What to do if you find a deer tick
The sooner you can remove a deer tick the better. To prevent lyme disease do DAILY tick checks because you want the deer tick to embed your skin for less than 24-48 hours.
- If you find a tick on you or your pets, use a thin-bladed pair of tweezers.
- Grab the tick by the head or the mouth as close to the skin as possible and remove attached tick slowly and gently.
- Do NOT use the ineffective remedies like petroleum jelly, nail polishes, or burning matches.
- Save the tick for testing/diagnosis: Put tick in a small jar to give your health practitioner as soon as possible.
- An effective history of exposure is helpful for treatment. You can take a photo of the tick or the rash and email it to your doctor for clarification.
- You can't effectively wash ticks out of clothing, but you can get rid of them by putting clothing in the dryer for a cycle.
Because the disease has symptoms that mimic other diseases, diagnosis is often difficult. If you suspect you have been bitten, go to a doctor immediately. A physical exam and blood test may be done. But a blood test is not always conclusive. Early recognition of signs and an awareness of history of possible exposure areas is critical. Fortunately, the disease can be treated with anitbiotics. However, the earlier the diagnosis is made the better the recovery.
To reduce deer tick population near your house: Keep lawn mowed, brush trimmed, and leaf litter away from home. Clear vegetation on paths and trails.
Symptoms that appear 3 to 30 days after the bite according to the deer tick study by the Minnesota Dept. of Health. A person may have all or just some of these symptoms. The symptoms can resemble the flu.
- Red rash resembling a bulls-eye may be present in some case. This rash is present in 60 to 80 percent of the Lyme disease cases.
- Muscle and joint pain
Symptoms that can appear later
Symptoms days to weeks after the bite according to the Minnesota Dept. of Health. A person may have all or just some of these symptoms.
- Multiple rashes
- Facial paralysis
- Fever - Stiff neck
- Weakness, numbness, pain in arms
- Irregular heart beat
- Weakness or fatigue Long-term symptoms of untreated Lyme disease include arthritis, problems with the nervous system, weakness, fatigue.
(Photo above of a female deer tick by jkirkhart35 on Flickr)