Tick Removal

[magellan315]

Recently I saw at the local Sports Authority tweezers that are designed to remove ticks. I wear long pants to avoid ticks, but I seem to remember something about putting clear nail polish over a tick which gets it to withdraw its mouth from your skin and then you just scrape the whole thing off as it is encased in the nail polish. Does anyone know anything about this or have any other ways to remove them?

[Mike Chmi]

Hmm I've never heard of this trick so I'm not sure... all I can say is that if it worked it would probably be the recomended treatment for tick bites instead of the tick pullers or tweezers(doctor's visit). Once again I'm not sure but it may be like the belief that you should use the end of a hot match to get the tick to let go. What that does (the hot match way) is causes the tick to vomit before it lets go spewing it's nasty lyme disease, and rocky mountain spotted fever goodness into you. Anyway enough rambling I'd probably avoid the nailpolish routine, but could be wrong.

[Zuckerruebensirup]

What I've heard is that you should gently remove ticks with tweezers, taking care not to squish them (and cause them to inject their poison) or to break the head off in your skin.

 

Once it's removed from your skin, you should squish it with the tweezers (or pliers, etc.), and then drown it in rubbing alcohol to make sure it's dead.

[jfitzpat]

If you catch a tick in the act of burrowing in, a just extinguished match held near (but not on) the rear end will usually cause the tick to pull out in a hurry. But, if the tick is well in, don't kill it or burn it.

 

Removal with tweezers should be gentle (so as not to break the head off the tick under the skin), and it is helpful to twist the tick counter clockwise. Their heads are actually beveled like a screw. If you let go, the tick will try to burrow back in, so it is often easier to have someone else do the removal if the location does not give you good mobility with your hands.

 

You should treat the hole like any other outdoor open wound. Don't forget to check your pets if they hike with you as well.

 

-jjf

[+Doppler]

Similar to Magellan's technique, my grandparents would remove ticks from our beagle by encasing it in Vaseline. (The tick, not the dog.) The tick would then back out, at which point you could lightly scrape it off and subject it to the execution of your choice.

 

I've heard since then that this is a bad approach, though.

 

WebMD has recommendations for dealing with ticks:

 

Remove a tick as soon as possible, as it takes 24 to 48 hours to transmit Lyme bacterium. (Other nastiness, like ehrlichiosis, can be transmitted more quickly.)

 

Wear light-colored clothing so you can see ticks more easily when they hop on board.

 

Wear long pants, and tuck them into your boots. You can also tape your pant legs tightly to your socks for added protection. (This sounds really hot and uncomfortable to me, though!)

 

Use insect repellent containing DEET on your clothes.

 

Inspect yourself carefully when you get home, using a mirror for those hard-to-see places.

 

WebMD says to forget the lit match, cigarette, or Vaseline approaches because these can kill the tick before it withdraws. Instead, use tweezers as close to the skin as possible, and pull the little vermin straight out.

 

And if you develop a rash, especially a bullseye-shaped pattern of bruising and swelling or a rash that's more than an inch wide at the bite location, get your butt to the doctor, pronto!

 

-- Doppler

[SkydiverBC]

As a well trained and experienced first aider, the method I am familiar with, and which works quite well is:

 

1. Place a drinking straw or pen barrel down over the tick at a 45° angle and slide a piece of thread down the straw so it is right next to the skin where the tick is attached.

 

2. Tie a firm (not too tight), single knot around the jaw of the tick as close as possible to the surface of the skin.

 

3. Remove the straw and pull the tread gently upward until the tick comes away from the skin.

 

The Patient should be sent to medical aid if:

 

1. the body parts of the tick are separated from the head and cannot be removed.

 

2. The tick has been attached for more than 24 hours.

 

3. Signs or symptoms appear, such as paralysis, headaches, fever, or skin rash.

 

Also, keep the tick for a few days until any chance of symptoms passes, this way the tick can be taken to the hospital for analysis to better aid in the patients diagnosis.

 

I want to die like my grandfather did, peacefully in his sleep. Not screaming and yelling like the passengers in his car.

 

[This message was edited by SkydiverBC on April 12, 2002 at 01:32 AM.]

[+VentureForth]

My dog has hundreds of them. When you're done tying the jaw, can you use the string as a leash and keep your pet tick?

 

Someone bring the suture! I'll bring the sedative!

 

I'm kiddin' around. That is great advice, but that's approaching surgical skill.

 

---------------

Go! And don't be afraid to get a little wet!

[+Doppler]

Thanks for the great illustration! I'll keep this in mind next time I encounter one of the little bloodsuckers.

 

Hey, and I bet you can shoot them out of the straw like a spitball afterwards!

 

-- Doppler

[+Doppler]

Thanks for the great illustration! I'll keep this in mind next time I encounter one of the little bloodsuckers.

