My daughter was weeding her garden a couple of years ago, she looked down at her wrist and saw what she thought was a spider so she tried to flick it off but she said it was hard to to do. A while later (cant quite remember if it was the next day) she got a rash where it had been and it spread in a wierd sort of line right up her arm.
It didn't get any better so she went to the Docs and she didn't feel too great either. They sent her up the hospital where they examined her and gave her treatment for suspected Lymes Disease. That was from her own garden, they said it could have been off a fox.
The dog used to get them regularly when we lived in Bradford, I think they came from the horses, but now we are living in the countryside, he doesn't seem to get them anymore!
I followed this thread with a great deal of interest. I do hope you are all sorted and recovered etc.
Having said that, it has been a very much 'learning curve' for most of us I would imagine. Hope you will all be ok and will carry on camping freely and happily
"Grasp the tick as close to the skin
as possible, using fine tweezers or
finger nails, and pull firmly and
steadily without jerking or twisting."
and
"Never apply heat, e.g. lighted
cigarette ends or match heads,
to attached ticks.
Do not use chemicals such as
alcohol, nail polish remover,
petroleum jelly or aromatic oils
to ticks prior to removal.
These substances could
increase infection risk by
stimulating the tick to
regurgitate saliva into the
bite wound."
So there you go.
Steve
------------- There are 10 types of people, those that understand binary, and those that don't.
Reading this thread has just reminded me about these horrible little things. Our dog got a few last year and they really are disgusting. Trouble is they are so small you can't really see them until they have been sucking on the hosts blood for a while and become engorged
When they are engorged they look like a brown jellybean. A fact my hubby used to creep out our children by saying ' ooh look we just found another tick on the dog' and eating it (Jelly bean not tick!!!)
We now get Advantix from the vet instead of the other flea treatment we used to use as this helps prevent ticks as well as fleas!!!. When she did have them I found the twist and pull method quite difficult so we bought a tick remover and it gets them off really quick and easily. I would definately recommend keeping one in the camping equipment. I'm just glad none of us have had them. I'm sure the remover would work equally well on people though.
Sorry to bring up the ugly tick again but thought I'd tell you all about the shock I had the other day.
I'm used to pulling the odd tick off me since I camp and walk in scotland - previous record was 3 on me on the western isles. However, I was cycling on sunday on the west side of loch long nr glasgow, past the CCC site there. I barely got off the bike but did wander down to the shore a couple of times but must have taken about 10 steps total through long grass. I'm cautious too - tuck trousers in, check every so often.
So was pretty alarmed to pull 9 ticks off me yesterday. They were tiny too - I'm guessing the 'nymph' stage since impossible to tell was a tick without a magnifier.
Anyways, thought I'd warn people. Had heard they were becoming more prevalent but didn't expect that. It wasn't like I was trudging through tall vegetation in sheep/deer territory.
First hand expereince! This happened to me last month! My 7 year old had one behind his ear. I removed it with tweezers too but this can be bad if you pull too hard and leave the head inside the skin.
I went to my GP when we got back from camping and he checked behind his ear and luckily i had got it all out. He told me to keep an eye on the area for a month after and if any rash appeared, i should take him back for antibiotics.
He told me next time to hold onto the tic with the tweezers and gently pull it until it lets go of the skin itself but ideally to get a medical proffessional, to do it.
Good luck!!!
I have the tweezer tic remover for my dog. Although he's treated regularly with frontline he had 2 when we got back from Loch Lomond in the summer. Very hard to find when they are not engorged with blood, they are like the colour skin and on Golden Retriever it's a nightmare....never managed to have one attach itself to me though.
My tweezers quite clearly state to twist and pull.
I had one last year that must of been on me for at least 4 days on the back of my knee, I only found it when my leg hurt as my daughter hit me on it . I thought thats odd i didnt know i had a growth there when i rubbed it to see why it was hurting , that must of come up quick .... urgh....... I then realised it was a tick when i saw all the black hairs ( legs ) it was engorged a greyish fleshy colour and about 4mm long off roundish looking . anyway i went to minor injuries ( couldnt bloody well get there fast enough !!) with it and they put numbing stuff on it to kill it then pulled it off however the mouth was left in so ended up having a chunk of skin cut out and stitches along with antibiotics for a week as it was in deer country where i got it.
cheers pete i better get some sort of scull cap then no way do i want those crettins in my lugs already sleep with pjs tucked in socks cant be doing much for my love life lol
But If you find ticks on you and you want to get um off quick the easiest way is to use a tick remover that is designed for your pets that you can get in most vets for a couple of pounds. I always carry one in my kit and have done for 17 years (HM Forces)
They are called tick hooks you get one large hook and a small one the pack shows you how to slide it over the tick and with a twisting action twist the little devils out in one peace job done in seconds
As for getting Lymes Disease well , its important to remain vigilant as previously mentioned by others but I would worry to much about that one
Well if folk are going to tell horror tick stories try this one
About 5 years ago on exercise in sunny Scotland I had to find a route through a dense wood much to my pleasure I noticed what appeared to be a small path running through and luckily in our general direction so myself and the rest of the section stumbled through until daylight at the other end
The trouble was when we emerged on the other side we were all covered from head to toe in hundreds and hundreds of small ticks we were crawling in them
The nice little path must be used regularly by deer and these little devils just sit and wait for you to brush past
Needless to say there was very little insect repellent left shortly afterwards and it would have been an interesting sight for any passerby as we were all inspecting and checking each others............
A day of all things motorhome and campervan. The show is held both in the main indoor arena and across the grounds. Catering, hot drinks and food options are available. Easy access to the site and free parking included. Win one of five pairs of day tickets
Topic: Urgent - tick advice required!!!
(Jelly bean not tick!!!)
