Please help - tick stuck in our 2-year old

February 5, 2003

I tried to get it out with tweezers, pulling gently "straight out" like you're supposed to. Its head "broke off" in his neck. I feel like such a duffus because I felt this Monday morning, thought it was a scab, and didn't want to "pick" at it. I know it attached Sunday - that's when we were out. I'd have noticed it before, but he's not been out in a tick-area in three weeks.

There is a small lump at the "site," my son is acting very normally and not running a fever. When you apply alcohol to an attached tick to try and get it to "back out," this is when it can release sufficient poisons to cause significant harm. So I didn't do that. Now, with the body removed (and in a bottle for future reference if needed by a doctor) I would like to know what you people have done successfully in the past.

He's two. It's in the very nape of his neck (please bear this in mind when considering that little kids kick and scream when you try to"fix" them). Hopefully I've given enough info for someone to help me.

Worried? You bet. I thought ticks were much smaller. This is the size of a ladybug, for comparison (though not as fat). It's really "burrowed" in, so I don't feel comfortable going in to "remove it like a sliver."

What are your experiences? Leave the head in, and let it slough off with the normal process of sloughing skin? Take to a doctor? Have you put anything on the area after removing the body and the head stays stuck? I'm very leary about going in with any type of "needle" because one quick thrust back with his head and he's poked in a very vulnerable area.

I have many hypodermic needles (for injections) both small and larger size. I wasn't sure if I should give him a "shot" with alcohol, or anything else?

Hopefully I can get some experiences. Please tell me what you've done not what you would do. I'm not trying to be rude, I just want to know what you folks have actually done - I don't want to "experiment" on my little guy (this is the same tyke responsible for all the Mr. Bink's Buggy Tracks) on all the trails around here when it's rained and left 12" mud.

Thanks so much - I hope I'm not worrying too much, but I've read so many horror stories, and want to make sure I do the right thing as soon as possible. I'm turning to you folks first because I know ya'll have dealt successfully with this. Thanks SO much from Team BigM!!

If you hide it, they will come.

Grandmaster Cache

Tank at: FISH WHISPERER'S LAGOON

February 5, 2003

I know you asked for what I HAVE done, but I doubt many people have run into this.

What I would do is take him to see your family doctor and get his advice. You insurance company may also have a 24-hour hotline where nurses are on call.

Ask a professional. They will know what to do.

2.5k · February 5, 2003

I agree, get on the phone to your doctor or take him to a care center. In either case you will need to watch for signs of infection for the next couple of weeks. Leaving it in does not sound like a good idea.

February 5, 2003

See the doctor. The remains are dead and will eventually infect. Must come out. This actually happened to my sister. Don't get panicked. He'll be alright.

38.2k · February 5, 2003

I'd get the head out. Take the tweezers and grab it right where it enters the skin and slowly and gently rock from side to side, while pulling it.

Then make a Dr appt. A large tick, as you describe, is not a Lyme carrying deer tick. They are much smaller. But there are other diseases that they may carry. Your Dr. should know if any are prevelant in the local tick population.

A government that is big enough to give you all you want is big enough to take it all away. -Barry Goldwater

February 5, 2003

The pros are mixed. We called a 24-hour nurse hotline (two of them, our IBM hotline and another) and they weren't so sure... so of course said "see your pediatrician."

That's on the agenda first thing in the morning, but I know there's people who have dealt with this, and I value what they've done successfully (probably a bit more than a hotline nurse who's never been in the woods and is reading the same reference material I can read ) Not to demean them in any way, it's just to say that I trust and value the voice of experience a bit more than the voice of "reference." I know my pediatrician quite well (I used to tutuor her kids over 20 years ago. ) and I highly doubt that she's going to go surgical herself on him.

I'm a big believer in the "trail techniques" of experienced woodsmen - the likes of which here we have many.

Thanks much - I appreciate your helping with advice with the hotline - many folks wouldn't even think of that, without going straight for the ER themselves! I don't want to make a mountain out of a tickhole, but I've seen these shows on Lyme disease and I've got a tick head in my son's neck, and a body (still moving) in a container.

