Ticks! - Page 2

[cuttiebearmom]

We've just learned to deal with them here. We have 4 acres, 3 of which is woods and are outside all the time in New England. It's part of the spring. Like lots of pp said, lots of tick checks on everyone. We do not use any products, although I am going to look into some of the essential oils mentioned here.

That does not stop the wicked ick feeling when I found one ON MY BUTT in the shower :. The girls keep reminding me of the time last week when daddy had to pull the tick off of my butt. I have finally convinced them that they don't need to bring this up EVERYWHERE we go .

[angie7]

Originally Posted by cuttiebearmom

That does not stop the wicked ick feeling when I found one ON MY BUTT in the shower :. The girls keep reminding me of the time last week when daddy had to pull the tick off of my butt. I have finally convinced them that they don't need to bring this up EVERYWHERE we go .

:

[Polliwog]

I'm now convinced, after looking at a few tick-related webpages, that I'm going to get Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. I've no reason to think that, except for the fact that I removed a tick yesterday but it's driving me crazy.

[GAjenn]

dryer sheets

Originally Posted by rainbowmoon

@GAjenn- why dryer sheets?

I could be crazy, but dryer sheets seem to help with mosquitos and bugs in general. I guess they do not care for the smell?

[snoopy5386]

Originally Posted by rainbowmoon

Part the head in 4 sections then go through each section a little at a time. Hair clips and a rattail comb are useful. You can also feel the ticks on the scalp if you are shampooing, I have pulled several off my kids that way..

umm ok, only how do you get your kid to sit still and let you do that to their hair? I'm lucky if I can get a 30 second brushing in, I can't imagine doing that every day.

[XanaduMama]

Advantage or Frontline works really well on animals.

We are surrounded by ticks here too. I dress ds in long pants and shoes with socks, use organic bug spray, and do a nightly check. You shouldn't do anything like burn them off, because that stresses them into spitting into the bite...which is how disease is transmitted. As PPs have said, tweezers are best--pull straight and firmly to remove them, as soon as possible (it takes 24 hours or so for any disease transmission to happen). Watch for bullseye rashes.

[Still_Learning]

We have tons on our 100 acres. We use Buzz Away Extreme and it works really well and DEET free.

When we do get one, getting it pulled out calmly is the key to head removal. If I freak and jerk the thing out, head comes of. If I'm calm and pull it out slowly and straight back, head always comes out.

Doesn't hurt to save them in the freezer in case....

[SquishyKitty]

We live in such a bad area for ticks that Frontline doesn't work at all, and I have to get the dog and cats new flea/tick collars every 3-4 weeks just to keep the ticks of thier heads. We still have to check the rest of their body to make sure they aren't on there.

We got a very good pair of tweezers and that's all I use. Once you get good at it, you'll never leave a head in there. The dog was hard to get at first, but now that she's used to the tick checks she just lays there while I do it. The cats love tick checks for whatever wierd reason.

We only use the super duper Off stuff when we are paintballing because we're deep in the woods then. Otherwise, we just do tick checks when we come in from outside. We live in the woods, so it's inevitable that somebody has one.

[SquishyKitty]

Originally Posted by Still_Learning

We have tons on our 100 acres. We use Buzz Away Extreme and it works really well and DEET free.

When we do get one, getting it pulled out calmly is the key to head removal. If I freak and jerk the thing out, head comes of. If I'm calm and pull it out slowly and straight back, head always comes out.

Doesn't hurt to save them in the freezer in case....

Absolutely. A good firm grip (not too firm or you'll pop it) and just pull slowly. They will come out every time.

[Unconventional1]

Originally Posted by XanaduMama

We are surrounded by ticks here too. I dress ds in long pants and shoes with socks, use organic bug spray, and do a nightly check. You shouldn't do anything like burn them off, because that stresses them into spitting into the bite...which is how disease is transmitted. As PPs have said, tweezers are best--pull straight and firmly to remove them, as soon as possible (it takes 24 hours or so for any disease transmission to happen). Watch for bullseye rashes.

:

The diseases stay in the gut of the tick, and they regurgitate the contents of their stomach under stress. So leaving the head in is no big deal you just want to get the stomach away from you! The head will come out in a few days if it stays in the skin, yucky, but not dangerous.

Those pet drops like frontline and advantage are NASTY!!!!!!!!!!! There are a huge number of reports of them causing seizures/death in dogs and cats. They are composed of really nasty pesticides that I would not want to be on my beloved furball- much less allow my kid to touch said furball. The essential oil sprays other suggested can work on dogs too- just make sure the oils in them are safe for use on pets (not all are, but I don't remember which ones atm).