HELP

[aly]

someone please tell me how to get a tick off you. I haven't dealt with them in years! This si freaking me out. Its on my stomach. Aackckckcckckckckckckkcckckck

[This message has been edited by aly (edited May 29, 2001).]

I have no idea. I'd call a doctor. How did you get it?

[Violet]

Aly,
Grab it by it's head and pinch down. Rip it off really quick, or you can take a lighter and burn him and he will fall off.(If you can stand the pain).

[tatsxxx11]

Aly, I had the exact same thing happen to me! I was taking a shower and felt something sharp as I crossed my stomach with a washcloth. A tick! It had already attached. I did what Violet said to do. I pinched it's head as close to my skin as possible, squeezed and pulled. Use a pointy tweezer if you have one. Make sure you wash it well with alocohol or hydrogen peroxide when you have it removed. Then apply neosporin or some antibiotic ointment. It's gross I know! I freaked!!! The one and only time one ever burrowed into me. If you're really fearful of doing it yourself, call your doctor and he'll take it off. Poor Aly! http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/frown.gif

[This message has been edited by tatsxxx11 (edited May 29, 2001).]

[Dixie Belle]

This sounds crazy, but it works. Dip a Qtip into some gasoline and touch as close to the ticks head as you can. It will fall off. We had to do that with my cat Jewel one time. It won't hurt, and you will lose the tick.

[aly]

Thanks guys. I figured this has been brought up before but I was too freaked out to search for it. I was acting like a BIG baby running around frantic and every time I looked at it, I screamed. What I ended up doing is drivign to the drug store for tweezers. When I got back in the car, I looked at he wasn't there!!!!! First I thought PHEW, but then I realized he was probably still on me. I looked down my shirt and saw him crawling around! EWW! I got him up with a paper towel before he stuck his nasty little head in me again. I CANT STAND THOSE THINGS! I feel like there's bugs crawling all over my body right now and I'm really jumpy. I guess Julius brought the tick in. I haven't found any on the animals though. I'm worried about Shiloh because she's black and I won't be able to see one on her.

[Ben E Gas]

there is also a tweezer type tool you can buy at a store such as REI. that store has camping and hiking supplies.

[sammi]

You guys don't live where you have ticks I take it! Aly, check your dog at night for ticks as if you don't find them they will swell up on the dog & that is gross!!!! Don't worry they don't eat much! The alcohol works good - as you want it to draw its head out of the skin. And yes we used to use gasoline at the lakes to take them out but I am not as brave to use it. Flush them down the toilet or burn them with a match as they don't die to easy. Tweezers works the best (nice to find out you can buy special ones just for ticks). We have lots and lots of ticks here in the summer but I have never had any in my yard (so far!). Don't they kinda remind you of a tiny tiny turtle? http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/biggrin.gif The ticks also like the ears of a dog. You can find more inf. on the net about ticks. They are really not that bad just kinda weird to have them stuck to you.

I was thinking the same thing Sammi.... they must not have ticks where they live. Aly, I don't blame you for being freaked out. They are nasty little creatures. I grew up in Minnesota and ticks were just a thing to get used to... mosquitos too. But, we always just took a match and burned them off and then flushed them. It's nice living in Phoenix because there are no ticks around here. But, when we take the dogs up north we have to be careful. So far we have never had one on us or the dogs. Thank goodness! I might invest in those REI tweezers just to be safe for our next trip http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/biggrin.gif!

Angel

[Pam]

Ticks are pretty common here in NJ in the wooded areas. I have woods behind my house and in the past I have had to take many off the dogs over the years. I just used tweezers and pulled as closely to the skin as possible and then washed the area with alcohol. Afterwards I flushed the creepy things. If you don't catch them early on they become filled with blood and can get quite large. Once my Whitney (BLACK DOG) had one under her ear flap and I never saw it until it got big. It was the size of a small jelly bean (I KID YOU NOT!) They are not only gross but carry Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and of course the smaller ones carry Lyme Disease. http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/frown.gif

[Jasper's Mom]

When I adopted my dog Sandy two years ago, we brought home a wonderful dog, and TICKS. We had to fight a long time to get rid of them, off him, and out of the yard. I started by picking them off with tweasers, but there were so many I just changed to picking them off with my fingers. I know for some people that's terrible, but when your dog is covered and they keep coming back over and over, daily, you develop a "thick skin". I kept a dish nearby with water and heavy with dish washing liquid soap. After I threw the icky things in the dish, they drowned and most sunk to the bottom. Often we counted how many we picked off. Sometimes it was over 100 a day. Happily that big mess is over and has never come back. He was checked daily and never developed any sore areas from pulling ticks.

We had applied Frontline but it took a while before it actually worked, for although they would die off, more would get on him right away. When he would shake, the dead ones would fly off. I was told that they can live in my yard for 2-3 years without a host. Warm weather year round. Finally sprayed my whole yard. Yes, I got a couple on me too when doing yard work. By then I had seen hundreds and just picked them off and threw them in the toilet.

The final fight was a 2nd spraying of the back yard. Keeping him out of the back yard and spraying him down on top of the Frontline. He was then kept in the house with us instead of in the yard. I thought he would die from it all, but he was alright. It never happened after that.