I'm calming down a lot more - I was so worked-up as my son lay screaming when I was pocking into him with tweezers. It's so rotten when they are too young to know that you are helping them, and think you are just hurting them for no reason. Poor guy. I'll be up all night monitoring him just because I'm an old sap happy to have a young-un - and I want to keep it that way!

If you hide it, they will come.

Grandmaster Cache

Tank at: FISH WHISPERER'S LAGOON

1.1k · February 5, 2003

Hopefully things come out well for the kid.

I found one just starting to drill in to my stomach Monday but it pulled right out without any troubles.

Best of Luck.

TTFRN, logscaler

February 5, 2003

Thanks all, thanks Brian!

I don't think I can get tweezers in to pull the head out... It is buried, and I mean it.

If the mouthparts break off in the skin - should I dig them out? Here's some good, brief info we've gotten thus far. The nurse hotline can only refer to a doctor. I figured this, as they are reading from the same references. That's why I wanted the "hands-on" from experience. Anyway, here's the source of my confusion:

quote:
We have heard two competing opinions about this.

One viewpoint states that the mouthparts can cause a secondary infection, and should be removed as if it was a splinter.

Another viewpoint was shared with us by a pediatrician in a hyperendemic area. He states that parents can do more harm by trying to hold down a child and dig out the mouthparts with a needle. He instructs his families to leave the mouthparts, and that they will come out on their own as the skin sloughs off.

CAUTIONS:

Children should be taught to seek adult help for tick removal.

If you must remove the tick with your fingers, use a tissue or leaf to avoid contact with infected tick fluids.

Do not prick, crush or burn the tick as it may release infected fluids or tissue.

Do not try to smother the tick (e.g. petroleum jelly, nail polish) as the tick has enough oxygen to complete the feeding.

I knew I'd get fast help from ya'll, and I thank you so sincerely for being so quick. Thanks so much thus far!

I really value the voice of outdoorsmen who've dealt with these situations without the luxury of having a doc around the corner, but I do appreciate the need to prevent something serious. Gee, do I sound like a worrying dad, or what? Hey, this guy came out just minutes away from being dying (what they call a "true knot") in his umbilical cord. Yes, I'm a bona-fide worry-wart. Thanks for bearing with my hyper-anxiety!

If you hide it, they will come.

Grandmaster Cache

Tank at: FISH WHISPERER'S LAGOON

February 5, 2003

Haven't had one for a long time but back in the good ol days my dad would heat a kitchen knife on the stove till it was quite warm and then lay it in on the tick, the little bugger would back out just as quick as he could. It seems he would also try turpentine on the thing also. Has anyone heard of covering it with vaseline, suppose to cut off its air supply and it will back out.

24.7k · February 5, 2003

this summer I found a tick in my dog. So I got the tweezers and 'pulled gently' yeah right. The exprssion Dug in Like an Arkansas Tick means that puppy ain't coming out. It took awhile to persuade that SOB to come out. I think it was the constant pulling that did it and not how hard I pulled. Once it was out I tried to smash it with my thumb. I heard something crack and with a smug feeling looked down at the perfectly health tick. dadgum, it was the thumb that cracked. So I used old reliable and stomped it with my shoe.

Wherever you go there you are.

February 5, 2003

Yuck Ticks!

I have heard of putting oil on a tick, this will clog his air holes, but when i tried this, i don't feel it worked very well. I never heard of putting alcohol on a tick.

The tick has to feed for at least 24-36 hrs to transmit the bacteria, (Borrelia burgdorferi), that causes Lyme disease. Keep the tick. There are 2 deer ticks that transmit this, one type on the east coast Ixodes dominii, one on the west Ixodes pacificus, and they are both wee tiny.

If the tick carried the bacteria, within a few days you will see a 'bullseye' rash, then I would go to a Dr. If no rash occurs, and it doesn't for everyone, look for signs of flu, fever, and especially aches in the larger joints and fatigue. The rash will have a tiny white center surrounded by a reddening of the skin in a circle. This doesn't always happen, I did get to see it when it happened to my mom. She thought it was a mosquito bite and ignored it till i saw it one day and made her get treatment. During treatment she was achey and tired. Since this bacteria lives in the gut of the ticks, its transmitted via their saliva so you may want to get it out, your call. I would just call the child's pediatrician and he could probably tell you if its necessary to get the head out, and how to do it.

