Because of all the rain recently, we have had quite a few leeches around. I normally spray the dogs legs when we come back in from a walk on the rainforest track with aerogard and they all drop off. The leech bites don't seem to bother the dogs like they do me.

After our walk this morning we went through the same routine and I went about normal getting ready for work stuff and I noticed Poppy scratching at her eye. She had a dirty great leech in her eye. She was very good and let me poke around, but it was stuck fast. Not wanting to damage eye, I washed with really salty water (leeches don't like salt) and yippie just climbed out.

So have dosed her eye with eye wash and drops, so hopefully no infection sets in.

What a really sneeky place for it to get....

God if there's one thing I really can't stand, that sets my teath on edge it's leeches, just writing the name makes my skin crawl.
Must be all those times we got covered in them in the dams we swam in when we were kids, I won't even put my foot in dams now.

Poor poppy I hope she is alright, what a good dog to just stand there and trust you to fix it for her, good old Koolies

Great first aid treatment Jackie H. I have seen photos of a guy with a leech in his eye but never a dog. Poppy must be an amazing dog to let you do all that to her.

Just so typical. If the eye gives any trouble there is an ointment available from the vets called Orbenin Eye Ointment which we have found marvelous for dogs, horses and cattle. It includes an anesthetic which the animals soon realise is soothing (our old stallion used to stand with his head on his side waiting for it to drop in). Usually only a couple of treatments once a day are enough to clear up any infections.

Ok will keep a watch on it I was worried about an ulcer forming on the bite so if it does not improve off to the vet we will go. I washed it well with salty water, so hopefully all will be well.

Just as well it was Poppy, she just lays back on my lap and lets me fix her. We have to do a lot of all over searches for ticks so they get used to be poking about with them.

Pixie, now that is another matter, she makes that much noise when I wipe the muck from her eyes, I hate to think what would have happened if it was her!!! She is such a drama queen... and the noise that she makes you would think I was poking her in the eye with a stick... afterwards its "oh is that all you wanted, many thanks" and off she goes.

But TJ I must admit leeches are one thing that I cannot stand and seeing it in her eye was like watching a horror movie!!! Just goes to show what you will do for the fur kids, I just got the salty water and the tweezers and fixed the problem, afterwards well, I felt a bit queezy in the stomach I must admit.

I don't have a problem with leeches around here, thankfully but at least I will know what to do if they do decide to breed here. The problem here is ticks and spear grass. So my girls are used to being poked and prodded (secretly I think they love it, it is a bit like a massage).

I hope Poppy will be fine.

yes you can keep the leeches thank you. i am now with the rest of you doing the daily check for ticks

When I got home from work Poppy was back to usual running around like a loon, I caught her and gave her a cuddle to have a looky see in her eye, all ok and healing nicely, no swelling or ulcer as yet.

I have found that for ticks Kiltik tick collars are the best long term protection, changed monthly. I just have to be careful as we have such a high rainfall and the dogs are continually wet running around in the grass and rain that they wash off the tick collar powder. I also have to take them off when they go swimming and then it taks 12 to 24 hours to be back full strength.

That's great news about Poppy's eye. Lucky you found it when you did. Ticks haven't been a problem here in Singleton but with all this rainfall a few farming properties have found paralysis ticks on their dogs. What is the best method you have found to remove a tick?

You are supposed to kill it first with insectiside or teatree oil or similar and then pull out, it reduces the amount of poison that is pumped in. I tend to be impatient and just pull them out making sure that you get the head as well. My dogs rarely get them, but they always wear their collars so they don't tend to pick them up.

i remember then i was a teenager dad got a mare from Stockton and she had hundreds of ticks on her she was not broken in or handled at all by the time that we had finished De-ticking her she was as quiet as a lamb it took us two days to get all the ticks of her and i remember using metho it made the ticks back out then we just used tweezers to pick them of and put them into jars of metho and straight into the bin all gone. i have been lucky so far there has been no ticks on the dogs and we have lots of long wet grass and as this is a cattle proberty there are ticks here i am hoping that it's the wintergreen oil that is keeping them of the dogs and not just luck