REMOVE A TICK’S HEAD FROM YOURS OR A PET’S SKIN
Ticks are small parasitic bugs that cling onto the skin. They mostly look for warm-blooded hosts like you or your pet. Their grip is so strong that even if you manage to pull them out, their head might be left behind. In case of embedded head, it does not mean that you will get tick-borne diseases but your risk of getting infections increases since the tick’s body contains germs.
The embedded head might fall off after a while or it might not, leaving behind a hard bump, but it is always better to be cautious. As long as they are sucking onto blood they grow in size, up to the size of a marble. They can remain attached to the skin up to 10 days after it first bites.
HOW TO REMOVE TICKS
- Be very cautious while getting rid of a tick, if you jerk off its head might be left embedded in your skin leading to some infections or diseases.
- Grab your skin as tight as you can and pull it out carefully.
- Another useful method involves using tweezers.
- If you or your pet has one latched to their skin the easy way is to get a hold of the tick by sterilized tweezers, grab it gently and pull out slowly making sure no body parts are left behind.
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF TICKS BITE
- You are most likely to get ticks if you have spent some time outdoors in the trees, grass, or shrubs.
- Their host is you and your pet, and they can pass between the two with ease.
- Two bites of ticks are harmless without causing any prominent symptoms,
- however, they can cause some allergic reactions that can lead to certain dangerous symptoms or can even be deadly.
You may experience some of the below symptoms if you are sensitive to tick bites: - A rash
- Burning feeling
- Pain or swelling
- A hard bump
- Panting in serious cases
Some examples of tick-borne disease are:
- Full body rash or irritability
- Vomiting
- Headache
- Chills
- Neck stiffness
- Pain in joints or muscles
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Fever
- Fatigue
- Sleep disturbance or night sweat
- Cognitive Decline
- Vision changes
- Sensitivity to light
- Skin outbreaks
- Neurological problems
- Regression in children
- Mood changes
These symptoms might appear after days or weeks of the first bite.
If you experience any of these symptoms consult your doctor and let them know about the tick’s bite.
TICK-BORNE DISEASES
Some tick-borne diseases are:
- Tularemia (infectious animal disease)
- Lyme disease
- Colorado Tick Fever
- Ehrlichiosis (bacterial illness-causing flu-like symptoms)
- Rocky Mountain spotted Fever (viral infection)
- Powassan
- Anaplasmosis
- Babesiosis
TREATMENTS
These symptoms can lead to legs, arms, or half-face paralysis if not treated.
Lyme Disease
With any Lyme disease, symptoms one must take at least take:
- three weeks of oral antibiotics
- with every week if symptoms return you need a new batch of antibiotics.
- If antibiotics are taken within 72 hours of the bite it can decrease the risks of Lyme disease.
Rocky Mounted Spotted Fever
These symptoms show up from 2 days to 2 weeks.
- It can cause serious illness and long health complications.
- Antibiotic Doxycycline is recommended by doctors in this case.
Ehrlichiosis
The symptoms show up 1 to 2 weeks after the bite.
- This is also treated with Doxycycline.
Tularemia
- Patients usually recover by taking antibiotics, but the symptoms can last for weeks.
Babesiosis
- Usually treated with a dose of antibiotics or a mix of anti-parasitic drugs.