Ticks on horses

[joingall]

My 4 week old foal had a tick on his sheath skin this morning which my friend tried to get off and I think has left the head in there. Really worried but not sure what to do. should I call a vet can you squeeze it out? Anybody any suggestons please. Never had any tick experience before.

 

[Box_Of_Frogs]

It's too late if the head has already been left behind. Keep an eye on it and you might be able to gently tease the head out in a few days yourself, though on a 4wk old foal, might be fun! If it looks like an infection is setting in, you might need the vet out. In future, there are various ways to get ticks to let go. A safe one is to put a massive thick dollop of vaseline over the tick and surrounding area. After a day or so, it will suffocate and drop off. With ticks on dogs, there used to be a remedy where you held a lighted cigarette to the ticks bum end and it would let go pretty pronto. Again, not sure how wise that would be with ANY horse, let alone a 4-week old foal. I think alcohol works too but you will have to be careful if it's on baby's sheath as many favourite remedies are liable to sting and make baby wary of you. Forum peeps will know millions of ways - good luck x

 

[Peacelily]

If you got to a small animal practice (as dogs suffer mostly from them) then they've got these really cool plastic hook like things that you slip over the tick and it grasps the body and pulls it out by the head with it all in tact. I've never had them on a horse but had to pull nearly 40 off my dog from a trip in Scotland - and it got everyone out really successfully - hopefully it'l work on horses too,
don't be tempted by tweezers as you can crush the part you're gripping and rip the body away from the head thus leaving it stuck in. Cigarette ends just makes them pop...still leaves the head in so not that much use

good luck x