# TICK BITE



## MiniBarnFarm (Jul 14, 2017)

I've had sheep for a year, 4 Katahdin's (3 ewes, 1 wether), and today is the first time I noticed a tick on one of my ewe's right under her jaw. She let me take the tick off, it appears to have been a "dog" tick, but now it's been a couple hours and she still has a marble size lump. I squeezed it, blood came out and also some hair too from around the site ... is there anything I should do or be worried about???


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## AimeeDx (Jul 14, 2017)

Hello, I'm not sure what a dog tick is, we call our ticks here Paralysis ticks and cattle ticks. By the sounds of it, it might be a paralysis?  Was the head triangle shaped? Paralysis ticks do give out a bit of a nasty reaction, we always pull them off the cows and our horse, but leave them alone after that and the swelling goes down, and the bite itself scabs over. So I don't think you have to worry about that, but I'm not sure how sheep react.


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## MiniBarnFarm (Jul 14, 2017)

AimeeDx said:


> Hello, I'm not sure what a dog tick is, we call our ticks here Paralysis ticks and cattle ticks. By the sounds of it, it might be a paralysis?  Was the head triangle shaped? Paralysis ticks do give out a bit of a nasty reaction, we always pull them off the cows and our horse, but leave them alone after that and the swelling goes down, and the bite itself scabs over. So I don't think you have to worry about that, but I'm not sure how sheep react.


Here we have so many different types of ticks, dog ticks, deer ticks, so on so on... I just googled it and it says it's a Dermacentor marginatus aka Ornate sheep tick. I'll keep an eye on it. It wasn't swollen with blood but it was latched on and on the swollen lump it's red and the hair is missing probably from her trying to dig at it (not to mention the tick took off a clump when I pulled it off).


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## Alaskan (Jul 14, 2017)

Don't forget too that those bites ITCH like blazes.  She might loose more hair just by rubbing.

I would just keep an eye on it, make sure that any rubbing doesn't result in infection.


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## MiniBarnFarm (Jul 14, 2017)

Alaskan said:


> Don't forget too that those bites ITCH like blazes.  She might loose more hair just by rubbing.
> 
> I would just keep an eye on it, make sure that any rubbing doesn't result in infection.



I was going to spray it with alushield but she's one of the more flightly ewe's, if she see's you with something that isn't just your bare hands or food she's nervous. But she stood perfectly still when I used the tick remover on her so I think she knew I was trying to help, except now that it's out she's afraid of the alushield's noise it makes when it sprays


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## Alaskan (Jul 14, 2017)

Yes!  I had trouble with that with my horses
..training them to not freak out at the hiss.

I gave up, and would spray a cloth, approach the horse,  then apply with the cloth.


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## MiniBarnFarm (Jul 14, 2017)

Alaskan said:


> Yes!  I had trouble with that with my horses
> ..training them to not freak out at the hiss.
> 
> I gave up, and would spray a cloth, approach the horse,  then apply with the cloth.


That's a good idea! Maybe I'll try it tomorrow. 

Training sheep is a little harder especially if they aren't bottle babies. It took me four months of owning her and going out to the pasture 2+ hours a day just to get this ewe to stand there and let me pat her. They're pets (my hoofed puppies lol) so I put the effort into making them as friendly as possible. My propic is actually one of my sweetest ewe's


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## Alaskan (Jul 14, 2017)

That is some great persistence on your part.

I had one skittish goat, putting a bell on her helped her calm down.  Not sure why...and not sure if that would work with sheep.   However,  that bell sure is useful to keep track of my trouble makers, ahem,  goats. 

They have super inexpensive bells in the feed store here.


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## MiniBarnFarm (Jul 15, 2017)

Alaskan said:


> That is some great persistence on your part.
> 
> I had one skittish goat, putting a bell on her helped her calm down.  Not sure why...and not sure if that would work with sheep.   However,  that bell sure is useful to keep track of my trouble makers, ahem,  goats.
> 
> They have super inexpensive bells in the feed store here.



2 of my sheep have metal dog tags on them and that acts as a jingle against their collar. They don't really mind it, and like you said, helps keep track of them hahaha

This morning she still has a little lump, it's not leaking blood like last night it's a scab now.


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## Alaskan (Jul 15, 2017)

Improvement is always good.


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