a tick on my little girl

[snoopy5386]

So tonight at bathtime we found a tick on my DD's head. She had her preschool
class at the local Nature Center this morning so I am sure that is where it came
from. I am totally freaking out! We have the tick in a tupperware container, he
is crawling around next to me as we speak. From what I can tell it is an
American Dog Tick, which is good I guess, no Lyme's disease, but it can transmit
other stuff like Rocky Mountain Fever. I am totally freaked, I hate bugs! I will
be calling the pediatrician in the morning, anything else I should do. Anyone
who is more experienced with ticks please make me feel better.
Thanks

[angelamariebee]

I don't have any advice to give but maybe a little reassurance? My siblings and I spent summers in a very wooded area in North Carolina. I can remember many times our parents found ticks on us and we've never gotten sick as a result. So, she'll most likely be fine.

[fek&fuzz]

was it just walking on her head or had it bitten in to her skin? if it was just walking around she'll be fine. if it had bitten her, it wasn't on for long and it's just grosser but she'll be fine.

I always find dog ticks on me this time of year, I had one crawling on my back tonight. I hate them : but I hate the stupid deer ticks that I can't feel on me until they are in my skin giving me lyme anxiety.

[tndixiemom]

We live in the sticks of Tennessee so ticks are just a part of summer. We check ds every night when he comes in and at least once a week or so, we find one. Usually it is under his hair. We get tweezers, pull it out, clean the area, and put hydrocortisone on it for the itching. The worst part is when he scratches the area and ends up with huge scabs under his hair. That is so gross.

[listipton]

ticks are part of summer here too. just reading this thread has me searching my hair and checking my skin. Your dd will probably be jsut fine

[Red Pajama]

I'd flush the tick down the toilet and wouldn't worry.

[angie7]

Ticks are ticks. 99% of the time they are harmless. I would flush it and not worry about it. We went for a nature hike the other day and pulled off about 50 of them between the 4 of us. My dh and one of my dd's had one already embedded. No worries here. I hate them but not much you can do about them. They seem to be pretty bad this year.

[prothyraia]

As someone who has had tick-borne illness, I'm going to dissent slightly.

Don't worry about it, but don't flush the bugger just yet. Odds are well in your favor that she's completely fine, but it can't hurt to hang on to the sucker for a bit just in case. (unless it was just crawling around and not actually attached, then squish it and laugh maniacally)

[snoopy5386]

it was attached to her head. I'll be keeping the tick around for a while and calling the doc in the morning.

[SquishyKitty]

I wouldn't call the doc unless she develops a rash or other symptoms. But do keep the tick just in case.

[vegemamato]

Originally Posted by SquishyKitty

I wouldn't call the doc unless she develops a rash or other symptoms. But do keep the tick just in case.

:

[mommariffic]

I'm serious when I say this: I find at least one tick on me per day. My kid has one at least once a week on her, and we pick them off, flush them, and move on. Ticks are a huge part of living in the woods [at least where I am..] and if I lost it for each one I saw I'd be addicted to Xanax by now.

Keep a look out for a rash, but don't fret too much.

[j_p_i]

I think that the tick often needs to be attached for 24 hours before a disease is a real danger. At least, I'm relatively sure that's the case with Lyme's Disease (though I realize that's a different kind of tick than what you found).

My XH had a tick on him that did transmit Lyme's Disease, but because we caught it soon enough (noticed the rash and brought him to the hospital) they were able to treat with antibiotics and he was fine. I wouldn't fret too much, but if I were in your shoes I'd err on the side of caution and keep an eye out for rashes/symptoms, and give the doc a call. That comes from my personal experience with this though.