also give a dose of homeopathic Ledum, in 30C or 200C potency, to counteract adverse effects from the tick bite.
If symptoms do develop, schedule a visit with your local holistic vet to find the right treatment protocol and homeopathic remedy for your dog. Liver and immune system support are necessary, as well as finding the right remedy that matches your dog's symptoms.
Here is a recent case that I treated: A young dog presented with a mild fever and shifting leg lameness. This means that the dog was mildly lame in one hind leg for a couple of days, and then it seemed to be the other hind leg that was lame. His temperature was 103.2. Normal dog temp is 100.5-102.5.
He was still eating and drinking, but was quieter than normal and preferring to stay in bed, rather than play with the other dogs. Out in the yard he stood in one spot, instead of running around.
Bryonia is the homeopathic remedy for symptoms that are so painful, you would rather not move at all. Because the dog was already raw fed and on health-supporting supplements, a 200C potency was chosen and given three times a day for the next three days. By then he was back to normal and the remedy was stopped.
If he had not been on a raw food diet, a raw diet with supplements would have been started immediately and the remedy given in the 30C potency.
it's important to understand that Bryonia is not a remedy for Lyme disease, or any other tick borne disease. In other cases I have used Natrum muriaticum, Rhus toxicodendron, and other remedies, depending on which one fits the symptom picture the closest.
Now what? Shouldn't you be doing something to prevent infection?
Hopefully by now you are already feeding your dog a raw food diet and giving supplements at least occasionally, such as probiotics, essential fatty acids, and enzymes. That is your basic foundation for health.
Ticks can leave a nasty bite. The bite of the tick alone can be toxic, even without the added bounty of tick-borne diseases. Sometimes a large welt develops with an open wound on the top where the tick was attached. There is even a condition called "tick paralysis," which is solved by removing the tick.
A tick bite is not an reason to reach for an antibiotic. If you feel that you need to treat the wound, you can use a solution of half water, half vinegar, and soak it onto the spot with a cotton ball. Blot gently to dry, and repeat 2-3 times a day for two or three days, and it will heal.
But what if the tick was attached for a while? What if my dog has already contracted a disease from this tick?
There is no way to test a tick to see what diseases it might be carrying, or to determine what it might have transmitted to your dog.
Want a quick boost for the immune system? Give echinacea for a week, or spirulina, or bee pollen. Any of these provide a wealth of antioxidants and minerals to support the immune system in doing what it needs to do to protect the interior of the body. There is no specific dose for these supplements, so use about 1/8 teaspoon for little dogs, 1/4 teaspoon for medium sized dogs (up to about 60 lbs., say), and 1/2 teaspoon for large dogs.
You can also give a dose of homeopathic Ledum, in 30C or 200C potency, to counteract adverse effects from the tick bite.
If symptoms do develop, schedule a visit with your local holistic vet to find the right treatment protocol and homeopathic remedy for your dog. Liver and immune system support are necessary, as well as finding the right remedy that matches your dog's symptoms.
Here is a recent case that I treated: A young dog presented with a mild fever and shifting leg lameness. This means that the dog was mildly lame in one hind leg for a couple of days, and then it seemed to be the other hind leg that was lame. His temperature was 103.2. Normal dog temp is 100.5-102.5.
He was still eating and drinking, but was quieter than normal and preferring to stay in bed, rather than play with the other dogs. Out in the yard he stood in one spot, instead of running around.
Bryonia is the homeopathic remedy for symptoms that are so painful, you would rather not move at all. Because the dog was already raw fed and on health-supporting supplements, a 200C potency was chosen and given three times a day for the next three days. By then he was back to normal and the remedy was stopped.
If he had not been on a raw food diet, a raw diet with supplements would have been started immediately and the remedy given in the 30C potency.
it's important to understand that Bryonia is not a remedy for Lyme disease, or any other tick borne disease. In other cases I have used Natrum muriaticum, Rhus toxicodendron, and other remedies, depending on which one fits the symptom picture the closest.
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