# medical leeches



## sarahc (Jan 7, 2009)

My dog has had a haematoma in her ear which is a bleed a bit like a giant blood blister really.The first time it happened I had the ear operated on at the vets.It cost £250 and the vet said it would most likely occur again.It did within a month and as it causes no long term health problems and is infact more a cosmetic issue I never had it repaired again.Her large ear(she's a french bulldog)has shrivelled and folded giving her a bit of a pug look.Then I read an article in dogs world paper by someone with bull terriers who successfully used leeches to drain the blood.Subsequently I have spoken to someone who has also used them on their frenchbulldog with good results.My girl has now got another one in her remaining good ear and I would like to have a go with the medical leeches.Apparently they are £8 for three from the internet.I have failed to find a seller.Has anyone purchased any and have any info on a seller.


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## sarahc (Jan 7, 2009)

*leeches*

I have found the supplier and apparently they are very successful for treating this problem which can happen to any breed but is common in those with large ears.3 will be arriving within 24hrs and the lady informs me they can be kept as pets after use :gasp:not so sure on that one.


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## SilverSteno (Feb 12, 2006)

Cool!

At least if you keep them you always have them there when you need them, though what do you feed them I wonder...


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## LoveForLizards (Apr 20, 2008)

SilverSteno said:


> Cool!
> 
> At least if you keep them you always have them there when you need them, though what do you feed them I wonder...


They can go 10-15 months without food, so you don't really need to feed them, although the life expectancy is 7-10 years so if you do want to keep them alive longer then you can let them suck blood from the arm of a healthy human every 60 odd days. Keep them in a big-ish jar or bowl in cool, dechlorinated water, fabric over the top and bobs your uncle. : victory:

On the flip side, you should only ever use them once/let them suck blood once if they are used for clinical purposes!


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## ditta (Sep 18, 2006)

megan....you never fail to amaze me:lol2:


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## sarahc (Jan 7, 2009)

*blood suckers*

Well thankyou for that amazing info.Can I share my blood?I really don't know.Might have to have a stiff drink which is probably no good for leeches.On the other hand I don't really want to starve them to death.Perhaps I could attach to the oh whilst he's sleeping.


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## Amalthea (Oct 2, 2007)

A stiff drink prolly wouldn't be good for you, either, since leeches have an anticoagulant in their "saliva" and alcohol thins the blood


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## LoveForLizards (Apr 20, 2008)

ditta said:


> megan....you never fail to amaze me:lol2:


 :lol2:



sarahc said:


> Well thankyou for that amazing info.Can I share my blood?I really don't know.Might have to have a stiff drink which is probably no good for leeches.On the other hand I don't really want to starve them to death.Perhaps I could attach to the oh whilst he's sleeping.


As long as your dog is otherwise healthy and not on medication, there is no reason you wouldn't be able to let the leeches "suckle" your arm providing they are only used for the Haematoma. As it is only really a collection of normal blood/vessels under the skin, then you may be using the leeches a few times anyway which would then mean that you wouldn't need to feed them as they would suckle from the dogs ear, but if you clean the dogs ear and your arm with Betadine or an alcoholic Iodine solution then you should be OK. The leeches aren't that bad to feed, it takes a bit of getting used to because they try to suckle and stick to *everything *and it feels a little strange when they first start to suckle (not bad mind, it's kinda like somebody running the rough side of Velcro across your arm then when they start to suck it's like a tickling feeling) but it's fine afterwards, the anticoagulant they carry means it doesn't hurt when they suck the blood, though it does leave a puncture wound that will need cleaning with Betadine/Iodine again afterwards. And remember, _never_ try to pull them off of your skin from the larger end, get a piece of thin plastic or cardboard and slide it under the smaller end that is attached to your skin and put them straight back into the jar/bowl of water you keep them in and don't try to bother them, if you do bother them it may (MAY, it's not very common but it can and does happen) cause them to regurgitate the blood and thus, you will be stuck for even longer feeding them and the possibility for contamination but if you leave them to it they will pretty much clean up the old blood for you.



Amalthea said:


> A stiff drink prolly wouldn't be good for you, either, since leeches have an anticoagulant in their "saliva" and alcohol thins the blood


Yeah that ^ lol.


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## ditta (Sep 18, 2006)

maybe im gonna regret asking this megan......but how do you know?????


