Easiest way to remove a tick

General discussions about Chow Chows.

Moderator: chowadmin

Post Reply
User avatar
Michael's Maggie May
Rank 1
Rank 1
Posts: 164
Joined: Fri Jan 16, 2009 9:36 am
Location: Athens,Ga

Easiest way to remove a tick

Post by Michael's Maggie May »

TICK REMOVAL

Spring is here and the ticks will be showing their heads.

Here is a good way to get them off you, your children, or your pets. Give it a try..

Please forward to anyone with children... Or hunters or anyone who even steps outside in the summer!!

A School Nurse has written the info below -- good enough to share -- and it really works!

I had a pediatrician tell me what she believes is the best way to remove a tick.. This is great, because it works in those places where it's sometimes difficult to get to with tweezers: between toes, in the middle of a head full of dark hair, etc.

Apply a glob of liquid soap to a cotton ball.. Cover the tick with the soap-soaked cotton ball and swab it for 15 to 20 seconds. The tick will come out on its own and be stuck to the cotton ball when you lift it away.

This technique has worked every time I've used it (and that was frequently), and it's much less traumatic for the patient and easier for me.

Unless someone is allergic to soap, I can't see that this would be damaging in any way. I even had my doctor's wife call me for advice because she had one stuck to her back and she couldn't reach it with tweezers. She used this method and immediately called back to say, "It worked!"

Please pass this one on. Everyone needs this helpful hint.
User avatar
Terrina Harris
Rank 1
Rank 1
Posts: 283
Joined: Sun Apr 01, 2007 3:49 pm
Contact:

Re: Easiest way to remove a tick

Post by Terrina Harris »

Thanks for the tip. The 3 Chow puppies that we had brought up from North Carolina were covered in ticks. We had them kenneled at a Vet there overnight until they could be transported. While there we had them groomed because they were covered in poop and also had them apply Frontline. Most of the ticks have died but we are still finding some. Yesterday I took one to our Vet and had them give me a lesson for tick removal (never had any that had them before) It makes me nervous using the tweezers because I want to make sure I get the whole thing. So I will give the dishsoap a try. Well it is off to the Vet with the little boy. He isn't feeling well so I am getting him checked out.

Terrina
Image
Thank you sweetpea!!
thunderhill
Rank 0
Rank 0
Posts: 4
Joined: Thu Dec 14, 2006 1:24 pm

Re: Easiest way to remove a tick

Post by thunderhill »

The best way I've found to remove a tick from a Chow is by using a little tool called a Tick Twister. I found it at my vet's several years ago. You slip the V-shaped end of the tool around the tick where it's attached itself to the dog, and twist. The tick pops right off, and nothing is left behind. The Tick Twister is very inexpensive and extremely handy to have around. You can find it at http://www.ticktwister.com.

Hope that helps,

Vicki DeGruy
User avatar
Auddymay
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 7575
Joined: Tue Oct 25, 2005 3:49 am
Location: Muskegon, Michigan

Re: Easiest way to remove a tick

Post by Auddymay »

Those are both great tips. We don't have a huge tick problem here, as Terrina said, she had to be lessoned how to remove them, and she is experienced with dogs. My boxer had one, and the vet had to tell me what it was. There I was in my 30's, never saw one before.

The tick twister sounds neat- easy peasy, ticky tweezy! #-o
User avatar
Michael's Maggie May
Rank 1
Rank 1
Posts: 164
Joined: Fri Jan 16, 2009 9:36 am
Location: Athens,Ga

Re: Easiest way to remove a tick

Post by Michael's Maggie May »

It is better for the dog to have the tick release itself with the soap. I know people who encase the tick with a soaked alcohol cotton ball and they cant get off the dog fast enough. Tweezers and needlenose pliers ALWAYS have a chance to leave the head embedded in the dog and that causes infections.
User avatar
LEO's mum
Rank 3
Rank 3
Posts: 1154
Joined: Fri Mar 17, 2006 1:06 pm
Location: SF, CA

Re: Easiest way to remove a tick

Post by LEO's mum »

We went trecking in Marin on Saturday and LEO has picked up a few ticks. Well, a few up to now. She is on Advantix but those ticks were still clinging onto her. I got the my fish deboning tweezer(by global) out and got them off in one piece. But reading what's on the net, best not to squeeze the little buggers so as not to push poisonous saliva, etc into the dog.... If I see another one, I'll definetely try the soap method. Thank U!

Leonora & mum
User avatar
Ellie
Rank 0
Rank 0
Posts: 35
Joined: Tue Apr 14, 2009 11:59 pm
Location: Brisbane, Australia

Re: Easiest way to remove a tick

Post by Ellie »

We don't get many ticks here thank goodness, but this's what we do on the odd occasion it happens. Simply loop some thread about the tick's head (pracically right where it's joined to the animal's skin), and holding both ends pull together and outwards at the same time. The tick comes out easily. This method also means that the tick's head doesn't detatch from it's body, which can cause infection.

Yuck, I HATE ticks!
Image
User avatar
Dogdad
Rank 3
Rank 3
Posts: 4489
Joined: Tue Feb 13, 2007 8:43 am
Location: Wausau, WI

Re: Easiest way to remove a tick

Post by Dogdad »

We have tons of ticks here, this time of year, Every day we have to do a tick check, I will have to try the soap method, it beats trying to pull them off

David
User avatar
tabitha
Rank 1
Rank 1
Posts: 171
Joined: Thu Jul 03, 2008 6:04 am
Location: Illinois

Re: Easiest way to remove a tick

Post by tabitha »

Centers for Disease Control says:

Folklore remedies, such as the use of petroleum jelly or hot matches, do little to encourage a tick to detach from skin. In fact, they may make matters worse by irritating the tick and stimulating it to release additional saliva or regurgitate gut contents, increasing the chances of transmitting pathogens. These methods of tick removal should be avoided.

http://www.snopes.com/oldwives/tick.asp
Post Reply