Are there really no vets on the west coast of Scotland?

[Southdowners]

We're touring the highlands and islands at the moment. Stupidly I forgot to buy tick treatment before we left and bought some en-route from a local vet. They didn't have Advantix which is what I wanted so we had to settle for Frontline. In a nutshell it's useless - we're removing ticks daily. I want to buy another product but haven't been able to find a vet. We were parked at a supermarket in Ullapool and I saw a small vet practice, however it was closed (not lunchtime or anything). We're now Inverasdale (Loch Ewe)

We're heading southwards now and the only vet I can see on googlemaps is one in Fort William or on Skye.

Are there really no vets in this neck of the woods? Can anyone offer any advice please? Also I'd appreciate recommendations for a product that works.

Thanks

 

[Razamataz]

Nothing will stop ticks attaching to your dog.
The purpose of any of the treatments is that the treatment will kill them and help against Lyme disease.

 

[big bertha]

We've always used Frontline and find it works as we have a cabin in a remote area of Argyll and use product before tick season. Would it be ok to use another product on dog so soon after first, just wondering.

 

[Southdowners]

Thanks for replies...

I didn't know that the treatment doesn't prevent ticks attaching to the animal.

Will check regarding using another product so soon.

 

[CamperSue]

We use Bravecto which kills ticks after biting but I agree @big bertha that you should probably not treat again so quickly. I have had a quick look and your best bet to visit a vet may be in Kyle of Lochalsh. These vets say they are open today until 3pm so it may be worth ringing them.
https://skyevet.wordpress.com/

Our dog gets lots of ticks but they don't seem to bother her and once they bite, they die very quickly. We do groom her after most walks since we are more concerned about the ticks hopping off of her and finding us. A quick brush/comb should hopefully find most of them before they bite.

If your dog is getting ticks, you will likely be exposed to them as well. Make sure you check yourselves after walks and better yet, take precautions to prevent them getting on you (trousers tucked into socks, etc).

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[Southdowners]

Thanks for info Sue

Yes will check for them. My husband got one on his back the other day but he had been lying on the grass! The thought of them makes my flesh crawl!

 

[Grianan]

Vets at Lochcarron (2 x month) and Dingwall

 

[Grianan]

 

[Val 3 dogs]

I don't know what the current situation is regarding the vets, but when I lived in Beauly and used the Dingwall practice (extremely good, dedicated veterinary practice covering both large and small animals), they ran clinics over on the west coast two or three times a week.
On occasion this could lead to long waits due to vets being on emergency call outs, or roads being blocked through weather conditions or accidents. A blocked road could lead to enormous detours.
I was there for 20 years prior to 2016 and it was not feasible /viable for a full time veterinary practice to operate on the west coast

 

[Val 3 dogs]

People living in the area either used the clinics or made the journey to the more populated area.

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[Southdowners]

I did wonder if there were touring vets. It must be dreadful if you need a vet in an emergency in this neck of the woods though.

 

[Val 3 dogs]

Obviously any emergency is always a nightmare wherever one happens to be.
Living in the Highlands, one became used to travelling greater distances and the back seat of the car was not infrequently used for transporting sick animals/emergencies (any thing from sheep and calf size downwards)
For me when I first moved up there, the worst thing was sick or injured horses, at that time there was no large animal "hospital " in the Highlands, they either received treatment "in the field " or had to undergo a nightmare journey to Edinburgh or Glasgow.
Depending on the problem, this was obviously at times out of the question, so they would need to be euthanased in situ as such a journey would cause too much suffering.

 

[Southdowners]

Yes, living in remote areas is not something I've had experience of and it must be extremely difficult at times.

Where I live there are small and large animal vets all within a few minutes drive away. I was surprised that there were so few vets in this area though in view of the amount of farm livestock.

Next time I will come prepared!

 

[Korgrocker]

There's a good vet in Lochgilphead, if you're in Mid-Argyll.

 

[obanvanman]

We use Bravecto which kills ticks after biting but I agree @big bertha that you should probably not treat again so quickly. I have had a quick look and your best bet to visit a vet may be in Kyle of Lochalsh. These vets say they are open today until 3pm so it may be worth ringing them.
https://skyevet.wordpress.com/

Our dog gets lots of ticks but they don't seem to bother her and once they bite, they die very quickly. We do groom her after most walks since we are more concerned about the ticks hopping off of her and finding us. A quick brush/comb should hopefully find most of them before they bite.

If your dog is getting ticks, you will likely be exposed to them as well. Make sure you check yourselves after walks and better yet, take precautions to prevent them getting on you (trousers tucked into socks, etc).

May I suggest you Google Bravecto.
It is an insecticide that has had a LOT of problems.
Lots more to say about it but personally I would never get that to my dog.

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[Val 3 dogs]

Where I live there are small and large animal vets all within a few minutes drive away. I was surprised that there were so few vets in this area though in view of the amount of farm livestock.

Next time I will come prepared!

Sadly unless Sheep are pedigree animals it is rarely financially viable for them to receive veterinary treatment,
The majority of farmers and crofters will deal with any birthing difficulties of their own farm animals and will hold a stock of the routinely used medications. Likewise all or most livestock owners can and will deal with the simpler first-aid requirements.
As your average farmer/crofter is far from wealthy and likewise horse owners (simply keeping horses ensures that one is poor), it has to be an extremely serious situation to resort to "getting the vet out ".

 

[Mrsambulancekidd]

How about a Pharmacy or a Farmers Market/auction type place.

