Tick Bite - How do you make sure the head is gone after the body is?

[Veggie PAK]

I think my wife got a tick bite last night. She pulled the tick/bug off and it was small and flat, but it hadn't engorged itself yet. It looked like a tick to me. Today the bite site itches, and I was curious as to how we can make sure the head is not in there, if that's even what it was. We had taken a ride in the country and the windows were open. That's the only way I know she could have gotten it.

So what is the best way to make sure the head is gone? The body was crawling on a paper towel after she took it off. Wouldn't that mean the head was on it?

and,

What do you do if the head is still in there? I have a very sharp knife, but she seems aprehensive about me cutting it out. Ha! Ha!

Please share your experience on this subject so I can take action somehow to remedy the situation.

Thanks!

 

[moolie]

Sorry, no advice regarding the head--I've only ever seen one tick before a long time ago, and my college room mate (who had the tick) put baby oil on it and then pulled the whole thing out with a tweezer.

I did want to say that you should get a positive ID on what kind of bug it is, and if it is a tick to be sure your wife gets checked for Lyme disease if a red circle/ring develops around the bite area--best to google the actual symptoms as my memory is fuzzy on that as well.

 

[calendula]

The lyme disease tick is a deer tick (at least in our area), very tiny, and most people don't even know they have one in them til they see the bullseye. If she develops flu-like symptoms, she should see the doc.

Is there a little dark spot where the tick was? You can pull it out with a sterilized needle if the head is still in there.

 

[Marianne]

Most likely she'll be fine. Ticks are around here a lot and seem to like me better than the dogs. We just yank them off like you did and do nothing else. Infection can happen, but basic first aid stuff will take care of that. Any other symptoms should be checked out.

This year the ticks seemed to like DH more than me. We've had so many through the years we don't freak out anymore. :/

 

[abifae]

*shivers* We get ticks in the brush in CO, but I hate them. I had one deep in my ear once and still have nightmares LOL!

 

[Marianne]

*shivers* We get ticks in the brush in CO, but I hate them. I had one deep in my ear once and still have nightmares LOL!

That exactly is DH's biggest fear in living out here!

My absolutely grossest tick experience was not long ago. I get up early, go to let the dogs out, barn cat is in designated dog space. I carry cat out the gate, let dogs out. Get a cup of coffee, reading on the forum. Take a sip of coffee.

Wait a sec...what's that in my mouth? EEEEEEEEKKKK, live tick!!!! Must have blown into my hair while I took cat out, or crawled off cat onto my shirt, arm, whatever...then fell into my coffee cup.

Took me a while to get past the 'wanting to chuck' stage.

Now I'm doing the tick check all through my hair in between sentences here..... :/

 

[abifae]

If I'm in tick area, I tuck pants into boots, pull the socks up and roll down over the boots... make sure my shirt is tucked in... hair in a tight braid....

Then tick check at the car.

I need to find fitting jeans before my next trek into brush lol

 

[savingdogs]

I saw a tick GIVE BIRTH when I was removing it from a dog and little baby ticks ran all over.....THAT was gross. It was also my first experience with tick removal and after that the subsequent ones seemed anti-climactic.

But I think if you saw the thing moving about alive after you removed it, the head must have been intact. I remove them by applying a drop of Frontline Plus and then pulling out the dead one. Then I treat the rest of the animal with the Frontline Plus that I opened to avoid the next tick. We never seem to get ticks on the humans, only the dogs and cats especially the ones that like to cut through brush. If you stay on trails and away from brush you can avoid them.

 

[Marianne]

Out here, they blow in the wind and you get them walking underneath trees, too.

I have a friend that puts a bit of Vaseline on the tick, leaves it for a day, then the tick either falls off or is removed very easily the next. On her dog...I don't remember her ever saying that she left a tick on her for a day!

Hate those things.......

 

[aggieterpkatie]

If I remember correctly you're not supposed to apply anything on the tick because then the tick will regurgitate before letting go. You're supposed to just use tweezers to grasp as close to the skin as possible and pull it out. Ticks are so very common in our area, and especially for those in my field of work since we're outside walking through tall grasses and woods quite a bit. I like going out in the field with my coworker though because she seems to be a tick magnet which means I usually don't get any.