 

Hey, and I bet you can shoot them out of the straw like a spitball afterwards!

 

-- Doppler

[+Markwell]

Watch the inhale.

 

Markwell

My Geocaching Page

[+GatoRx]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Markwell:

Watch the inhale.

 

Markwell

http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/marklent60544/myhomepage/Geocaching/markwellcachemain.htm

Ugh... I don't even want to think about a tracheal or pulmonary tick bite... "Hey Doc, just how far can I stick tweezers down my throat?"

[+blscearce]

As others have noted in this thread, the nail polish, vaseline and fire tricks aren't recommended. You just need to grab the tick as close as possible to the head, and gradually pull it out (don't yank).

 

Tweezers are good if they come to a very fine point and you have good "feel" through them so you can avoid crushing the tick. The spring steel tweezers with my Swiss Army Knife, for instance, aren't suitable.

 

My wife brought me a gift from a dog convention, called "Ticked Off" or something like that. It's just a white plastic spoon. The bowl is hemispherical and about 1/2" across, and there's a narrow V-shaped bevelled notch cut into it opposite the handle. You slide the "V" along your skin with the handle perpendicular to the skin surface, catching the tick in the crotch of the "V". Then pull straight out or lever the handle back. I've used it a few times on my dogs, and once on me, it works a treat.

 

I've seen similar tools at REI (I even bought one to use as cache bait) exploiting the same "V-shaped notch in thin material" trick to make it easy to grab the tick by the head. If you hike in tick country, one of these gadgets is worth the investment.

[jfitzpat]

quote:

---

Originally posted by blscearce:

As others have noted in this thread, the nail polish, vaseline and fire tricks aren't recommended.

 

---

 

The key is that you do not want to leave any part of the tick embedded. The problem with nail polish, vaseline, and fire is that, when the tick is well set, it might die from the treatment before it can extract itself.

 

What I like about a just extinguished match (never physically touching the tick), is that it just applys a few seconds of heat. If the tick pulls itself free, great. If not, go for the tweezers.

 

Smearing stuff (basically suffocating the tick) has a problem in that you can't just try it for a few seconds and give up. I like heat because the tick is less likely to sever its own head, then I am with the tweezers, but as I mentioned before, you do not want to kill the tick in place. I'd never heard of the "vomit" thing, but I think a tick bite should be cleaned and treated in any case.

 

I can honestly say that I have *never* seen the suction lasso trick before!

[jfitzpat]

quote:

---

Originally posted by blscearce:

As others have noted in this thread, the nail polish, vaseline and fire tricks aren't recommended.

 

---

 

The key is that you do not want to leave any part of the tick embedded. The problem with nail polish, vaseline, and fire is that, when the tick is well set, it might die from the treatment before it can extract itself.

 

What I like about a just extinguished match (never physically touching the tick), is that it just applys a few seconds of heat. If the tick pulls itself free, great. If not, go for the tweezers.

 

Smearing stuff (basically suffocating the tick) has a problem in that you can't just try it for a few seconds and give up. I like heat because the tick is less likely to sever its own head, then I am with the tweezers, but as I mentioned before, you do not want to kill the tick in place. I'd never heard of the "vomit" thing, but I think a tick bite should be cleaned and treated in any case.

 

I can honestly say that I have *never* seen the suction lasso trick before!

[+Hawk-eye]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Markwell:

Watch the inhale.

---

 

 

[+phantom4099]

So my method of just pulling it out by hand near the head is not advised? I try not to squeeze it when I pull it out.

 

Wyatt W.

 

The probability of someone watching you is directly proportional to the stupidity of your actions.

[+Team Kaye]

I've heard the nail polish thing for chiggers, not ticks. I think it's the alcohol in the stuff that stops the itch, but I could be WAY off base!!

 

keknj

[+Team Kaye]

I've heard the nail polish thing for chiggers, not ticks. I think it's the alcohol in the stuff that stops the itch, but I could be WAY off base!!

 

keknj

[jfitzpat]

quote:

---

Originally posted by phantom4099:

So my method of just pulling it out by hand near the head is not advised? I try not to squeeze it when I pull it out.

 

---

 

If you can get a good grip, I say go for it. My fingers are not nimble enough except for the largest of ticks...

 

Get it out ASAP, get all of it out, and properly clean the bite are, I think, the big three. All the rest is bells and whistles. Except the straw - the 'inhale' comment is still giving me shivers...

 

-jjf

[jfitzpat]

quote:

---

Originally posted by phantom4099:

So my method of just pulling it out by hand near the head is not advised? I try not to squeeze it when I pull it out.

 

---

 

If you can get a good grip, I say go for it. My fingers are not nimble enough except for the largest of ticks...

 

Get it out ASAP, get all of it out, and properly clean the bite are, I think, the big three. All the rest is bells and whistles. Except the straw - the 'inhale' comment is still giving me shivers...