Lyme disease is treated with Doxycycline & amoxicillin. Screen tests and serological tests are unreliable, especially if 2 weeks have not yet elapsed for the antibodies to build up, but its up to you, personally i wouldn't waste my money. I'd just start the drugs if the Physician feels to do so. They didn't wait for a screen result or a confirmation test with my mom, they just started her on the drugs. Most Drs. won't wait for the labs anyway.

But do keep the tick, if you live on the east coast you'll need it, cause the Dr. may not believe a tick bite this time of year, they aren't out.

Good luck

February 5, 2003

Yes see a doctor. Ticks seen one to close, The!

little freeloader had been feasting for 3 days

when I found em (One of my brothers brought

it inside the house where it latched on) Well.... to late colorado tick fever

Yuck.. no fun. Go see a doctor.

Lee

Captain gps needs batteries got any?. Hows the Enterprise

sposed to navigate way out here with out em?

February 5, 2003

Oh yeah....there is a vaccine for Lyme disease too. Forgot to add that.

6.4k · February 5, 2003

quote:
Originally posted by rjr13:
Haven't had one for a long time but back in the good ol days my dad would heat a kitchen knife on the stove till it was quite warm and then lay it in on the tick, the little bugger would back out just as quick as he could. It seems he would also try turpentine on the thing also. Has anyone heard of covering it with vaseline, suppose to cut off its air supply and it will back out.

GMC did the best thing possible. It's regrettable it took so long to realize it was a tick.

DO NOT use a hot knife, match, Vaseline, or anything else to burn or smother a tick!

Yes, it might cause them to back out, but chances are you'll just end up with a dead tick still attached. Doing these things will also cause the tick to regurgitate, right into your bloodstream, making it much more likely to transfer a disease like Lyme's.

Best way to get a tick out is just as GMC attempted. Use tweezers, and pull gently. Try not to break the tick, just keep a steady tug on it. It might take a minute or 2 (which seems like forever!) but they will usually let go. Some people suggest a slight twisting motion while pulling helps.

Best thing is to avoid them digging in. Wear light colored clothes. In really bad areas like I frequent, there is a tick repellent called permethrin you can use to coat your clothes. It needs to be applied before you go out, but it lasts up to 2 weeks. It doesn't work on skin, so you need to use DEET as well.

Always check yourself after a cache before you get in the car. If you have a partner, check each others backside. Strip nude when you get home, and inspect again. Ticks like nice warm places that are hard to notice them, like armpits and crotch.

This might seem extreme to some, but I used to live and still cache in some of the most Lyme's infected areas of the country. I know plenty of people with the disease, and while usually not fatal, it can make the rest of your life miserable.

Tae-Kwon-Leap is not a path to a door, but a road leading forever towards the horizon.

2.2k · February 5, 2003

I came back from one of my caching trips this summer and found two of the things embedded in me. One was under my sock and the other was at my waist. They were the large type as you describe. I pulled both of them out without any trouble.

Are you sure the head is still in there? The heads on the ones that I pulled out were extremely small (I could see them pulling out of my skin). Check the specimen that you have to make sure it doesn't still have the head on it.

If you are still concerned, just go to the doctor to be sure. It is a small cost to pay for the health of your child!

RM

6.4k · February 5, 2003

quote:
Originally posted by True-North:
the Dr. may not believe a tick bite this time of year, they aren't out.

If its above freezing, ticks are out. Don't think because its winter they aren't out!

quote:
Originally posted by True-North:
Oh yeah....there is a vaccine for Lyme disease too. Forgot to add that.

Correction, was.

My old GF was actually an early tester of it, because of where we lived.

It was determined to be only mildly effective (mostly because it requires yearly shots for several years before it works) and had a fairly high ratio of side effects, if i remember right. Its pretty much only given now to people in high risk jobs, in high risk areas.

[update] upon further reading, i find that the vaccine LYMErix has been recalled totally, and is no longer available at all.

Tae-Kwon-Leap is not a path to a door, but a road leading forever towards the horizon.

[This message was edited by Mopar on February 05, 2003 at 10:02 PM.]

6.4k · February 5, 2003

For up to date info on ticks and Lyme's, and the vaccine (which has been withdrawn totally from the market now), check out the Lyme Disease Foundation website.