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## sarahc (Jan 7, 2009)

*leeches*

thanks for that ,loveforlizards.My feeling is still one ofmg: but I suppose you get used to things.I do remember getting them on my legs when paddling as a child and doing the dance that I do now if a wasp lands on me.It left an impression forever.


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## LoveForLizards (Apr 20, 2008)

ditta said:


> maybe im gonna regret asking this megan......but how do you know?????


About what? the care or the feeding side of things?

We fed leeches at a farm when we were young, and ever since have had a fascination with them, and have friends with leeches so info is consistently drummed into my small brain. :lol2:


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## ditta (Sep 18, 2006)

LoveForLizards said:


> About what? the care or the feeding side of things?
> 
> We fed leeches at a farm when we were young, and ever since have had a fascination with them, and have friends with leeches so info is consistently drummed into my small brain. :lol2:


 

how do you know how they feel whilst sucking your blood:whistling2:


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## LoveForLizards (Apr 20, 2008)

ditta said:


> how do you know how they feel whilst sucking your blood:whistling2:


:lol2: Fed them at a farm a couple years ago.:2thumb:


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## ditta (Sep 18, 2006)

LoveForLizards said:


> :lol2: Fed them at a farm a couple years ago.:2thumb:


 
on your blood:gasp:


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## LoveForLizards (Apr 20, 2008)

ditta said:


> on your blood:gasp:


Yup. They are only used for "pets" so there isn't much risk of cross contamination so why not. It's quite fun actually :lol2: I want some now lmao.


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## starburst (Apr 4, 2008)

sarahc said:


> Well thankyou for that amazing info.Can I share my blood?I really don't know.Might have to have a stiff drink which is probably no good for leeches.On the other hand I don't really want to starve them to death.Perhaps I could attach to the oh whilst he's sleeping.


Getting bitten by leeches really doesn't hurt- it's just a bit icky the first few times. I was in the jungle a while back and got bitten by loads of the little guys! If you need to remove them, don't squeeze them, unless you want them to regurge! Letting them drop off naturally is best.


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## sarahc (Jan 7, 2009)

*for anyone curious to see*

The leeching went well, a bit bloody though... I'm optimistic of a good outcome with no anesthetic. The leeches are now relaxing in a jar of evian water.


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## Shell195 (May 31, 2007)

How did your dog react to them?
How long did they need to be on the dogs ear?
Has the haematoma gone down now?
How often will you need to repeat this procedure?

Sorry for all the questions but Im fascinated. Years ago a vet removed a Haematoma from my cats ear by using a needle and syringe to draw the blood out.


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## sarahc (Jan 7, 2009)

*results*

No real reaction from the dog .The leeches fell off after about 3 minutes,you can see a dropped off one in one of the pictures.The ears bled quite a lot after which the others licked off.The haematome does look flatter.As for how often it needs to be done,I'll let you know.They didn't come with instructions.I hope they do work as it's far better than having an op.The ear I previously had an op on is ruined so it can't be a worse result.I'm going to have another go today.It's a bit of an initial panic as the leeches try to attach to me.


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## LoveForLizards (Apr 20, 2008)

sarahc said:


> No real reaction from the dog .The leeches fell off after about 3 minutes,you can see a dropped off one in one of the pictures.The ears bled quite a lot after which the others licked off.The haematome does look flatter.As for how often it needs to be done,I'll let you know.They didn't come with instructions.I hope they do work as it's far better than having an op.The ear I previously had an op on is ruined so it can't be a worse result.I'm going to have another go today.It's a bit of an initial panic as the leeches try to attach to me.


You may find they wont want to feed again for another couple of weeks. And when handling to avoid them attaching to you use a serving spoon to handle them. :lol2:


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## Amalthea (Oct 2, 2007)

I, too, find it fascinating, Shell. Amazing! I hope it helps, though!


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## adamntitch (Jun 17, 2007)

aww brill can i ask where you got them from i want some


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## sarahc (Jan 7, 2009)

*leeches*

Thankyou all for the advice on the leeches.Not only did I know nothing about them ,I have to admit to being slightly horrified by them.Its not been to bad and certainly interesting.I will have my dessert spoon at the ready in future though.I am slightly disappointed that they won't be ready to feed straight the way.On the other hand medical intervention has been costly,risky for the dog and ultimately a failure.Nothing to lose really.I got them from www.biopharm-leeches.com They were £8 each plus p&p.I never thought they would be on my christmas list:shock::shock:


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