Killing a Tick

[Moth]

So I was driving to the park a few days ago with my dogs and I suddenly had the urge to try a new park. As I came to the crossroads between the old park and the new park I had a "gut feeling" that I should not go to the new park, but I went anyway. I should have listened to my gut feeling, because at the new parks my dog got covered in ticks. I rushed him home and began removing them one by one and released them (far away). I was in a panic throughout this experience, and after I had removed all the ticks I could see I washed my dog with tick shampoo. Later that day I saw another tick on him. I removed it but its movements were slowed and it seemed like it was dying from the shampoo. I released it but I think it probably died. I feel a great sense of shame now. I also feel very bad for that tick, that he/she had to die such a bad death and because of me. I'm not sure what to do now, I feel very bad. I should not have used the shampoo

[Ben]

Killing is never a good option. Sometimes we are forced into difficult situations and do the best we can.
Also, retake your precepts.
with Metta

Ben

[bodom]

Dont beat yourself up. You did what you needed to do for your dogs. Ticks transmit lyme disease and had you not removed them your dogs might have suffered terribly for it.

[polarbuddha101]

besides, dogs have a much greater capacity to suffer in length and extent compared to a tick.

[rowboat]

Also, retake your precepts.

Bang! Problem solved.

[Goofaholix]

Having a dog means it's your responsibility to look after your dog, which among other things means preventing him/her from suffering if you can.

What happened isn't ideal just realise you did what you had to do and didn't have much other choice, accept the kamma of it because the kamma of watching your dog suffer would be worse.

[rowboat]

Having a dog means it's your responsibility to look after your dog, which among other things means preventing him/her from suffering if you can.

Right, and the other side of the coin is to recognize the responsibility of pet-keepers to prevent their dogs from killing and harrassing wild-life as much as possible, and, especially for cat-people, to prevent your cat-friends from killing so many of the poor song-birds and little mice and things.

These seem to help:

[Stephen K]

The intention is important. "Intention, I say, is kamma." If there was no intention to kill the tick, it doesn't count as bad kamma.

[Dmytro]

Hi Moth,

I would recommend checking if your dog got infected by a Lyme disease, and if not, immunising him:

http://www.bioveta.cz/en/veterinary-div ... ccine.html

Best wishes,

Dmytro