Tae-Kwon-Leap is not a path to a door, but a road leading forever towards the horizon.

February 5, 2003

Wow, thank you all so much... I can't see a head, but I don't have a magnifying glass to check. The legs are still moving, kinda sluggish, now. But I've seen spiders doing a headless dance for hours, so I don't know that his moving means he's not broken.

Yes, I'm really glad that I didn't dive in with irritants, because at least I'd read up that they can excrete most of their toxins when doing so. I wish I could have spent more time tugging gently, but you must understand this is a screaming-in-terror two-year old who has never had Dad "torture" him like this. Just holding a two-year old's head down makes 'em think the worst is coming!

I feel so comfortable just hearing everybody's opinion, I mean that. Even if it's not the "best" method to do, at least it encourages other folk to come up with a better alternative. I can't help but worrying. My kids are all I've got, and I'm sure most parents are the same way. I carry spray for the knees and below, but Sunday my wife wanted the little guy to walk (it was nothing treacherous) and I wasn't even thinking - so I'm feeling really guilty.

Call to his pediatrician will happen first thing in the morning - since there's nothing more I can do between now and then.

Thanks so much to everyone - and NorthStar thanks a bunch for the elaboration. Many thanks.

If you hide it, they will come.

Grandmaster Cache

Tank at: FISH WHISPERER'S LAGOON

February 5, 2003

Many thanks, Mopar, as well! I'm going to go read those links now!

If you hide it, they will come.

Grandmaster Cache

Tank at: FISH WHISPERER'S LAGOON

February 5, 2003

Is this a prank post?

When I was a kid I always got ticks. I just pulled them out. I never had one dig in that far although I know that they can. A friend of mine got one and it worked its way into his cousin.

BELIEVE IT OR NOT

Seriously. from what I remeber, ticks would dig in and make me itch. I would remove them. Our dogs, lacking thumbs, would have to let them suck blood until they looked like little grapes and then fall off.

See a doctor. Your Geocahing insurance should cover it.

6.4k · February 5, 2003

Hunterdon County, NJ had a population of about 121,000 people in the year 2000.

From 1988 to 2000, they had 4,237 confirmed cases of Lyme's Disease. This is the 3rd highest number in the USA. 1 out of every 28 people has it.

Any wonder I'm so careful about ticks?

Tae-Kwon-Leap is not a path to a door, but a road leading forever towards the horizon.

[This message was edited by Mopar on February 05, 2003 at 10:39 PM.]

6.4k · February 5, 2003

quote:
Originally posted by dogdoins:
Is this a prank post?

When I was a kid I always got ticks. I just pulled them out. I never had one dig in that far although I know that they can. A friend of mine got one and it worked its way into his cousin.

BELIEVE IT OR NOT

Seriously. from what I remeber, ticks would dig in and make me itch. I would remove them. Our dogs, lacking thumbs, would have to let them suck blood until they looked like little grapes and then fall off.

See a doctor. Your Geocahing insurance should cover it.

Me too. Now I'm all grown up and somewhat smarter. I know I'm not invincible, but I'll be damned if I'm gonna let a little pencil dot with legs take me out. Dog/wood ticks dont carry lyme's, but they do carry all sorts of other nasty stuff that you wouldnt want. Deer ticks, the ones that do carry Lyme's, are often so tiny you might mistake them for a freckle, or a clogged pore, or a speckk of dirt. You often don't even feel them until it's too late.

Tae-Kwon-Leap is not a path to a door, but a road leading forever towards the horizon.

5.7k · February 5, 2003

Joani found a tick on her a while back. We had traded for a Coleman Tick Remover in one of the caches we had been to. It was really effective at removing the tick, head and all. It worked quite differently than tweezers.

--Marky

"All of us get lost in the darkness, dreamers learn to steer with a backlit GPSr"

38.2k · February 6, 2003

Marky,

Have you been to one of my caches? Last summer I purchased a dozen tick removers and had been leaving them in my caches until I ran out.

And for those of you who recommend burning a tick, covering it with Vasaline, alcohol, whatever, don't do it. Tweezers, or better yet a tick remover, are the safest and most effective method of tick removal.

