How to remove a tick the right way!

[willcfish]

I recently saw a report that there are more kids brought to ER for cigarette burns trying to get the ticks off than there are for problems with a tick bite.
Two of the guys went into the woods to get a better look at an Eagles nest and came out with 17 Wood ticks and a Deer Tick, most not attached but I thought I would video this one on my Brother In Law. lol
If they have been there a while they will cement themselve to you so pry up from the back end. They will also poop all over which is a good sign you have one in your hair if you see pepper on your fingers.
If you heat them they spit their toxin into you and cause more chance of infection.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InrWbq7d0pY

[Salty Gator]

It is better to twist them counter clockwise than to pull them straight off. It's amazing what people put on the Internet

[willcfish]

Twist if you like but, twisting them takes off the head.

[Dubble Trubble]

http://www.cdc.gov/ticks/removing_a_tick.html

[Salty Gator]

Twist if you like but, twisting them takes off the head.

No it won't. I'm a veterinarian and I bet I removed more ticks last year than you have done in your life. Ticks screw their proboscis in clockwise. So when you twist counterclockwise, your unscrewing them in a sense. Trust me. I've used heat, alcohol and tweezers like you posted. I see more problems with people trying to pull them out EXACTLY like in your video. So people , please don't listen to this or even waste your time watching the video. Again, I'm amazed at what people put on the Internet, total garbage. I guess anyone with a camera and Internet access is an expert. 9 times out of ten when someone brings a dog in with a tick they tried to remove with tweezers, and they leave the head in and I have to remove it. Come to think of it, I make more money when people do stuff like this, so carry on
And to clarify, you twist the ticks body counterclockwise but don't pull. It will come out and wil not leave the head in.

[Dubble Trubble]

Salty, this seems to back you up. I guess the CDC needs to get on the ball!

http://www.askwiki.net/How-to-Remove-a-Tick

Dubble

[Salty Gator]

Salty, this seems to back you up. I guess the CDC needs to get on the ball!

http://www.askwiki.net/How-to-Remove-a-Tick

Dubble

, I've removed a million ticks, a million ways. This is the only way to go

[willcfish]

Thanks Salty Gator. What do you think of the Tick Key that everyone is telling me to use?

[Salty Gator]

Thanks Salty Gator. What do you think of the Tick Key that everyone is telling me to use?

I've never used one, but it doesn't unscrew them. I use my thumb and forefinger on larger ones and small Hemostats for the smaller one.
Another reason it works better, sometimes with a tick there is a little swelling that will actually bury the head so you can't see it. So tweezers or the key may leave the head in in those instances. I encourage you to try on your own. Just loosely pinch the body and gently twist counterclockwise. You will have to re grip once you've done a half turn. It blew my mind the first time I did it. Good luck

[Dubble Trubble]

Thanks Salty Gator. What do you think of the Tick Key that everyone is telling me to use?

I've never used one, but it doesn't unscrew them. I use my thumb and forefinger on larger ones and small Hemostats for the smaller one.
Another reason it works better, sometimes with a tick there is a little swelling that will actually bury the head so you can't see it. So tweezers or the key may leave the head in in those instances. I encourage you to try on your own. Just loosely pinch the body and gently twist counterclockwise. You will have to re grip once you've done a half turn. It blew my mind the first time I did it. Good luck

Does this method work for blue ticks as well as seed ticks?

[mastercaster]

Ticks do not screw in, they use a barbed hypostome. Twisting it only increases the risk of breaking it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypostome_(tick)

Anyone who says otherwise doesn't know what they're talking about. I'd be especially concerned if my vet or Dr told me that. Salty Gator and the other article posted are factually wrong.

You should listen to the scientists at CDC, NIH, humane society etc etc.

http://www.cdc.gov/ticks/removing_a_tick.html

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency ... 007211.htm

http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/do ... f_dog.html

[cast-n-stone]

I see this thread is going to get interesting!

[zload]

http://phenomena.nationalgeographic.com ... bites-you/

Video of the "bite" process, gives me the creeps.

[willcfish]

We did it exactly like the CDC shows. I told him not to crush it but he did any way. http://www.cdc.gov/ticks/removing_a_tick.html

[Salty Gator]

The person that told me to unscrew ticks was a parasitologist from Auburn. What I can say, is that I've never left a head on any tick I've removed by twisting counterclockwise. Nor have I ever seen someone bring in an animal with a tick head embedded by twisting. I used to see at least 1-2 per month that were brought in by people that used tweezers and left a head in. Again, do what you like, but I can assure you from plenty of experience, it is the best way to go, no question. I don't see them much since nexguard hit the market. I understand the folks at the cdc are top notch scientists, but I wonder how many ticks these particular scientists actually remove