Icky Ticky

We've been reading a lot lately about ticks. No, not the thing our moms eye does when she finds another tissue torn up by Tucker. You know, ticks. Those icky, creepy-crawly parasites that give us the heeby-jeebies just thinking about them.

So, if you found a tick on yourself, already head-embedded, would you know the correct way to extract it without breaking off the head in the skin which could lead to an infection?

We have never found a tick on any of our bodies to date... knock on wood. We are lucky dogs but we also don't live or play near a lot of high grasses or bushes. Of course, ticks can be found pretty much anywhere. Did you know a tick will hang from a leaf for weeks just waiting for an animal to skirt by so it can attach itself?

We have discovered a lot of techniques used for tick removal. Here are the two our mom has used in the past and has found effective.

First:
Wet a cotton ball with liquid hand soap and lay it on the tick for a few seconds (20-30 seconds). Gently rub the cotton ball on the tick. The tick will extract itself and will be on the cotton ball. No ticky-touchy which is two thumbs up with our mom!

Second:
If the cotton ball trick doesn't work, then it is time to get the tweezers. Grasp the tick firmly with the tweezers as close to the skin as possible. Gently but firmly pull straight away from the skin until the tick comes out. Never twist! Avoid grasping the ticks abdomen. This can cause the tick to regurgitate its stomach contents, which can increase the likelihood of Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever Ehrlichiosis or any other scary diseases that ticks like to carry and spread.

Most importantly is tick prevention. Use any preventative medicines your vet may recommend. We know a lot of doggies who do not use products like Frontline. That's okay too. It is up to their owners to make sure they are kept safe from ticks whichever method is preferred.

Also, if you find a tick on a cat, do not remove it yourself. This would be a good time to visit your vet. Healthy cats almost never suffer tick infestations due to their good grooming habits.

So, now that you are all scratching yourselves and cursing us for giving you the creeps, let us know your suggestions for tick removal. Any and all information is nothing but helpful in case a tick emergency should rear its ugly little creepy crawly head.