A government that is big enough to give you all you want is big enough to take it all away. -Barry Goldwater

February 6, 2003

we dont get ticks here but for my dogs when out of the province ive used what they call a flea comb. it is a small comb much like that with a electric razor with stiff steel tines. it works by 'combing' of the tick, it can be a uncomfortable process and while i dont have kids i can appreciate your troubles with your two year old.

4.5k · February 6, 2003

Mopar-Hunterdon County, NJ has over a 50% infection rate of Lyme desease in Deer ticks. Your county is the worse around. In counties like westchester, it's over a third. That's why so many people are getting LYme. The northeast is the worst around. You got a better than 50/50 chance of getting it if you're bit in Hunterdon. They say it has to on you for over 24 hours before the spirocytes transfer from the tick to the victim, but who knows the actual time for sure? There are other variables (for example, some people can get bit but will never develop the desease, but you never know who that might be).

Deer ticks can be big depending on the time of year. In the spring, they're in their nymph stage and tiny but after the fall the larger adults remain. The nymph stage is the worse because many people get bit and never realize it until they develop the desease or see the tell-tale "bulls-eye" rash around the bite. (Not everyoine develope the rash). With the larger ticks, you usually see them.

I got bit by a female adult deer tick that was infected with Lyme. (I was caching in Saxon Woods, NY in westchester County) The doctor prescribed antibiotics for a month just to be safe. By the way, I too removed the tick but one of its mandibles (mouth) parts got stuck in and I couldn't get it out. I still have a mark where I was bit a year and half ago. I can't stand ticks!

Grandmaster - you're in California. I don't know what the infection rate is for Lyme out there but there are other ticks and other deseases as well.(MY dog just picked up Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and was also on antibiotics). My sugestion would be to follow you doctor's advice. You can also send the tick out for analysis (that's what I did with mine) but again I'd follow your doctor's advice. Most antibiotics given paliatively take care of any chance for these deseases to develope.

Good luck

Alan

4.5k · February 6, 2003

Mopar - If Hunterdon County is the third highest, who's number 1 and 2??

Alan

6.4k · February 6, 2003

quote:
Originally posted by Alan2:
Mopar - If Hunterdon County is the third highest, who's number 1 and 2??

Alan

Alan, I live in Middlesex county now, but pretty much most of central NJ is bad. Go caching in one of our state parks, and you will see signs at all the trailheads warning you about deer ticks (proper name is black legged ticks, btw).

Nantucket County, Massachusetts was the highest in 1999 with almost 1 in 100 people contracting the disease in that year alone. Actually, the mid-atlantic region makes up 90% of all known Lyme cases, but it's been found in almost every state. At least here, the doctors usually recognize it quickly. My father was bit by a deer tick recently, and they started treatment for Lyme without even waiting for the tests on the tick to come back. (It was not infected)

People in other areas aren't so lucky. Doctors in areas where Lyme isn't common often misdiagnose it as MS or Lupus, and precious months, even years, of proper treatment are lost.

This really isn't meant to scare GMC, in his area the odds are in his favor.

Posts like dogdoins get to me though. Lots of people, even doctors still think like that. Trust me, chronic Lyme disease is not a pretty sight. Forget geocaching, your lucky if you can walk to the bathroom. Know anyone with MS? End result is about the same. Unlike MS though, if you catch Lyme right away, its usually treatable.

Tae-Kwon-Leap is not a path to a door, but a road leading forever towards the horizon.

[This message was edited by Mopar on February 06, 2003 at 07:14 AM.]

6.4k · February 6, 2003

.

February 6, 2003

quote:
Originally posted by BrianSnat:
Last summer I purchased a dozen tick removers and had been leaving them in my caches until I ran out.

A tick remover? ...hmmm...gotta purchase one of those things for my outdoors kit....

2.7k · February 6, 2003

If head broke off go to Dr.

Next time you encounter one of these little pests.

Just apply some Hydrogen Peroxide, it will back out then apply some more to clean wound. Bandage with triple anitbiotic cream and watch for swelling or red ring to appear. If ring or swelling appears after he's out go to Dr.

Here is some real factual information for you.

http://www.biosci.ohio-state.edu/~acarolog/remove.htm

http://www.lyme.org/ticks/removal.html

Tahosa - Dweller of the Mountain Tops.

