Ticks - Page 1

I removed a tick from my dog today.  It looked like it had it's head buried deep.  When I removed it, I poured rubbing alcohol on the hole - but it's even a bigger swelling now and the swelling is hard like a rock.  I've never seen a tick do that before as I think I've removed them earlier before. 

Is swelling unusual on tick removal?

It's called erythema migrans and it's normal with tick bites. The swelling should go down over the next couple of weeks. I usually daub the place with tripple antibiotic ointment to prevent topical infection (I teach my dogs not to lick something off if I forbid it). However, you might want to watch out for signs of tick-borne diseases prevalent in your area or check your dog for lyme if it's active where you live.

 If you did not remove the entire head, if a small fragment was left behind, you may also see an serious infection. If it was my dog, I would definitely see a vet. And yes, tick borne diseases are often dismissed or people forget about the bite and later the dog is very ill. Some diseases are very, very difficult to cure and can bring long term consequences.