Tick bite red - ever not Lyme?

[Riley0522]

Feeling like a terrible dog mom right now - today I pulled a very embedded tick out of my dog. Pretty sure it was dead as I saw no movement and when i tried to remove it the body snapped in half twice, I actually couldn’t get the head out. The tick was also not engorged. We are almost certain he picked it up at my in-laws on Thanksgiving, so it was there for > 48hrs. I noticed it because my dog has about a quarter-sized dark red, almost bruise looking area and the tick was right in the middle of it. The tick wasn’t that small and was visible from a distance.

We are pretty vigilant in checking our pups as one of them is very allergic to all flea/tick products so not an option and we usually give them a good once over. Dog in question does get Advantix II usually, however we hadn’t applied it in awhile (few months) bc I usually do the applying and am pregnant so have avoided it and it just got forgotten.

I’m not so much worried about the head being in there as I’m pretty sure his body will expel it and the tick is obviously dead, just worried my vet is going to want him on Doxy This guy has bad colitis and we are in a sweet spot regarding his digestive system right now. I can’t imagine his belly is going to like the Doxy one bit.

Has anyone ever seen a reaction like that from a tick bite that wasn’t Lyme? We are in MA so heavy Lyme area. There is no bullseye, however from what I’ve read bullseye reactions aren’t very common in dogs.

My hubs did put Advantix on him tonight and I am calling vet in AM, just wondering if anyone had a similar experience.

[kmwines]

They can be exposed to lyme and never show any clinical signs. I wouldn’t treat him unless you’re seeing any joint pain or swelling or other clinical signs. Not worth it to treat him at this point.

[Frog_Pond]

I’m in MA, too, in heavy tick territory. I have two dogs and three horses. Almost every tick bite I get, or the horses get, develops a red, sore, mildly itchy local reaction that takes about a week to subside. It’s not the Lyme ring, more like a mosquito bite. The dogs are on Nexguard - oral flea/tick - and they get a smaller, less intense reaction. I agree with kmwines - in the absence of symptoms, don’t treat. Especially with the likelihood it’ll upset his GI. Good luck.

[Belmont]

Though it doesn’t completely protect your pet from the disease, is he vaccinated for Lyme? You can also get an antibody test done, if you want to just check him. Many pets carry antibodies but never show symptoms. If you REALLY don’t want to mess with the vet, just watch for a fever or lethargy and other clinic signs.

[S1969]

It’s probably just a reaction from the bite itself, not any indication of Lyme or other tickborne disease.

Don’t beat yourself up; if you live in tick country like I do, it’s never a question of if you’ll find a tick on your dog, but when. Even the best products can wear off, and sometimes unevenly. And sometimes ticks get to the places where there is little subcutaneous fat through which the preventative can travel around the body - e.g. lips, gums, eyelids.

I would not treat your dog unless you see symptoms. But I might put some antibacterial and/or anti-itch ointment on the bite itself; I would imagine it’s itchy and sore.

I should also mention - my vets will treat for Lyme exposure the first time your dog has a positive antibody (4-way snap followed by quantitative blood test.) After that they will treat symptoms, not test results…meaning they will sometimes treat for Lyme or tickborne disease even if the tests show a negative, and sometimes they will wait and see if the tests show a slight positive if there are no symptoms.

[RobinL]

One of my guys just came back as being exposed to Erlichia from his yearly SNAPP for HW, etc. I pulled a small tick off of him about 2 months ago and no symptoms. We’re doing bloodwork to see what his titers come back like, but I don’t want to treat without symptoms… Of course the other day I pulled one off my other dog She’s due for her SNAPP in Jan so we’ll see what she shows.

[Riley0522]

Thank you everyone for the replies and putting my mind at ease! The bite looked much better day 2, barely even red and just a bit swollen. Just keeping an eye on it to make sure it doesn’t get worse and will monitor him for symptoms.