6.4k · February 6, 2003

quote:
Originally posted by Tahosa:
If head broke off go to Dr.

Next time you encounter one of these little pests.

Just apply some Hydrogen Peroxide, it will back out

All good info except this one part!

That still falls under the old suffocate/poison the tick to get it to back out.

Even the links you provide say never to do that.

quote:
Originally posted by Tahosa:
Here is some real factual information for you.

http://www.biosci.ohio-state.edu/~acarolog/remove.htm

http://www.lyme.org/ticks/removal.html

Nothing here contradicts anything I've said. I even posted the link to lyme.org earlier in the thread.

Tae-Kwon-Leap is not a path to a door, but a road leading forever towards the horizon.

6.4k · February 6, 2003

.

February 6, 2003

Hi all,

First, thanks again for that Lyme website. That's actually the first one I found myself, as well - using the WebFerret search. It definitely warned against putting anything on the tick to peeve it and thereby release more poison.

But so many folks do just that, and it seems to work (my father-in-law used to remove 'em from the kids by using the "hot knife" and they'd back right out). Nonetheless, the site does indeed say that's a "bad" thing to do. Best to pull it out, and then they say if the head stays, well - I posted a quote from them above.

But, UPDATE:

We just got back from the doctor. The head is indeed burrowed in way deep. She said the toxins remain in the front mandibles and to agitate that area would simply encourage immediate release into the bloodstream. Would this be bad? Not if the tick is not carrying a disease. But certainly not worth the risk when it's so deep. This would literally involve a surgical incision - just as I thought. So we will be giving him the medicine for Lyme, and then a special topical solution to help fester the area and when the head comes closer - she'll go in and remove it. I asked if it's something I could do with sterile tweezers and she said NO. She's going in from underneath so as not to disturb the wound, and pushing the area out.

Is this overkill? For a simple tick, and you folks that have removed dozens it probably is. But this is not a "simple removal after a day's hike." This has been in since Sunday. Like I said earlier, I felt it Monday morning but thought it was just a scab from a mosquito bite, or something. I have never removed a tick in my life and thought they were much smaller - like a flea. It never dawned on me, and of course I felt bad - terrible.

Well, maybe this will help someone else out, and at least highlight the importance of checking/removing ticks. Hopefully it will also encourage anybody who doesn't have one to get a tick remover. I guess they are more productive than regular tweezers. And getting them out quickly is important. 36 hours and the results are much much worse than removing it within 12. So this was a huge learning experience for us. Had we missed this, and the tick popped off when it was full, we might have had really bad news - and a 2-year old can't tell you what's wrong. So we did the right thing, and as far as I'm concerned, no way was it "overkill."

So thanks again, to every person that posted - I explained to my wife that I trust the voice of experience, and what better ensemble of outdoorsmen than right here? I learned a lot, and hopefully others did, too! Thanks for all the links - that's reading everybody should partake of. THANK YOU!!

If you hide it, they will come.

Grandmaster Cache

Tank at: FISH WHISPERER'S LAGOON

February 6, 2003

Anyone else itchy now?

scratchscratchscratchscratchscratchscratchscratchscratchscratchscratchscratch

Thanks for the pointers, Mopar. I'd always heard that you weren't supposed to do the Vaseline trick (not that it worked the one time I tried it), but having a good reason helps solidify the logic.

I sure don't miss the skeeters, ticks, and fleas from back home in the Ozarks!

4.8k · February 6, 2003

Tick puller removers work very well and I highly recommend them. It can be darn hard to pull a tick out cleanly using fingers or tweezers. The pullers are curved in a way that helps take the tick out cleanly. They also have a magnifier to check that you got everything.

I bought mine at PetCo and have used it on my dog quite often.

February 6, 2003

I can't tell you how many of those little buggers I've have on me. I guess I've been lucky so far. I had 18 on me one day after a hike, not all dug in though. I even had one deer tic dug in and dead. Deer ticks are about as big as the head of a pin. The one you describe is a wood tick I believe. I've always just grabbed the tick with twezzers right against the skin don't just grab the tick get it right against the skin and gently pull. I've never lost a head in me yet.

Still looking!

February 6, 2003

running out the door, had to say: dog ticks probably don't carry Lyme so much as Spotted? Rocky? Mountain fever. Probably different symptoms. Doctor's advice is your best bet here. Leave it be until Doc can see it.

