Removing Ticks

[Scarlet]

This came to me by e-mail and I thought I'd share it.

I have NO idea if it works but I can't see any harm in trying it.

Tick removal

Spring will be here soon and the ticks will soon be showing their heads. Here is a good way to get them off you, your children, or your pets. Give it a try.

Please forward to anyone with children... or dogs, or anyone who even steps outside in summer!!

A School Nurse has written the info below -- good enough to share -- And it really works!!

I had a pediatrician tell me what she believes is the best way to remove a tick. This is great, because it works in those places where it's some times difficult to get to with tweezers: between toes, in the middle of a head full of dark hair, etc.

Apply a glob of liquid soap to a cotton ball. Cover the tick with the soap-soaked cotton ball and swab it for a few seconds (15-20), the tick will come out on its own and be stuck to the cotton ball when you lift it away.

[Rusky]

This came to me by e-mail and I thought I'd share it.

I have NO idea if it works but I can't see any harm in trying it.

Tick removal

Spring will be here soon and the ticks will soon be showing their heads. Here is a good way to get them off you, your children, or your pets. Give it a try.

Please forward to anyone with children... or dogs, or anyone who even steps outside in summer!!

A School Nurse has written the info below -- good enough to share -- And it really works!!

I had a pediatrician tell me what she believes is the best way to remove a tick. This is great, because it works in those places where it's some times difficult to get to with tweezers: between toes, in the middle of a head full of dark hair, etc.

Apply a glob of liquid soap to a cotton ball. Cover the tick with the soap-soaked cotton ball and swab it for a few seconds (15-20), the tick will come out on its own and be stuck to the cotton ball when you lift it away.

cheers I use vaseline or meths will try this way next time

[newfsie]

I lived in the NT and we always used metho....Interesting though

[GeckoTree]

Was all ways petroleum jelly metho, kerosene, even petrol here lol. Whatever was handy at the time.

We never had liquid soap only bar.

[Steve K9Pro]

K9: I have been using Tick Keys for a while now, they are truly very simple and there is one hanging off every key ring we have. The problem with putting a chemical on the tick is that the chemical does aggravate the tick which can cause the tick to release more poison into the dog, with paralasys ticks this is not good.

The tick key takes the ticks out complete, fast without stressing them or breaking them off in the dog.

Tick Key

[Tim'sMum]

If you attempt to poison a tick...it injects more poison....that's my understanding anyway.

Pulling it out is a better method I gather. I've pulled 4 off my dogs recently, using my fingernails or tweezers....and 4 off myself as well.

[Steve K9Pro]

If you attempt to poison a tick...it injects more poison....that's my understanding anyway.

K9: Yep thats true in many cases.

Pulling it out is a better method I gather. I've pulled 4 off my dogs recently, using my fingernails or tweezers....and 4 off myself as well.

K9: Yes if they arent embeded sometimes your fingers will do the trick, if they are I used to use tweezers but found that I often had to dig pieces of tick out of the dog, so I guess pulling the tick in half was stressful and more poison would be injected.

[corvus]

Interesting. I'm sure I heard a vet on the radio last tick season saying DON'T use tweezers whatever you do because it squeezes the tick resulting in a flood of poison. He was talking about dogs that suddenly drop dead when the tick is squeezed. Maybe I remember that incorrectly.

I haven't had to get any off my current dogs, but for myself and previous dogs I've always used a fingernail to scrape it off. One time I had to get a cattle tick off a cow. It was a little big for scraping off with a fingernail, being the size of a finger joint! Went for the large forceps option on that one. ;)

[Clyde]

K9: I have been using Tick Keys for a while now, they are truly very simple and there is one hanging off every key ring we have. The problem with putting a chemical on the tick is that the chemical does aggravate the tick which can cause the tick to release more poison into the dog, with paralasys ticks this is not good.

The tick key takes the ticks out complete, fast without stressing them or breaking them off in the dog.

Tick Key

I read a veterinary paper saying dogs which have the ticks poisoned while attached take longer to recover, whereas ticks which are simply pulled off recover more quickly. I've always removed them myself as I like to know that it's really gone. I hate the nasty critters, killed two of my dogs and knocked one of my cats around with his long term health.

[felix]

If you attempt to poison a tick...it injects more poison....that's my understanding anyway.

Pulling it out is a better method I gather. I've pulled 4 off my dogs recently, using my fingernails or tweezers....and 4 off myself as well.

This is not poisoning. Soap (or some other liquid people mentioned here) merely blocks their airways and they start to suffocate. That's when they get loose and can be safely removed.

Edited November 17, 2010 by felix

[sllebasi]

I've heard that vaseline is really good for this, it smothers them apparantly but I havent tried it yet.

[Steve K9Pro]

K9: the poison comes from the tick not the soap or other removal chemical. These DO work but when the tick can't breathe it's common for them to panic and release more poison, possibly killing the dog.

[Sayly]

If you attempt to poison a tick...it injects more poison....that's my understanding anyway.

Pulling it out is a better method I gather. I've pulled 4 off my dogs recently, using my fingernails or tweezers....and 4 off myself as well.

This is not poisoning. Soap (or some other liquid people mentioned here) merely blocks their airways and they start to suffocate. That's when they get loose and can be safely removed.

Blocking their airways still stresses them, resulting in them pumping more poison into their host.