tick removal
Posted: April 9th, 2019, 2:46 pm
I just got this from Consumer Reports
https://www.consumerreports.org/outdoor ... ve-a-tick/
from CDC protocol
"1. Use fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin’s surface as possible.
2. Once you have a firm grasp, pull upward with steady, even force. Don’t twist or jerk the tick, because you might cause its mouth parts to break off and remain in the skin.
3. If you accidentally break the tick apart, try removing the mouth parts with the tweezers. If you can’t, leave it alone and let the skin heal.
4. You can dispose of the tick in one of several ways: Submerse it in alcohol, place it in a sealed bag or container, wrap it tightly in tape, or flush it down the toilet. (Never handle a tick with your bare fingers; pathogens called spirochetes can pass from the tick to you through even tiny breaks in your skin.)
5. Once the tick is disposed of, thoroughly clean the bite area and your hands with rubbing alcohol, an iodine scrub, or soap and water.
6. Check the bite area for several weeks after removal. If you develop a rash there (or have a fever at any point in that time frame), see a doctor about getting tested for Lyme and other tick-borne diseases. "
"There are several tick-removal devices on the market, but the CDC says that a plain set of fine-tipped (pointy) tweezers or a thin, curved forceps (available at a regular pharmacy) is really all you need."
I've used one of those tools, a tick twister, that worked okay. One time it didn't work, I couldn't get my fine tweezers to work, I scraped it off with finger nail. Then the tick twister removed the legs that were still there.
https://www.consumerreports.org/outdoor ... ve-a-tick/
from CDC protocol
"1. Use fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin’s surface as possible.
2. Once you have a firm grasp, pull upward with steady, even force. Don’t twist or jerk the tick, because you might cause its mouth parts to break off and remain in the skin.
3. If you accidentally break the tick apart, try removing the mouth parts with the tweezers. If you can’t, leave it alone and let the skin heal.
4. You can dispose of the tick in one of several ways: Submerse it in alcohol, place it in a sealed bag or container, wrap it tightly in tape, or flush it down the toilet. (Never handle a tick with your bare fingers; pathogens called spirochetes can pass from the tick to you through even tiny breaks in your skin.)
5. Once the tick is disposed of, thoroughly clean the bite area and your hands with rubbing alcohol, an iodine scrub, or soap and water.
6. Check the bite area for several weeks after removal. If you develop a rash there (or have a fever at any point in that time frame), see a doctor about getting tested for Lyme and other tick-borne diseases. "
"There are several tick-removal devices on the market, but the CDC says that a plain set of fine-tipped (pointy) tweezers or a thin, curved forceps (available at a regular pharmacy) is really all you need."
I've used one of those tools, a tick twister, that worked okay. One time it didn't work, I couldn't get my fine tweezers to work, I scraped it off with finger nail. Then the tick twister removed the legs that were still there.