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We want to leave our maltese with a South Florida friend whose dog has ticks he probaby picked up from nearby pines. If a maltese picks up a tick will it make him/her ill and what is the best way to remove the bug? Do they pass from dog to dog or only from tree to dog? -Tari

• Ticks can be picked up just about anywhere,though they do seem to prefer long grass and wooded areas.They do not jump like fleas do they crawl and drop off from the bushes ect...Vibration is what alerts them to the presence of a host. As a groomer we do not suffocate them with things as this would take too long and be messy. Once they are imbedded you make take tweezers or hemostats,grasp them as close to entry as possible and apply staedy pressure(do NOT yank)and pull staright back from the angle of entry.DO NOT pull up as this will leave the head in and it is better to remove the entire tick.Contrary to popular belief it is best NOT to smoosh them once they are removed but to place them in a sealed jar containing alcohol,blade wash or even rosene until they are dead and then dispose of them.If you squeezes them until they pop you may be spreading tick eggs which will hatch out and become a further problem for you. I have removed thousands of ticks this way and it does tend to pull off a shallow section of skin along with the tick but other than being slightly uncomfortable due to pulling I have never had a dog act as though it caused them pain.2 years ago after spending the weekend on an island my daughter came home with one imbedded in her neck which I removed in this manner.She says it just felt odd but did not cause any pain so I guess it doesn't hurt. I always swab the area with alcohol after removal as well. dungeon@ime.net Keltia

• I hope your ticks are not as awful as our ticks in Africa. Although we spray/dip our dogs, sometimes one will survive and if it is an infected tick can cause Bilary, a full grown dog can be dead in three days with Bilary. The signs are paleness of gums and inner eyelid and loss of appetitie. There is also a particularly nasty tick called the Bonte Tick which causes the flesh to die around the bite area and this can cause a horrible gaping wound. YUK! The worst times for ticks are Autumn/Winter when the grass is long and dry, and even after a veld (felt) fire some ticks will survive. -Shelia

• To answer some of your questions ticks are usually picked up from long dry grass or trees. If you catch them early enough they won't get under you pup's skin which is a major bonus! If your dog gets a tick they best way to get it out is to suffocate it. you do this by putting petrolium jelly all over the tick(goop it on thick!) Then the tick should let go. If not , you could try nailpolish or iodine(iodine being painful to the dog). Our Lahsa Apso has had two in her life and we have had no problems with disease although it is recommended to check it out (just in case). Ticks are also very hard to kill once they come out of your dog so be prepared to struggle with killing it. They aren't too fast or anything just VERY hard shell to crush. You also need to be careful that the tick doesn't get on you as they have a tendancy latch onto humans too. I hope this helps you. -Jenn

• Ticks can also cause "tick paralysis". The dog has difficulty walking or even standing up and has such a puzzled look on its face. If this happens you can usually find a tick around the dog's head or neck. Removal of the tick and a few hours time is often all that is needed before the dog is back to normal. Although sometimes a trip to vet and IV fluids are indicated. Use Frontline spray on the dog and treat the yard with diazanon and hopefully you won't have to go through the problems associated with ticks. My husband just recently had to undergo blood tests for a tick bite that manifested itself like Lyme disease. Thank God it wasn't Lyme and he's fine now. Good luck keeping the nasty buggers out of your life.

• My Maltese, Lucy,picked up a tick (I think on Thanksgiving while she was running off her leash in a nearby protected open space..a real treat except for the tick!) I didn't find the tick until a day later when it was fully engorged and hanging just above her left eye. I used petroleum jelly to loosen the ugly thing, then pulled it out with tweezers. Put some antibiotic cream on it as a short-term measure. I took her to see the vet the following day just to be sure she was ok because there was a big hole where I'd removed the tick. The vet said putting the antibiotic cream on it was a good solution, and told me to swab the area with peroxide a couple of times a day for a week to kill any remaining bacteria. She seems fine now, and the hole is healed up. One thing I found out, which I didn't know. I thought ticks were spring/summer problems. However, they can stay alive through the winter months, even after a frost. So, if your dog goes through tick-infested areas, you probably should check it afterwards, no matter what time of year. cathy.brown@eh.doe.gov