Saturday, December 14, 2013

Ticks


That is a good question, Olga - how did the vet know it was the larva of a paralysis tick?
I can only trust to her honesty.  Under the microscope the creature was VERY clear, so I assume this made it easy to identify.  As you can see by this (enlarged) ruler comparison, the larval stage is very small to the naked eye.  All the little dots on Muffy appeared to be black, but in reality they are a light brownish colour.

Yesterday Muffy had trouble opening her right eye and I thought she must have got some shampoo in it.  I rang the vet surgery and was told to take her up, but I wasn't well - sleepless nights lately - so decided to leave it till this morning.  Fortunately the problem has gone, so I'm glad I waited.

Have been frequently washing bedclothes and sofa throws and vacuuming since 'the discovery'.  Muffy seems OK, but her neck area has dozens of lumps from the bites.  How such tiny creatures can cause so much damage is hard to understand. 

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