Ticks

On Saturday night I discovered a deer tick on Bella's right side. A bonus to having a white dog with very thin hair is finding these things so easily. Indeed I was several feet away when I recognized it. It didn't seem to have it's mouth parts buried too deeply into her so I attempted to pull it out with my fingertips. This caused her to squeal a bit, but she is a bit of a wuss anyway. I finally resorted to using tweezers and the little bugger came out with ease though not before my little lady squealed a few more times. I was able to get the entire thing out including mouth parts. Ticks are a normal part of life here and indeed occur year round. Deer ticks are common even in winter.
It did not appear to even have skin in the mouth parts as some will do once they're embedded in the tissue, but there was already some redness around the site.

After the fuss of removing the tick was over Bella made her way to the bedroom to curl up on the bed in the corner. I tucked her in and left her to herself.

Logan has issues with his skin and over the years we narrowed it down to his diet. If I attempt to alter or change his food even slightly, he breaks out in little pustules that get dry and scabby. His hair falls out too in severe reactions. He has been vary stable and had no issues eating Fromm Whitefish & Potato which we used to sell where I work. We're no longer selling food, so I attempted to switch to another brand of fish and potato. Not only did he have a skin reaction, but it also produced some of the most hideous gas ever. EVER!

Logan couldn't stand to be around himself it was so bad. The poor guy has issues with gas anyway, but this was awful. One night he sounded like he was blowing a tiny little trumpet. That was the end of that food. I was able to order his Fromm through our local feed and grain store and get them back on it.

I called my friend and veterinarian on Sunday to ask him about Bella's situation and to tell him that it appeared there may be a small ring or halo around the bite site, which is one of the early signs of Lyme's Disease. We agreed that a short course of Doxycycline would probably be prudent and I could pick some up on Monday. I stopped in today for that and also made an appointment for Logan later this week. He has a few issues I want to have checked sooner rather than later. He is already scheduled for surgery in late December to have numerous lumps, bumps and skin tags removed.