How to Remove a Tick (from yourself or your pet)
How to remove a tick:
If you find a tick attached to yourself or to your pet, ...
Find something to remove the tick with - tweezers (sterilized in alcohol
or by holding briefly in a flame), a tick removal device (available in
many sporting goods and pet supply stores), or as a last resort a paper
napkin or towel. Do not remove the tick with your bare hands.
- Grasp the tick under the base of its body, close to your skin.
- Pull upwards with a firm but steady pressure until
the tick detaches.
This can take several seconds to a minute or two. Be patient - if you
pull too hard or too abruptly you risk breaking off the body and leaving
the tick's head lodged underneath your skin! If this happens, see your
doctor (or your veterinarian) as soon as possible as this can lead to
a very serious infection.
- Kill the tick and if possible, put it in a secure
container so that
it can be tested to see what diseases you have been exposed to. Avoid
touching the tick with your bare hands.
- Consult your doctor (or your veterinarian, if the tick was on your pet) for their recommendations about being tested for tick-borne diseases such as Lyme Disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF) and Ehrlichia.
DO NOT:
- Cover the tick with nail polish or nail polish remover
- Soak the tick with oil or any other substance
- Hold a lighted match to the tick's body
Not only do these approaches not work, they make it more likely that the tick will regurgitate toxins into your body!