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PET HEALTH

Andrea Looney, D.V.M., provides some quick solutions to your farmyard animal problems.

Dear Andrea:

My four-year-old golden retriever had a small bump on his head where a tick once was. How do I know the tick isn't
still in there?

— Brenda Franklin
Cairo, NY

Dear Brenda:

Quite frankly, you don't! A tick will penetrate the skin with its head and mouth, leaving the remainder of its body outside the epidermis to expand as it fills with blood. When done with the meal, the tick backs out of the skin, leaving behind a sore or area of inflammation that it produced as it invaded the tissue. This sore can be as large as the tick itself. It eventually will heal as the body "fills in" the area of penetration with new cells (fibrosis).

Problems occur when folks attempt to remove the pests from the animal and do so incompletely. The head can break off as people attempt to pull the tick out and is often left in the animal's skin. The skin reacts to the remainder of the tick (head) like it would to a foreign substance and attempts to "wall it off" or surround it with stronger more rugged tissue (granulation or proud flesh).

Most of the time, the animal's body will break down or expel the remaining parasite; warm-water compresses will help this to occur and assist with healing of the wound. Sometimes, however, it is necessary for a veterinarian to surgically remove the nodule.

It is very unlikely that the entire tick would burrow under the skin and remain there since it too needs oxygen to survive. I suspect that the small bump you see on your pup's head is most likely simple scar tissue secondary to the tick bite.

Dear Andrea:

My poodle-mix puppy is constantly tilting his head and holding one ear funny. What can we do to treat ear mites?

— Kaye McIver
Red Bluff, CA

Dear Kaye:

First off, it is a rarity for dogs to have "ear mites." The mite, Otodectes , is a common parasite of the external ear canal of cats and ferrets but rarely affects dogs. However, dogs do succumb to a variety of bacterial and yeast ear infections quite readily. Poodles, cocker spaniels, and golden retrievers seem to be prone to these because of their ear anatomy and internal hair.

Moistness and humidity play a great role in ear infections. The key to success in treating these infections is keeping the ear dry. Do not use alcohol or pour anything down the ear canal. Simply try using soft tissue or gauze, wiping down as far as you can. Do not use cotton, as it will stick to the inflamed tissue, and don't use swabs, as they will tend to push the infection farther in. Air alone is a great drying agent, so you might try to tape the ear flaps up on top of the head for a few days. A 50/50 mixture of vinegar and warm water is useful for gently cleaning after you've dried and removed most of the debris. It will help eliminate some of the fungus. An antibiotic may be necessary from your veterinarian to treat the bacteria.