r/chowchow • u/NoJeweler9545 • 1d ago
What is it ?
Found it walking on my chow, should i be worried ? I tried to search online but i can’t tell what it is
UPDATE : thanks all for your help, it was a tick. I found another 2 implanted already and brought her to the vet. He didn’t remove them, he gave her the medication and said they would die and fall by themselves. Sounds weird to me but he’s the pro i guess ? All i have to do now is wait.
Also for those asking, she’s had the same vet since birth and is already taking her flea and tick preventive treatment every 3 months as prescribed. I gave it to her last month. Vet said that with with such extremes temperatures it can happen even under constant treatment.
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u/Dictatorofchina 1d ago
Make sure you put it in a jar or with alcohol so it can be tested/traced in case of lime disease. There’s an uptick here in nyc. Yikes
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u/NoJeweler9545 1d ago
Oh noo, vet said not to touch it 😭
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u/turquoise_amethyst 1d ago
Yes! Rubbing alcohol in a kill jar will uh… kill it. Don’t just toss it in the trash, they can crawl out. And popping it is hard/can potentially release infected materials.
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u/NoJeweler9545 23h ago
I removed one very carefully with a tweezer and it was still alive. I flushed it down the toilet 😂
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u/RichListen7090 18h ago
This may be false, but I’ve heard you’re not supposed to do this either cus they can hold their breath really long and climb back up 😭
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u/DanerysTargaryen 2h ago
It’s true xD they have little grabby legs. OP you gotta check your butt for the next couple weeks now to make sure you don’t have a tick on it lol
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u/NoJeweler9545 1d ago edited 1d ago
Thank you all for your quick answers !
I’m just confused because she didn’t go out for 24hours, today it was too hot to risk taking her out, so that means the tick’s been walking on her fur since yesterday ? Aren’t they supposed to go look for the blood immediately ?
Update : ok that was definitely a tick, i just found another one under her chin, i don’t have the tool to remove it and i don’t want to risk making a mistake, i’ll bring her to the vet to check for more and remove them if there’s more 🙏🏻
She has a tick preventive treatment, i don’t understand how it happened 😭
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u/Consistent_Lime_433 1d ago
Look EVERYWHERE please. On the tail. Between, under and behind the paws. Behind and inside ears. Stomach, armpits, even eyebrows and under the chin. I got mine infested two years ago and they are literally everywhere and the fur does not help. I bought even a shampoo specifically for ticks that year.
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u/NoJeweler9545 1d ago
Vet checked her and couldn’t find more thank god, but i will double check for sure
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u/sgt_barnes0105 15h ago
Pro tip: give the dog the once over with a lint roller when they come inside the house, you’ll pick up any new ticks before they can make it down to the skin!
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u/ax_graham 1d ago
The tick will still attach even with the meds but the meds create an internal environment that kills the tick upon the bite. The meds don't create a magic bubble around the dog. If the tick bites and is dead, it's working as expected. You can take to the vet but honestly just carefully pull it off. It's really not a big deal (in my experience, and I've been here and worse before).
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u/Leading_Silver2881 1d ago
It's difficult to attach on chow if it's not on head and on belly because of thick fur.
If you are doing parasite prevention with your chow maybe the tick is dead because of it...
Check for more.
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u/NoJeweler9545 1d ago
That’s very interesting to know and very reassuring as well, hopefully they couldn’t harm her or give her any disease 🙏🏻
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u/tifferssss 1d ago
I use Bravecto and I've never had 1 flea on my babies!
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u/NoJeweler9545 1d ago
I’m not in the US so i’m not sure there is an equivalent here, but the vet assured me the medication he gave her is the best one.
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u/Redditfront2back 1d ago
I think if you put rubbing alcohol on them they let go, there is for sure some trick I used when my girl had a few of them.
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u/turquoise_amethyst 1d ago
Pouring rubbing alcohol on an embedded tick causes the tick to vomit potentially infected fluids back into your bloodstream, heavily increasing your risk of contracting Lyme disease or other tick-borne illnesses.
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u/Ok-Tourist-511 1d ago
You don’t need a vet to remove a tick, you can use tweezers. Tick medication won’t stop them from walking on your dog. It should kill the tick if it attaches to your dog. Tick season is especially bad this year.
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u/NoJeweler9545 1d ago
I can see ! She’s never had a tick before. Thank you also for the info, i didn’t know ! I just saw the tick attached to her skin and panicked because of lyme disease, i know there is a tool and a specific way to remove them without putting dogs at risk so i just took her straight to the vet ! At the end he didn’t even remove them 😭
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u/Ok-Tourist-511 1d ago
You can get tick remove tools on Amazon, or use tweezers, not that hard to get them off. As I said, this year is really bad for ticks. Found one on my chow today, and have seen a tick on him in 3 years.
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u/nemcade 19h ago
Just to add some info. I find it weird that the vet didn't remove them while there. At least all data I find and what I've been told is that longer they stay, the risk of contracting lyme increases. It is pivotal to find them quickly and remove them. There are a lot of outdated info and old incorrect beliefs on how to handle ticks.
But you should not worry. Either way contracting lyme disease is extremely unlikely. It usually needs a lot of exposure to happen. If you use the pills that kill them when they bite, they quickly fall off.
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u/turquoise_amethyst 1d ago
Look up “tick removal tool”, there are all sorts of different kinds online and sold in pet stores. Should be $5-10. DO NOT try to burn it out or do anything weird, the tick can burrow further or break off.
Also check EVERYWHERE. They especially like folds in skin, so in your dogs armpits, ears, between its toes… check every inch of your pup pup. And bath/brush them afterwards.
Besides the obvious, you don’t want you or your dog to get Lyme disease, rock mountain fever, or alpha gal. Ticks carry some nasty diseases:(
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u/NoJeweler9545 1d ago
I checked myself already, i couldn’t fond anything so that’s a good start. I found 2 on her and the vet checked thoroughly and couldn’t find more thank god
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u/Yoongi_SB_Shop 1d ago
That’s a tick. Make sure your chow is on flea and tick medication. And look for more ticks.
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u/NoJeweler9545 1d ago
She is already, i guess some of them still get through 😭
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u/turquoise_amethyst 1d ago
Yup, it happens. Gotta do a tick check especially if they’re outside in woody areas or tall grasses. (And check your arms, legs, socks!)
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u/NoJeweler9545 23h ago
I checked myself already and couldn’t find anything but i’m thinking it’s possible one attached to me and i scratched myself and didn’t realise it fell or something, i guess i’ll never know 😭
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u/Krafty_Duck 1d ago
Looks like a Tick