 

[Val 3 dogs]

I believe for a few years now there has been an injection available for the treatment of ticks ( that I understand can be more effective than the topically applied drops, though I have never used it ).
Any area that has large sheep and deer population is also likely to be heavily infested with ticks and whatever the treatment our domestic animals receive cannot take effect until the tick has bitten them and begun feeding.

 

[Mrsambulancekidd]

We've always used Frontline and find it works as we have a cabin in a remote area of Argyll and use product before tick season. Would it be ok to use another product on dog so soon after first, just wondering.

Your right, it wouldn't be advisable.

 

[Val 3 dogs]

How about a Pharmacy or a Farmers Market/auction type place.

I believe that ministry vets attend livestock markets, but they are not "treatment vets " and are unlikely to carry tick treatment.
Agricultural feed merchants might have tick treatment in stock, but feed merchants are usually based around the larger towns along with the vets.

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[Val 3 dogs]

Ticks when they first attach themselves can be quite "pinhead" (particularly deer ticks), and are unlikely "to drop off" until they are either affected by the treatment, or full of blood from the host animal and satiated, in which case they may lie dormant for periods of up to one year.
Not all ticks carry Lymes disease, apparently one needs only be concerned if the bite area is surrounded by a circular rash. Although as previously stated it is wise to take preventitive measures against being bitten as it is a very debilitating and serious disease.

 

[Scotch mist]

View attachment 301179

I always thought Dingwall Was on the east coast

 

[Southdowners]

The thing I find odd is that here in Scotland we find ticks on our hound every time he goes out on grass. Back in Sussex I've only very occasionally found a tick on him despite going out daily on very similar areas.

Does anyone know why that might be the case?

 

[spitfire]

Yes, living in remote areas is not something I've had experience of and it must be extremely difficult at times.

Where I live there are small and large animal vets all within a few minutes drive away. I was surprised that there were so few vets in this area though in view of the amount of farm livestock.

Next time I will come prepared!

Guess easy to do if you haven’t lived remotely . We lived in the very far north for 14 years and were used to going to Inverness 150 miles away for the day to shop for kids school clothes twice a year !

 

[Southdowners]

Guess easy to do if you haven’t lived remotely . We lived in the very far north for 14 years and were used to going to Inverness 150 miles away for the day to shop for kids school clothes twice a year !

It must have been a very long day out - I suppose you all got kitted out for the following six months. Shopping must have been exciting.

I guess the internet must be a great thing for folk in remote areas now... if they can get a signal. We were at a fairly remote place the other day and folk placed their food orders with Tesco online and had it delivered to the small local hotel which had daily deliveries from Tesco themselves - they then collected their delivery from the hotel. Living remotely must make you far more community minded.

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[Val 3 dogs]

I always thought Dingwall Was on the east coast

Geographically, along with Inverness, it is on the coast of the Moray Firth (pronounced Murray) which is on the east coast. However Scotland is at it's narrowest at this point and I believe a line drawn North/South through Inverness formed the watershed for the area and we always took West coast weather forecasts as being applicable to us in Beauly.

 

[Val 3 dogs]

Does anyone know why that might be the case?

There is a large population of wild deer, both Red and Roe plus smaller numbers of Fallow and Muntjac, the Deer form a reservoir for ticks.
In the past when large numbers of sheep and lesser numbers of cattle grazed the hills, these animals would "mop up " the ticks, which were then destroyed in the compulsory dipping that took place (I think twice a year ) The sheep dipping is no longer compulsory and the very effective chemical in use at the time is now banned, as it was proven to be a very serious health hazard to those using it.
Also due to changing land management policy very few sheep and cattle now graze the hills and deer numbers have multiplied disastrously.
Large swathes of the hills are sold to new owners and fenced off preventing free movement of the deer and leading to over population and overgrazing in many areas.
(Increasing tick infestation)
Despite regular legally required culling, the deer numbers in many areas are still wildly out of control.
Due to misguided conservation regulations througout upland land areas, cattle numbers on the hills have been severely restricted "to protect ground nesting birds.
The absence of cow dung has drastically lessened the source of food supplies (invertebrates of various types that live in the dung), to the aforementioned mentioned ground nesting birds. Whose numbers have therefore rapidly decreased.
The number of chicks successfuly fledging is decimated by them serving as a food source (in the absence of sheep) for. ..you've guessed it TICKS.
Around and around we go.
Rant over.

 

[Scotch mist]

When I lived in Alness next to Dingwall it was on the Cromarty Firth ,
I’ve never heard anybody BORN up there saying they were west coasters lol

 

[Val 3 dogs]

Quite agree, absolutely not!
West Coaster's are a very different, a very hardy, very separate species.
I was only ever a"white settler" and an "incomer".

 

[spitfire]

It must have been a very long day out - I suppose you all got kitted out for the following six months. Shopping must have been exciting.

I guess the internet must be a great thing for folk in remote areas now... if they can get a signal. We were at a fairly remote place the other day and folk placed their food orders with Tesco online and had it delivered to the small local hotel which had daily deliveries from Tesco themselves - they then collected their delivery from the hotel. Living remotely must make you far more community minded.

We loved it . Our kids were educated there and went to Uni from there ( Strathclyde ) . An amazing childhood with lots of freedom but it is 27 years since we left and a lot has changed and not really for the better. Did a tour back north 2017 but now overrun with cars and motorhomes and irresponsible wild camping . So sad .

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