The first time that you find a tick attached to your pet, or yourself, can be a frightening experience. These small parasites are members of the arachnid family and survive by feeding on the blood of their hosts. Although ticks will usually drop off by themselves when they have sucked a sufficient amount of blood, it is highly recommended that you remove them as soon as possible. The main reason for this is that ticks can spread serious diseases such as Lyme Disease and Rocky Mountain Fever, which can effect both pets and humans. The likelihood of contracting these diseases becomes higher when a tick has been attached to the host for 24 hours or more. It is also preferable to dispose of ticks, not letting them drop off, because in this way, you are taking a step to reduce the tick population in the environment in and around your home.
How Not To Remove A Tick ( And Why Not)
When you find a tick on your pet or member of your family, you'll want to remove it as soon as possible to reduce the risk of illness. In the past, it was often recommended that you remove ticks by touching the tick's rear with a lit cigarette or match, or by applying alcohol or petroleum jelly to the tick's body. The heat method supposedly worked by shocking the tick and making it release its grip on the host, while the other methods were assumed to suffocate the tick and make it easier to pull out. Studies have shown, though, that these tick removal methods are based on misconceptions and can do more harm than good. Holding a lit cigarette to a tick carries the risk of burning the host's skin, especially when treating an animal or child who does not understand the situation and may move suddenly. These methods often cause the tick to do the opposite of detaching from their host, but can make them grip more tightly and be harder to remove. Another significant problem is that these removal techniques can cause the tick to regurgitate the contents of its stomach to the bite site or, it may break so that the teeth are left in the wound, increasing the chances of infection.
How Should You Remove Ticks From Your Pet?
Veterinarians agree that the correct and easiest method for removing a tick from an animal is with a pair of narrow-ended tweezers. You can use these tweezers to grasp the tick, positioning the points at the tick's head and as near to your pet's skin as possible, which will reduce the risk of part of the tick remaining inside the wound. Using a smooth, upward motion(not twisting or jerking), pull the tick away from the skin and it will release. Dispose of the tick by dropping it into alcohol and placing it in the garbage or by burning. Finally clean the bite site with a pet-friendly antiseptic to prevent infection.
Tick Prevention With Frontline Plus
Removing ticks from your pets is not a pleasant task, and it can seem like an unavoidable chore if you live in the countryside or if your pet spends a lot of time out-of-doors. Then, of course, there is always the worry that your pet will pick up an illness from one of these parasites. The good news is that you can use the flea and tick control product Frontline Plus to protect your pet. Frontline Plus is a pesticide which, when applied to pets regularly (every fortnight during tick season), will offer protection from these parasites as well as from fleas.