Good luck!!

X is for X, and X marks the spot, On the rug in the parlor, The sand in the lot, Where once you were standing, And now you are not.

3k · February 7, 2003

The first tick I encountered was in high school, we were in the field for art class. But lately ticks are everywhere. The mann got Lyme's and was treated for it with antibiotics, but I have another friend who got it here, and then moved to California not knowing he had it, and the doctors out there were not familiar with it and weren't looking for it. His life is miserable at times now and he has been in and out of the hospital and may now have to have a shunt put in his heart. I am so glad you took your son to a doctor.

It may look stupid, but pull your socks up on the outside of your pants when going into tick country, or use a good pair of gaiters.

Cache you later,

Planet

"You can say any foolish thing to a dog, and the dog will

give you a look that says, 'My God, you're right! I never would've thought of that!'" - Dave Barry

February 7, 2003

i've even heard of using a credit card to, in essence, scrape the buggers out. I think I read it on a website somewhere too. My son had on two summers ago. My wife freaked. We ended up using a tweezers to gently (very gently) pull it out. You want to ensure that you get it all. Worked on my dog too. She had one last summer. once again, freaked my wife out. We have a patch of woods behind our house, so we check regularly to see if anyone has any, and we make sure to wear hats when we hit the woods. If you are concerned about diseases, keep the tick in an alcohol wrap sealed in a ziploc bag and take it to the doctors with you. That way they have it for examination.

6.4k · February 7, 2003

quote:
Originally posted by TJ-Tigger:
If you are concerned about diseases, keep the tick in an alcohol wrap sealed in a ziploc bag and take it to the doctors with you. That way they have it for examination.

Skip the alcohol. I think the only way to test a tick for Lyme is while it is still alive.

Tae-Kwon-Leap is not a path to a door, but a road leading forever towards the horizon.

4.5k · February 7, 2003

Use "tick lab" on your search engine to find them. I forget which one I used but as I recall they said it doesn't make a difference whether they're alive or dead. And I don't think you need to store the in alcohol. I shoved the guy stil swirming into a ziplock and mailed it in an envelop to the lab. Took them about a week to get the answer back. Check with the lab what to do. It's about 40 bucks for the test.

Problem with areas like Hunterdon and the Northeast, they're such a great chance that ticks are positive, many doctors will just put you on antibiotics for a week. That's what happened to me. Then when the results came back the tick was infected, the doc kept me on it for another 4 weeks.

Funny thing about our dog, we figure he'd come up positive for Lyme. Instead he came up positive with Rocky Mountain Spotted fever. I wonder about these tests?

Alan

38.2k · February 7, 2003

quote:
I can't tell you how many of those little buggers I've have on me. I guess I've been lucky so far. I had 18 on me one day after a hike...

Strangely enough, in 20+ years of hiking, backpacking and 5 years of working on an archaeological dig in a tick infested meadow, I've found a grand total of 2 ticks on my clothing.

Last year I was working at the dig and walked through the high grass with another person. We got out of the grass and he found 5 or 6 ticks on his clothing and body. I had none. I'm not sure why. I do take a daily garlic oil suppliment and use garlic very liberally in my cooking. I've heard this keeps away insects. I can't say for certain, but besides ticks, I've also noticed that while others around me are donating blood to the local mosquito population, I'm relatively untouched.

On the downside, I haven't had a date in 10 years .

A government that is big enough to give you all you want is big enough to take it all away. -Barry Goldwater

4.5k · February 7, 2003

well, if you get rid of the garlic, you might get ticks like the rest of us but then you'll have a date so you can check out each other. They say it's very important that when you check, you check all over!

Alan

February 9, 2003

I don't know if anyone else saw this. Last week on "Animal Cops", they took in a dog that was entirely infested with ticks. The dog was VERY anemic and almost dead from how much the ticks were sucking from him. They showed ticks on ticks. It was disgusting. They were beginning the process of removing them one by one with tweezers. I had to leave so I didn't see the ending but they thought that with a transfusion and a lot of manual work, the dog would be O.K.!

20.7k · February 10, 2003

Anybody remember this old thread?

Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.

Please help - tick stuck in our 2-year old

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