 

-jjf

[+Upham]

I get some toe nail clippers and clip the skin in front of the suckers. this way you're sure to get the head and all. What's a little blood? Just foolin.

I've always just grabbed them gently as close as I can to the head and pulled straight out. I don't like putting anything on them. This gives them too much time to do bad. I've never left the head or jaws or anything in the skin. I usually find them before they bite. I did have one imbedded in me last year but it was dead. It was under my arm and dried up like a prune with a small red spot on my skin. No illness from it though. Poor thing must have died from the stink.

[+Upham]

I get some toe nail clippers and clip the skin in front of the suckers. this way you're sure to get the head and all. What's a little blood? Just foolin.

I've always just grabbed them gently as close as I can to the head and pulled straight out. I don't like putting anything on them. This gives them too much time to do bad. I've never left the head or jaws or anything in the skin. I usually find them before they bite. I did have one imbedded in me last year but it was dead. It was under my arm and dried up like a prune with a small red spot on my skin. No illness from it though. Poor thing must have died from the stink.

[BigDoggie]

To see several specialty "tools" for tick removal, go to this page:

 

http://www.scs-mall.com/store/

 

and look for the link "Tick Removers and Snake Bite Tools" under "FIRST AID SUPLLIES".

 

They are actually quite inexpensive, some under $5.00. I'll bet some of the larger sporting goods stores carry the same items. If not, this mail order house would be happy to ship to you.

 

=================================

Interested in Geocaching in the state of Georgia? Visit the Georgia Geocachers Association at http://www.ggaonline.org

[+Katoomer]

This is tested and works. Use hydrogen peroxide because it will also cleanse and disinfect somewhat. It will cause the tick to pull out on its own. That is important because its biting parts may continue to contaminate if left in place. It doesn't kill the tick either. You may want to save the tick alive in a pill container to be tested later if you devolop systoms of the disease they carry. I am not sure about the testing part except it seems like common sense thing to do.

[+Alan2]

A third of the Deer ticks in highly infested areas like Westchester and surrounding counties are infected with Lyme disease. So testing them will probably have a high probability to show infection. The problem is with or without testing, what does that mean? Did I get infected? Should I wait to see if I get the telltale "bulls-eye" rash? What should I do now?

 

When I got bit last Oct, in Westchester County, my doctor prescribed antibiotics for a week. There's some evidence that a single dose of antibiotics will preclude getting Lyme disease but don't use this statement as a guideline for what you should do if you get bit. In my case I sent the tick to a lab specializing in testing ticks. 8 days later the results came back positive so my doctor prescribed antibiotics for another month.

 

Actually I carried the tick for about 18 hours before removal. SOme experts argue that at least 24 to 36 hours is requred before the transmission but I didn't want "to hang" by the difference so I took the antibiotics.

 

While I'm not an expert, I did a lot of reading about it after I got bit. The general consensus of the experts for protection follows:

 

1. Use Duranon or Permanone or other Permethrin based solution on your clothes -socks, pants and shirt if you can. Permethrin will kill Ticks and mosquitos crawling on these clothes. Over-the-counter solution will proide two weeks of protection including two washings. There are solutions avilable that will provide 52 weeks protection but special applications are required. Do not use Permethrin on you skin as it is deactivated by it. Use Deet based solutions on your skin.

2. Use light colored clothes so you can see them beter and check for ticks often. Don't drag yourself into your car or home before checking as they can drop off and get picked up by others. Tuck pants into socks or boots and shirts into your pants. Check really close when you're home. Have others check where you cannot check. I know it's easy to say then do but this is no time to be a prude.

3. If bit, use tweezers with a fine point so you can grab only the head. Pull slightly at first so the tick may loosen up a little and then straight up. There are also good tick removal tools like the spoon mentioned above and other devices that work very well. Don't squeeze the body as the Lyme spirocytes are located in the tick's stomach. I haven't read anything anywheres that suggest any kind of solutions to get the tick to leave quietly.

4. I try to use my walking pole to poke around the high grass, leaves and other vegetation where the ticks hang out. Otherwise stay on beaten trails as much as you can.

5. Ticks are active in their different stages, all of which you can get infected, from April through to the winter frost.

 

If you're not going to slack off on geocaching during the tick season like I am, at least use a lot of caution.

 

Good luck

 

ALan

[+Alan2]

One clarification. Westchester county with it's one-third of the ticks being infected is in NYS and by surrounding counties would include those nearby in NJ, Conn, Mass, etc. Keep in mind the Deer tick problem extends throughout the northeast, midwest and elsewheres. You never know which tick has Lyme disease so always maintain caution. And remember, there are other ticks elsewheres carrying other diseases like Rocky Mounted Spotted Fever, etc. There might be other techniques others use with other ticks that I'm not familiar with.

