How To Remove a Tick
- Use tweezers or a tick remover to remove the tick. Do not try to remove it with your bare hands.
- Pull steadily upward holding the tick as close to your skin as possible to make sure all the head and barbs are removed. Do not pull by the body or squeeze it, this could make the tick regurgitate infected stomach contents into you. Also do not twist the tick as this can disconnect the head from the body leaving it in you. Also, do not put chemicals such as nail polish on the tick. Do not burn the tick either. All these things will make it regurgitate fluids into you that may be infected.
- Once the tick is removed, wipe the area with peroxide and soap and water.
- Save the tick by putting it in a plastic bag with a wet cottom ball and sending it to a lab to be tested for tick borne infections such as Lyme disease, Bartonella, Ehrlichiosis, and Babesiia. Here is a list of labs that test ticks.
- If you start to feel flu like symptoms or get a rash, please see yoru doctor and ask him for blood testing to be done at a Lab that Specializes in Tick Borne Disease Testing.
Tick Removers
Click on any picture for more details and price.
Chemicals & Twisting
* DO NOT PUT CHEMICALS ON THE TICK
* DO NOT TWIST THE TICK TO REMOVE IT
Some people ask why you can’t squeeze or twist the tick or put vaseline or other chemicals on a tick for removal. Please read these following articles.
- Evaluation of methods of tick removal in human ixodidiasis from Pub Med
“With regard to the type of removal method and the development of complications, only three patients who had ticks pulled with tweezers experienced complications compared with 23 patients who used other methods (p = 0.0058). With regard to specific complications (LB and/or spotted fever) and/or development of B. burgdorferi or R. conorii infection significant differences were also observed when tweezers were used for removal of ticks compared with other tick removal methods (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION:
The removal of ticks with tweezers significantly protects from the development of complications and infection by tick-borne microorganisms. Antibiotic prophylaxis is recommended when the removal of the arthropod is carried out by using a method other than the recommended one. - Tick Removal from Pub Med:
“the tick removal technique should not allow or provoke the escape of infective body fluids through the tick into the wound site.” - From Lyme Research Alliance:
“Take the time to remove the tick properly because improper removal can increase your risk of infection. Grasp the tick with fine point tweezers as close to skin as possible.” - From the CDC
“Avoid folklore remedies such as “painting” the tick with nail polish or petroleum jelly, or using heat to make the tick detach from the skin. Your goal is to remove the tick as quickly as possible–not waiting for it to detach.” - From the CDC
“Pull upward with steady, even pressure. Don’t twist or jerk the tick; this can cause the mouth-parts to break off and remain in the skin.” - From the ASPCA
“Do not twist or jerk the tick! This may leave the mouth-parts embedded in your pet, or cause the tick to regurgitate infective fluids.” - This Is the Only Thing You Should Do If a Tick Lands on You
“Ticks carry all sorts of diseases,” entomologist Dr. Neeta Connally recently told KFGO. “Those are actually salivated into the body when the tick attaches, and so we don’t want to agitate the tick in any way that is going to make it salivate more and thereby be more likely to transmit anything.” That includes drowning them in peppermint oil, of course.”
2. Where to Send the Tick for Testing
If you find a tick attached to you, your children or a pet, you can keep it and send it to one of these labs for testing. Click on the following labs for instructions on what to do with the tick.
3. What to Show your Doctor to make sure you get proper Treatment
(If your doctor tries to give you only a day to a week’s worth of Doxy, print these out for your doctor.)
- National Guideline Clearing House Updated Lyme Treatment Guidelines
Evidence assessments and guideline recommendations in Lyme disease: the clinical management of known tick bites, erythema migrans rashes and persistent disease - Treatment Guidelines from ILADS (International Lyme and Associated Disease Association)
- From Dr Burrascano:
Here are the Ilads Lyme Disease Treatment Guidelineshttp://www.ilads.org/files/ILADS_Guidelines.pdf - Dr Murakami: ( Past Canlyme director.)
The tick on the body for any time can spread the disease and I have had cases of ticks on less than 2 hours and get Lyme disease. The tick should be kept for identification PCR and culture and you can take the tick to your primary care physician.The epidemic of Lyme disease is world wide and every country has this infection even though Canada denies this serious problem. We have the highest MS in the world and the least cases of Lyme disease in the world all starting at the Alaska -Canada border and the 49th Paralell. The treatment is for three weeks minimum at this stage of this disease . If symptoms persist the co-infections must be considered a possibility and appropriate tests conducted. - Dr Buhner on Recent Tick Bites
Treating Lyme naturally.
http://buhnerhealinglyme.com/category/transmission/recent-bites/
Print These out for your Doctor
- Lyme Disease Quick Facts from Ilads
http://www.ilads.org/lyme/lyme-quickfacts.php - Lyme Disease Basics by Ilads
http://www.ilads.org/lyme/about-lyme.php - Dr Burrascanos Lyme Disease Treatment Guidelines
http://www.ilads.org/files/ILADS_Guidelines.pdf - What Every Primary Care Physician Should Know About Lyme Disease
http://www.ilads.org/lyme_disease/Primary_care_brochure_08_08.pdf - The Management of Ixodes scapularis Bites in the Upper Midwest
http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/281912e2#/281912e2/32 - The Need for Clinical Judgement in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Lyme Disease
http://www.jpands.org/vol14no3/maloney.pdf
4. How quickly does it take for Lyme to be transmitted?
Some people say, “My doctor told me the tick had to be attached for up to 72 hours.”
Not true: Transmission can happen quicker.
- HARD SCIENCE ON LYME: Ticks can transmit infection the first day.
- Clinical evidence for rapid transmission of Lyme disease following a tickbite.
- The hypothesis that Lyme disease spirochetes were transmitted via the salivary gland route was confirmed when spirochetes were actually identified in tick saliva.
How to Remove a Tick Video
At the very end of this video the lady says you can’t get Lyme from a dog tick. This has been proven incorrect now. There are a lot of old outdated websites spreading false information at the very least, “old out of date” information. So make sure to watch for symptoms no matter what type of tick bites you as they all carry many different diseases, not just Lyme disease. But I wanted to post this video because it was the best one I could find showing the right way to remove a tick. For more transmission information please visit: How Lyme Disease is Transmitted
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