Kids and ticks

As an adult, when I find a tick on my body, I use the cherry of a cigarette or a glowing hot sewing needle, and get it gone. I don that because its how treating ticks was taught to me as a child, and it works. Something about not using tweezers cause the head could get stuck.

The problem is I have a 2 year old who doesn't even stay still when she's sleeping, let alone awake and there are things going on.

What's the best way to remove a tick from a toddler? I've pulled one off of her this year, and got the whole thing out, but I suspect it was only the first of many, and I might not be so lucky with the next one.

"Unscrew" a tick. Just grab the little bugger with your fingers and twist it out counterclockwise. Heat is bad and you don't want to crush them if you can help it.

Read up on Lyme Disease, tis the season for that.

"They Say" don't do that with the fire stuff.

Get this: Tick Key

Those things work great. I live in the woods, I know what I'm talking about here. A 2 year old isn't any worse than dealing with a paranoid Rhodesian Ridgeback.

+1 for the Tick Key.

If the tick is attached, place it in an old pill bottle with some cotton balls and isopropyl alcohol. The alcohol will kill it and if there are any reactions to the bite the doc will probably like to see the exact tick that caused it. I have had good luck putting a drop of veg/olive oil on the head and using tweezers after about 2 min, sometimes they even let go on their own. The oil suffocates them.

I thought I remember olive oil works to get them to back out. Been a long time since trying.

The one time I've had one embedded the doctor used a cauterizing pen.

In reply to Dr. Hess:

Ok its in my Amazon cart.

Why do "they say" not to use fire though?

Mostly I got it from a story my grandfather used to tell about when he was an American prison guard during ww2, and someone woke up with a tick on his hootus, and they used a hot pin to get it out. It just stuck with me, as a story like that would.

I am keeping a close eye on her for a bullseye pattern just in case, this is a terrible year for lime disease according to the game commission.

Drop of oil on the tick and it will usually release itself.

One trick I read about and tried is Dawn dishwashing soap and a cotton ball. Put the soap on the tick, wipe with the cotton ball. I have had limited success with that method. The last one I got, about 10 days ago, I put some Dawn on it, then used the Tick Key. Came right out. Still messed me up and the wound hasn't healed yet, but got it out easy. I bought the 3 pack. I keep one in the shop, kitchen and bathroom.

Man, if people would go to the doctor for every tick on them around here, I'd be rich.

Best Tick Repellant Evar: Mix your own 1% permethrin. Buy the 10% concentrate at Tractor Supply, mix 10:1 with rubbing alcohol, put in a spray bottle. I spray down my outside work pants inside and out with that, let dry, then wear that. Occassional touch up, plus hit the socks and shoes, and if you're going out deep into the woods, do an overshirt and boonie hat.

In reply to RevRico:

Seems to be a bad year for ticks in general around this area. I've probably pulled a half dozen off of myself already, and at least that many more from the dog.

RevRico wrote: In reply to Dr. Hess: Ok its in my Amazon cart. Why do "they say" not to use fire though?

I've been reading a bit in the medical area on Lyme and other tick born illnesses. Yeah, it's the season. And that's what the medical literature says. They don't go into why. I could GUESS if you want, but it would be just my GUESS and I'm not an entomologist. They also say don't squeeze the body. Where's our resident entomologist? Would a tick squirt more crap in you if you light her butt on fire?

Latest scare disease is Powassan Fever. Headlines say it kills 25%. ZOMG. Drill into it and it kills 25% of those who show symptoms, and the percent of those who show symptoms is pretty darn small. Anyway, yeah, permithrin is bad for you. Lyme, Powassan, a hundred other diseases are worse, in my professional opinion. Oh, and DEET is worthless around here. Arkansan ticks must use it as perfume.

SPOON!

If you put fire to them, they will regurgitate into you the pathogen they are carrying.

I'm going to try not to sound preachy here, but if I do, just know I have your best interest at heart.

Don't use any chemicals, heat, or any other "trick." Just remove the tick. Tweezers work, grasp it as close to the skin as you can, by its head, and slowly work it loose. Maybe that Tick Key works too, looks promising.

The chief biologist at the National Park I once worked at, did his graduate research on ticks. According to him, and many others, all of the chemicals, oils, burning, etc. are increasing your risk of acquiring a tick born illness. Sure you're likely killing the tick, and it'll maybe even come off easier, but in the process the tick is basically puking all of its insides, with all those Rickettsias, Borrelias, and whatever other nasty pathogens they're carrying directly into you.

Think about what you would do if you were doused head to toe in alcohol, castor oil (my grandma's favorite tick remover), or squeezed. You'd probably puke your guts out too.

For a normal tick bite, risk of contracting an infection isn't very high until they actually start feeding on blood, which most say takes 24-36 Hrs from time of bite. Obviously the sooner you remove it, the better. So wear protection, DEET or Permethrin to be proactive. Check yourself, and check your kids, as soon as possible, and please, please, please, don't drown, burn, squish, the ticks, just pull them off.

spitfirebill wrote: If you put fire to them, they will regurgitate into you the pathogen they are carrying.

I've heard that about the cover 'em in olive oil/dish soap/mayo method, too.

I heard an expert on the radio saying, at least around here, that there are no ticks that can't just be pulled off. The big downside to using other methods was that the tick may vomit as it is being abused...Sounded bad to me.

Also, it takes 36 hours for the tick to transfer Lyme disease, so a thorough daily inspection is sufficient.

solarcane works well for killing a tick or at least paralyzing it so that it lets go

Same with the cover them theory but with vasoline as it stays put better.

I saw a video on facebook where they put a drop of peppermint oil on a tick and within seconds, it backed out and was completely unattached to the person.

That whole "takes x hours..." thing is not exactly black and white. It's more of a "the longer the tick is hooked into you, the higher the chance that it will transfer whatever pathogen it is carrying to you." So, 36 or 72 or whatever hours will probably get you whatever is in it, and 2 or 6 or 12 hours will "probably not" get you whatever is in it.

That last one I got that I chemically nuked prior to Tick Keying it off, I'll have to say that it shot something into me. Tiny little black one. Anyway, I'll be doing the no chemical approach from now on. Them Tick Keys are great.

Rusnak_322 wrote: I saw a video on facebook where they put a drop of peppermint oil on a tick and within seconds, it backed out and was completely unattached to the person.

Don't use this. I was going to post the video, but it turns out that there are tons of reviews that says that this will cause the tick to regurgitate and can transfer the disease to you.

On a related note, I notice a spot on my son's leg one day and I ask if it's dirt, pen or a scratch. He casually mentions that it's a bug, because it has legs. WTF?!?!? It was a tiny tick and had been there overnight. He knew about it and didn't think to mention it.

It came out with tweezers (followed by a trip to the Doctor and regular monitoring). So, tell your kids that if they have an insect sticking out of their leg, MENTION IT!

When I pull out a tick, that bastard is getting stomped, and possibly set in fire.

Popping the kiddo or pet in a nice bath does the trick as well. The offending tick dislikes drowning and voluntarily releases floating to the top.

A little evidence on transmission times: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4278789/

I also recall reading a study a few years back that showed that patients given a single prophylactic dose of antibiotics within 72 hours of tick attachment had a 0% incidence of infection.