Parker got ticked!
It’s been one crazy month. Between the cross-continental trip, car accidents, surgery and multiple traffic tickets we thought we had seen our fill of drama for the month. But there was still one day left in the month of January.
This morning as we lay in bed, I was petting Parker in my semi-awake state between sleep and consciousness when I felt something on her chest. At first, it seemed like a big mole or a wart that I hadn’t noticed before, so I quickly said “Christen, feel this.” directing her to the feature in question on Parker’s skin.
Christen felt the thing and immediately recoiled in disgust. As we carefully and hesitantly spread her fur away from this spot we both saw it – it was no mole. It was definitely a tick, but it felt like skin! It had become so engorged with Parker’s blood that it was now a soft, swollen lump on Parker’s otherwise healthy chest.
She must have gotten the tick last weekend when we went for a hike with Parker in the mountains at the nearby Stevens Canyon trails.
We both shot out of bed, quickly got dressed and headed over to our nearby vet where we were quickly ushered into an examination room to have Parker looked at. Parker hadn’t shown any noticeable change in behaviour lately and was amused at the commotion and attention that was being directed to her as we took her to have this “thing” removed.
The vet and a veterinary technician took Parker into the back room where they removed the tick and killed it with a hot needle and then brought the tick back in a vial for show and tell.
We asked to keep it for a photo op and found out from the vet that, left untreated, these ticks can grow as large as a golf ball as they continue to suck blood with their head buried beneath the dog’s skin. After buying antibiotics and “Advantix” flea and tick prevention medicine (a clever play on words itself) for Parker, we were out $170, but at least we got some good pictures out of it.
Check out the photos from after having it removed
(we were too in a tizzy to take pictures when we found it)
Categorized as Life
One of the nastiest things I’ve seen.
It looked like a claw growing out of her neck. It felt like a rolly mole. So sick. Bleh.
In the midst of cleaning everything we own.
awwwww poor thing. and wow that tick looks soooooo nasty. pooor pawka
Parkers all “whatever” in the photos as we’re all cringing. :oP