Ticks are a common parasite that can attach to you, your dog, or your cat. Since ticks can carry illnesses, such as Rocky Mountain Fever or Lyme disease, it is important to know how to remove them! As your local Lansdale pet sitter, I’m often asked what the best way to remove a tick is!
DO NOT:
1. Remove it with your hands.
2. Put petroleum jelly on it – hoping to suffocate it. It will make the tick attach tighter.
3. Hold a match to it – this will cause it to burrow deeper into your skin.
DO:
1. Examine yourself or your pets in a well lit area.
2. When checking your pet, look at their ears, legs, belly and around their eyes. You can also feel for any lumps under their hair.
3. If you find a tick, put on latex gloves before removing it. Then use tweezers to grasp the head of the tick and slowly pull the tick straight out from the skin. DO NOT SQUEEZE the body of the tick…it could push pathogens into you or your pet.
4. Once removed place it into a jar of alcohol. Or you can put it in a self sealing plastic bag and place it in the freezer. Write down the date, just in case you or your pet develops illness.
5. Clean the spot where the tick was attached with soap and water.
Symptoms to watch for: fever or chills, headaches, muscle aches, or rash. Lyme disease often has a tell-tale bulls–eye rash. Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever does not have a bulls-eye rash but it does have a rash.
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