what is worse than finding a Tick on your cocker?

[Helen]

oh my god helen i had exactly the same thing this morning thing!! i woke up to see what i thought (for some strange reason?) was a ball bearing of some kind?? so i picked it up had a roll about between my fingers then realised what it was! eeewwww it was huge and still alive! hence ive been up since 6 this morning as i couldnt get back to sleep!!!

yup that's EXACTLY what I thought when I found the monster - hope you're over the shock - I felt sick for hours.

Not wanting to put a dampner on things, but when I hear 'ticks', I think Lyme's disease immediately. OH was bitten in Sweden a couple of years ago and is still fighting off the symptoms and a friend's little boy was paralysed down the side of his face from the same thing ( temporarily I might add). Both those happened in europe but hunting the web for info on hubby, I found loads of lyme's stories in scotland and the north of England.
So keep an eye out for big marks where the bites were, and look out for flu symptoms two months later.

Thanks but I wasn't bitten, it clearly fell off the dog and I have learnt a bit about Lymes disease as my next door neighbour worked for Porton Down and was doing research into it  

[joanne_v]

I got advantix from vet the other day but it says its less effective if dogs get wet.... so pretty much totally useless seeing as they go in water on every walk.... wont bother i dont think as it'll cost a fprtune treating 2 every 3 weeks over summer. Bought an o-tom and am now very well practiced at using it (13 ticks later). Arwen hasnt had any ticks though...must be the rough coat?

Going by this thread I am not wearing anything but full legth jeans in the daycare field for the whole summer. I do not want any disease thank you very much! The grass is a foot high in some areas so clearly tick heaven 

Also hating the evil biting midges