| The Best Way to Remove a Tick |
When removing ticks it is best to
wear latex or rubber gloves to prevent any of the tick’s blood
from getting onto your skin because Lyme disease and other diseases
could be spread this way.
Ticks should always be removed as soon as
possible. Prompt and complete removal of ticks helps prevent illness.
Using Tweezers
If you do not have a specific tick removing device then tweezers
may suffice but we do not recommend this method over the use of
specific tick removing tools.
Grasp the tick firmly with tweezers where the tick’s mouth
meets the dog’s skin. Slowly and steadily pull the tick, trying
to get the whole tick at once. Don’t twist the tick or jerk
as you may break the tick’s body and risk leaving it’s
head behind. After removing the tick, clean the area with an antibiotic,
alcohol or another disinfectant.
The tick should then be killed by soaking
it in a jar of alcohol.
If part of the tick remains buried, try to
get the rest out by using a needle boiled in water for five minutes,
the way you would remove a wood splinter. Afterwards, cleanse and
disinfect the area as before.
Do not try to remove a tick by burning it
off as this does not work, may hurt your dog and may cause the tick
to regurgitate its potentially infectious fluids back into the skin.
Similarly, do not apply surgical spirit or any other chemicals to
the tick. The application of any solution, heat or cold, can cause
stress to the tick and cause it to regurgitate the contents of its
stomach, which may contain infective organisms. Surgical spirit,
alcohol, or general antiseptic should be applied to the bite site
after the tick has been removed.
Using a Tick Removal Tool
We sell and recommend the Tick
Twister tick removal tool.
The Tick Twister is the safest way to remove ticks without leaving
mouthparts of the tick planted in the skin. No use of chemicals.
Takes the tick away quickly and painlessly. Does not squeeze the
tick, thus reducing the risk of infection. Designed by a Veterinarian.
The Tick Twister works with the two following principles:
1) Tick is gripped without compressing the tick's body
2) Tick is extracted by rotation and a slight upward motion, not
by pulling.
When
the tick is grabbed with tweezers or similar unsuitable instruments,
the tool exerts a pressure on the tick's body. However, when
the tick is grasped with the Tick Twister there is no pressure
on the tick's body, thus, reducing the risk of the injection.
With the Tick Twister you do not pull on the tick. Instead
you rotate the tick and use a slight upward motion until the
tick detaches after 2-3 rotations.
The
Tick Twister is chemical free. More and more studies have
proved that if you use chemical products to kill the tick,
it is an attack for the tick and it reacts by a saliva back
flow, which increases inflammatory phenomena. |
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Prevention
Ask your vet about effective tick control (spray, powder) or anti-tick
medication for dogs, especially if you often walk your dog in wooded
areas. Dogs should be checked thoroughly for ticks after every such
walk. Pay close attention to ears, face, eyes, legs, and belly. |
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| To
find out more about ticks, their associated diseases and safe tick
removal, please visit www.bada-uk.org.
BADA-UK point out that "ordinary people pursuing ordinary activities
can come into contact with ticks and be bitten". |
| ©
D for Dog www.dfordog.com |
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