How to Remove Ticks

     Humans can be exposed to ticks in a number of ways.  First, consider the environment of a tick.  Many ticks live in moist and shady environments.  They enjoy areas that have leaf litter as well as vegetation in wooded, brushy, or grassy habitats that have been overgrown.  So for people who live near the woods, ticks can be a concern.  This is of special concern since some ticks have been found to carry diseases.  When walking through the woods or near the woods, a tick can attach itself to a human and begin sucking blood.  Additionally, another major concern with ticks is that they can be brought to you and your home because of your pet, especially your dog who went for a walk in the woods.  Deer are also a concern as they sometimes carry ticks with diseases. 

     It is important that if you have been bitten by a tick and it has latched on, you need to know how to remove the tick.  First, you will need a sharp pointed tweezers.  Using the tweezers, grasp the tick as close to your skin as you can get.  This will bring you as close as possible to the tick's mouthpart that is already embedded in you.  You want to avoid squeezing the body or the head of the tick because you might compress the guts and salivary glands of the attached tick which will result in more organisms from their body being expelled into your body.  Make sure that as you pull out the tick, you pull it in a straight, even motion.  You do not want to twist the tick or turn the tweezers whatsoever.  Instead, pull the tick out in a steady and slow motion.  If you twist the tweezers, the result may be that more organisms will be expelled into your body, which may include the mouthparts or the head remaining.  Be sure to put an antiseptic on your skin in the area of the removed tick.  Also you do not want to put any substances on the tick before you remove the tick.  You should not use an ointment, petroleum jelly, alcohol, or nail polish.  Do not try to burn the tick. 

     Once the tick has been removed, it is necessary for you to save the tick.  You can place it in a clean glass jar that you label with the date that you removed the tick and also include where the tick was located on your body.  It is also a good idea to have the tick tested so that you know what it contains.  You can send the tick to your county's local public health laboratory.  There are several diseases associated with ticks, and while all ticks do not carry diseases, it is best to be proactive.  With many diseases, such as lyme disease, the quicker you are diagnosed, the more positive your outcome and the less likely you are to develop significant problems as a result. 

     It is also very important for you to check your pets for ticks.  If your dog has been outside, particularly in a wooded area, you need to take the time to check him for ticks.  You can do this by feeling your pet all over his body, including around his neck, head, and ears.  If you feel a small lump, you will want to part this area of his fur to see if it is indeed a tick.  A tick is usually only the size of a pin, but if it has been sucking on blood for any period of time, it can swell up to the size of a grape.  To remove the tick, you will use the same procedure as you would use for a human.  You will want to use a tweezers, grasp the tick close to the skin of your pet, and then pull the tick out in a straight, slow, and steady motion.  Being sure to check your pet has benefits for your pet and for you.  First, the health of your pet is important to you.  Second, your health is important too, and when your pet has ticks on his fur or in his fur, those ticks may be in your home waiting for a new host.  Now you know all about how to remove a tick from a human or pet host.