Ticks have left my dog with lumps

Q: Our nine-month-old Cockapoo has had a number of ticks that have been removed but have left him with lumps. As one is close to the eye, we took him to the vet.

He was given a course of antibiotics and we were told that they would go away in time. This was a month ago and they haven’t altered in size. What should we do?

A: Let your vet have another look, as they really should have reduced by now. It seems that your tick-removing technique might need a little tweaking, as you may be leaving the head in, which causes infection and can lead to swelling.

Even when removed properly, tick bites can cause inflammation and small lumps, so in the long term, the use of a topical product to repel ticks from biting your dog in the first place is the best bet.