Yes, I spent Mother's Day at the local MedExpress Urgent Care Center getting a tick removed from my son's neck! After lots of pulling and crying and comforting and screaming and hyperventilating (and that was just me!) we pulled at the tick with a pair of tweezers and promptly detached the body from the head (which was still burrowed in his neck).
Jump in the car folks, it's time to turn this over to the professionals!
This handy little tool, the Tick Twister saved the day:
Slide the tool onto the neck of the tick and twist, twist, twist ... makes for a quick and painless removal of the entire tick! Why in the world didn't we go there BEFORE all the drama? So, I'm going to Pet Smart tomorrow to purchase a few of these miracle tools for a mere $4.99. Got a tick? Click here: Tick Twister
In the meantime, enjoy this little ditty:
Ticks make my skin crawl! I've fortunately never had one on me ... knock on wood ...
ReplyDeleteThis blog is a wonderful source of useful information! I'm going to get me one of those today! Ticks give me the creeps... glad it all turned out ok.
ReplyDeleteWe live in "The Land Of Ticks" out here, and need to remove them from my dog regularly. (Frontline doesn't keep them from biting.) It's VERY important to mention that you can't just twist it out. You must twist COUNTER clockwise, as a tick screws it's self into your skin clockwise. If you twist clockwise it will push deeper and you risk twisting the head off in your body.
ReplyDeleteIf you can't get the tool, just grab the tick as close to the skin as you can get, and twist counter clockwise. You will hear a little (can only be described as a click) as the tick is removed.
I remember as a kid my mother removing one with a HOT needle...apparently it made the tick recede?? Now I am curious, does he have to be tested for Lime disease? How did he know it was there?
ReplyDeleteoh my.... poor guy :(
ReplyDeletei didn't know such tool exists, but i'll get one for my doggies in italy. thanks for the tip.
is your son ok? does he needs medication now?
WAaaa! Now I'm all creepy crawly just thinking about it!!! Who knew such a tool existed?!? I foresee a trip to pet smart in our future :)
ReplyDeleteOh man...hope today is better. I'll have to look into one of those tools.
ReplyDeleteI read that you have to remove them as quickly as possible- just pluck them right out without much fuss. If you startle them, they did deeper and release toxins into your skin. So anyone who tells you to put nail polish on them or to hold a flame to the body to make the tick "back out" is full of it. I'm glad you got it all sorted!
ReplyDeleteYuck! Ticks and I are not friends ~ nasty little creatures if you ask me, and I hear they are bad where I live this year. Looks like I'll be getting a new "tool" for the medicine cabinet! Thanks Jen!
ReplyDeleteI've read so many people talking about ticks. They must be really bad this year.
ReplyDeleteO Gosh! This totally gives me the heeby-jeebies. I hope your son is ok. What a bummer. :(
ReplyDeleteOh, ick! The poor guy. :( Glad you all got that thing out!!
ReplyDeleteWow, I wish I would've known about this tool. I pulled one off of my dog and part of it stayed inside. He has this huge lump on his head where it just died inside.
ReplyDeleteNo, a tick on the neck! Poor guy.
ReplyDeleteI hate ticks! Ah! My grandma just went to the doctor and had one that had burrowed IN her skin on the back of her knee. Eww!
ReplyDeleteAnother foolproof way? Vaseline. Seriously. Just rub some vaseline on the head of that nasty tick and it pulls it's head right out. Way easier than the match trick. I have also heard that rubbing alcohol and olive oil do the same thing, but I haven't tried them. The vaseline is really the best, though. Good luck in the future!
Also, that song? The worst, least-romantic, most disgusting song I have EVER. Heard! It's always been on my "least favorite song in the universe" list. Yep. I have one.
ReplyDeleteDamn Ticks! Cole was bit by one too and had the lime test...it was positive! Antibiotics for 4 weeks! Which nipped it in the bud and he is fine now! I find them on my white dog all of the time...but not the brown one?! I hope your little one is ok! Jeez... Happy Mothers Day........:(
ReplyDeleteOh, you poor mommy, and poor little man! this happened to my son a while ago...in NOVEMBER!! we have to check him (and ourselves) from April through pretty much when the snow flies. we have a tick removing tool, too.
ReplyDelete