How to Remove a Tick

Finding a tick on yourself, your child, or your pet can be an unnerving experience! The great news is that if you are prepared, you can prevent possible infection and disease transmission from these nasty insects. In this article, the experts at Giroud share how to remove a tick, including steps for removing them from your dog, too! Read on for our helpful tips!

Ticks and the Diseases They Carry

There’s no doubt about it: ticks are terrible! They carry a variety of diseases that can harm you, your loved ones, and your pets! Although Lyme Disease is the one that usually comes to mind first, ticks can also transmit Powassan Virus, Alpha-Gal Syndrome, and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. There are several different types of ticks found in Pennsylvania, and the most prominent are the Blacklegged Tick, American Dog Tick, Longhorned Tick, and the Lone Star Tick.

Click Here to learn more about Tick-Borne Illnesses.

How to Remove a Tick

When it comes to ticks and the diseases they carry, being prepared is the key to staying safe! Here are ways you can ensure you are ready to combat these creepy crawlers:

1. Dress appropriately for outdoor adventures! Wear light-colored clothing so you can easily spot a black bug in contrast. Wear hats, long sleeves and long pants whenever possible. Ticks love to hitchhike, so tuck your pants into your socks to prevent them from crawling up your legs.
2. Always do a full body check after you’ve been outside. Be sure to inspect behind your ears, in our armpits, and the bend behind our knee. Ticks love to hide in dark spaces! Check kids and pets, especially around their ankles as they are closer to the ground.
   Click Here to Learn How to Keep Kids Safe from Mosquitoes and Ticks.
3. If you find a tick burrowing on your body, remain calm. There’s probably still time to remove it safely! The Center for Disease Control (CDC) shares these helpful tips for how to remove a tick:

   

• Use fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin’s surface as possible.
• Pull upward with steady, even pressure. Don’t twist or jerk the tick; this can cause the mouth-parts to break off and remain in the skin. If this happens, remove the mouth-parts with tweezers. If you are unable to remove the mouth easily with clean tweezers, leave it alone and let the skin heal.
• After removing the tick, thoroughly clean the bite area and your hands with rubbing alcohol, an iodine scrub, or soap and water.
• Dispose of a live tick by submersing it in alcohol, placing it in a sealed bag/container, wrapping it tightly with tape, or flushing it down the toilet. Never crush a tick with your fingers.

How to Remove a Tick from Your Pet

Again, quickly removing a tick as soon as you find it can prevent disease transmission and keep your pet healthy and safe. However, finding a tick on a dog or cat can be a lot trickier than finding one on yourself or your children! Here are tips for looking for and removing these bugs from your best bud:

• When possible, keep your pet’s hair trim and clean so you can easily find ticks.
• Do a full body check immediately after your pet has been outside. Take special care to check creases, folds, and crevises all over your pet’s body. Popular hiding spots for ticks on your dog are in and behind the ears, in armpits, and under the paws.

The American Kennel Club (AKC) shares great tips for how to remove a tick from your dog. Spread your dog’s fur with one hand, and then, grab hold of the tick as close to the skin as possible with fine-point tweezers. Slowly and gently pull upward and try to remove the tick in one piece. They also recommend using a tick removal hook such as this one found on Amazon.

Ticks are Not Just a Summer Problem!

It’s important to note that ticks are active well into the fall and even into the winter when the temperature is above freezing! Stay vigilant and follow these tips all year long to prevent tick-born illnesses from making you, your children, and your pets sick.

Make Your Yard a Tick-Free Zone

There are plenty of preventative measures you can take to keep ticks off your property, from cleaning up underbrush, pruning back trees to let down sunshine on shaded areas, and deterring tick-carrying deer from your yard. Click Here to learn the Favorite Spots Where Ticks Love to Hide in Your Yard and how to make your property a tick-free zone.

Tick Control Treatments from Giroud

Giroud offers both 100% organic and traditional chemical-based treatments to control ticks. A Giroud Expert will assess your property for tick “Hot Spots” and suggest a treatment plan to attack ticks where they gather. They’ll treat around the perimeter of the property and other high-risk areas where ticks are likely to live.

Get started today with FREE Property Evaluation with your Giroud ISA Certified Arborist!

Call 215-682-7704 to schedule your appointment now. You’ll have peace of mind knowing you are able to protect yourself, your loved ones, and your pets from nasty, biting insects this summer!