Monday morning started off as it often does at our house.
Kasper and Odin, our two four-legged adventurers, were out the door early before the rest of the house had even woken up. Odin usually comes back inside quickly after a short trip, while Kasper likes to spend a bit more time outside — that’s perfectly normal.
Today was no exception, yet the morning didn’t quite turn out like usual.
After a few hours, I heard a loud, plaintive “meow-owww” from the stairs. At first, I thought he might have brought home a mouse, but when I opened the door, there was Kasper — wet, bedraggled, and looking rather miserable. He shuffled slowly over the threshold with his tail hanging straight down, and it was obvious that something wasn’t right.
On the kitchen floor, he sat down right in front of me, looked me in the eye, and scratched three quick times behind his right ear with his back paw. There was no doubt he was trying to tell me that something was wrong.
I checked him over and quickly found what I had feared — a nasty little tick had dug itself in behind his ear, and the area was already starting to swell up badly. Memories from last year, when he was bitten and struggled for months with sores, eczema, and discomfort, came flooding back. This time, we weren’t going to wait — we contacted the vet straight away.
Once at the vet’s, we tried to remove the remains of the tick, but it was easier said than done. What was left in his skin was so hard that for a moment we wondered if it might actually be a tiny twig. To avoid causing Kasper more discomfort, they decided to sedate him so we could properly clean the wound without him being in pain.
He’s really such a good boy when it comes to wound care — he lies still and tolerates most things — but we didn’t want to stretch his patience too far.
Unfortunately, it was indeed a tick this time too, but thankfully there was no pus in the wound. Even so, the swelling under the skin had grown to the size of a golf ball, so his reaction was quite strong. We left the vet with antibiotics and pain relief, hoping to stop a new cycle of eczema and sores before it had a chance to develop.
The rest of the day, Kasper rested and slept peacefully, well looked after by Jonatan, who kept him warm and safe. By the evening, he was still tired and a bit groggy. Today, he’s needed extra cuddles and closeness and has stayed by our side all morning — often with one paw on the keyboard while I’ve been typing this up.
Thankfully, he lets us tend to his wound without any trouble, and he takes his tablets morning and evening without too much fuss — especially with a bit of pain relief on top. The bite itself looks small and neat for now, though the swelling under the skin is still quite large.
We can conclude that Kasper doesn’t tolerate tick bites very well, and within a few hours the reaction can become quite serious. Despite using a spot-on treatment on his neck and repellent in his fur, one determined tick still managed to latch on during the short time he was outside nearby.
So, we’ll be keeping Kasper indoors for a few days to monitor the wound and make sure it stays dry and clean. Fingers crossed we’ve avoided the same long, drawn-out problems as last year.
A bit of a rough start to the week and to Monday — but hopefully a quick road to recovery for our sweet boy Kasper.