 

Alan

[+apersson850]

There is a special suit available, which will protect a great deal of your body from those annoying ticks. Although most of these suits don't cover the entire body, such versions that do actually exist.

 

 

Anders

[+rdw]

Anders does have an unusual authority with respect to specialty clothing.

 

rdw

[+rdw]

Anders does have an unusual authority with respect to specialty clothing.

 

rdw

[TMK]

An alternate to the “spoon” type of tick remover could be a straw that has been cut with a “V” into the end of it. Replace straw each time you go caching.

To preserve a tick for later testing use a mailing label with a self-adhesive backing on it. Just pull the backing part of the way off and touch the label to the tick, replace the backing with clear tape, when you get home.

[+Renegade Knight]

Found a tick on my leg just the other day. dadgum thing was crawling around looking for a place to dig in. I was wearing long pants and boots, but didn't have the legs tucked in.

 

AFter I flicked it off (it was not engorged) into the bathtub I tried to smash it with my thumb. It didn't work. So I tried harder and heard a nice satifying crack. When I lifted my thumb, it was obviouse that it must of been my thumb that cracked because that tick will still trying to run around.

 

So I flushed it. It was bigger than a pencil eraser.

 

Needless to say I looked up Ticks on the internet and found that most sites reccomend the tweezers method. They also told me that In Idaho there is about a 5% chance a tick has lyme disease.

 

Most imporantly they said good old Deet based insect repellent works on ticks also (about 87% of the time).

[+Renegade Knight]

Just pulled a tick off my dog this morning. Tweezers worked fine, but now I know the meaning of "Dug in Like an Arkansas Tick". Just because tweezers worked doesn't mean that it was easy.

[+15Tango]

This is kind of one of those home remedies that you hear about, but if you eat lots of hot food, i.e. jalepenos, pepperoncini, etc. and lots of garlic, ticks are less likely to dig in in the first place. The only problem is getting used to the smell of your own sweat if those foods are not normally part of your diet. I heard about this about ten years ago, and I've managed to stay tick-free since, and I'm an avid outdoorsman and also spend two weeks every summer camped out in the woods with the National Guard. 15T

 

www.1800goguard.com

[+The GeoGadgets Team]

Many, many years ago my family and I were traveling the wide world and my brother got a tick... right in between his shoulder blades. We noticed it a few hours after it latched on.

 

We stopped to visit friends and the mom is a nurse. She doused the tick and surrounding area with Campho-phenique (sp?)... that tick couldn't have backed out faster. It also cleaned and disinfected the bite area.

 

Is this method no longer useful? I still see campho in stores.

[+The GeoGadgets Team]

quote:

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Originally posted by Hawk-eye:

http://home.triad.rr.com/ralloh/Markwellsmall.gif

---

 

Hawk-Eye? How long did it take you to put that together? Very, very funny!

 

Some folks just have WAY too much time on their hands...

 

----------

Lori aka: RedwoodRed

KF6VFI

"I don't get lost, I investigate alternative destinations."

GeoGadgets Team Website

Comics, Video Games and Movie Fansite

 

[+Alan2]

What does a "no-see-um" look like?

 

Alan

[+Upham]

I was kinda a smart a-- on my post awhile back but guess what? I went out exploring as I often do and came home with four ticks. Three I found myself and I had my daughter check me and she found another. Well, I was showering last night and found one dug in. How can I say this? Well, I'm a guy so guess. Anyway it's a wood tick but I'll keep a good eye on it.

[halldorr]

Wow! I never knew ticks were such a big problem for people! My dogs had got them before but I had never got one on me...maybe because I had usually spent 99.999% of my time on my computer...that MAY have had something to do with it

[halldorr]

Wow! I never knew ticks were such a big problem for people! My dogs had got them before but I had never got one on me...maybe because I had usually spent 99.999% of my time on my computer...that MAY have had something to do with it

[+Alan2]

quote:

---

Originally posted by rut:

... Well, I was showering last night and found one dug in. How can I say this? Well, I'm a guy so guess. Anyway it's a wood tick but I'll keep a good eye on it.

---

 

Male or female?

[+Upham]

Yes it got me err ah I can't believe it but in the family jewels. I've had no ill effects and the spot has completely heald.

I got four that day and this one is the only one that dug in.

I gently pulled it out. There was no pain but there was a big area compared to the size of the tick. It was like it was trying to find a good spot.

Bob

[edgydrifter]

When I was a kid, we were always mucking around in the woods and getting ticks. The procedure was wipe the infected area with turpintine, spelling may be way off,...wait... and then gently pull the tick out with tweezers, forcepts, needle nose pliers...hairpin, whatever was available.

This worked for pulling an intact tick out, as for lymme diease transmission, I dont know. I suspect that if you are caught up in the life cycle of tick fever, modern medicine would be your best bet.