Thanks guys, so I don't need to worry too much then, I will give it a wee wash with some diluted hibiscrub now, and maybe a wee swipe of of savlon cream in the morning to keep the skin soft so that head get get shuvved out hopefully!

I had tick removers before from the vet and the pet shop before but inever seemed to get on with them, they didnt look like the ones you guys are describing or the ones in that link though, so think I might have to invest in a set of those. Now do u all have the hook type, loop tye or teezer type?

Oh n if I do try the massage thing in future, rest assured I will be using cotton wool whilst wearing vinyl gloves!

Edit-sorry about all the typos

Bloomin things! Flea and I had our first ticks this weekend! (He never used 'to do' long grass! I'm used to them (exp with my job' but not the same when u see wriggling legs poking out your body! ...and they are actually quite sore tupse felt left out and had to have one too and the sensitive wee flower had a reaction to it.... Didums

Yeh they must get sore even when they aren't being pulled out cos loui was doing a lot of head shaking on his walk!

I actually noticed a horrible tick thing gripped right on to his head collar this morning a completely different type though and so I threw it away was a big grey horrible thing with its grippy bits burried in the fabric YUK!

i left the head of a tick on bryan, one of my cats a few weeks ago. i cleaned it every day with sterilising solution until it came out by itself. it left him with a nice little bald patch too i ough to invest in a tick removing device myself just incase opie picks anything up in fields. give louie a big cuddle from me.

poppy had never had any ticks in her life (she's 6 years old) until this year. she's had 1 taken off her nose & caught 2 crawling around on her, managed to catch them before they got themselves attached. i also found a big fat tick in my bed the other day! i don't know whether it had been on me or poppy because poppy does like to sleep in my bed. i would've thought i'd have noticed if it had been on me but i'd also have thought i'd have noticed it on poppy especially seen as it wasn't long after she'd had an operation so she was getting lots of attention

i've been giving poppy 'protect um tablets' for a few weeks now. she likes the taste of them so just eats them no problem so i don't even have to crumble them into her food. they have garlic in so i'm guessing thats whats meant to keep bugs away

my mum seems good at getting ticks off so i always ask her to do, she used vaseline on the one on poppys nose, left it a few minutes then pulled it straight off & the disgusting thing came right out

Riley has been treated with frontline but he is still managing to get ticks - I got one of those tick removers then put it straight into boiling water.

Hate the disgusting little creatures, we live fairly in the country so most our walks are in long grass. I felt a bit picked on when people were saying they hadn't had one in years!

i am amazed that my dogs don't get them more often because i live on the north yorkshire moors & we have sheep wandering around loose here right through the village

The tick hooks are great. If you don't have one, here's some advice from a vet nurse:
Using tweezers, grasp the head and turn it gently counter-clockwise. It should come out. (edit: I use reading specs-- they just magnify; might help you locate the head!)

Rubbing alcohol can make them release their grip: put some on cotton wool and hold it against the tick. Once when we couldn't find any rubbing alcohol I used gin on a friend's long haired cat who had a massive deer tick. It worked!

Ugh-- when I was a kid we used to get them all the time, and I'd just pull them off without thinking. I wonder how many tick heads I left in my own body?

I use a dab of surgical spirit - makes them withdraw - then firmly twist - don`t pull.
Simples!