The Ugly Truth About Ticks

Ticks suck blood from humans and every other kind of vertebrate. They can transmit serious illnesses, including Lyme disease, Colorado tick fever, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever, to name just a few. So if you spot a tick burrowed into your skin—or your pet’s—get it outta there!

Conventional wisdom used to call for dabbing a tick with rubbing alcohol, oil, petroleum jelly, or some other substance before removing the foul thing. Well, forget all that. Now we know that such pretreatment only causes the varmint to regurgitate germs into the victim’s skin. Instead, follow this routine, whether you’re de-ticking a human or a pet:

Step 1: Grasp the tick’s head, as close to the skin as possible, with curved forceps or tweezers. (If you must use your fingers, cover them with several layers of tissue or a handkerchief or, better yet, wear latex gloves—never touch a tick with your bare hands!)

Step 2: Pull up with a smooth, steady motion. Jerking or twisting could cause pieces of the tick to break off and stay in the skin.

Step 3: Drop the tick into a container of rubbing alcohol, or flush it down the toilet. Don’t crush it; you could spread disease organisms that may be present in the body fluids.

Step 4: Disinfect the wound with rubbing alcohol, and wash your hands with soap and hot water.

Tick removal is not major surgery, but there are times when you need medical help. In any of the following instances, get to a doctor or veterinarian, pronto:

·        The tick’s body slides out, but the head stays behind. It may take a small incision to finish the job.

·        The victim starts showing signs of infection.

·        You know the culprit was a deer tick, and you live in Lyme disease country.

·        You experience any of these symptoms: fever, rash, stiff neck, or pain or swelling in your joints.