That was what I originally thought also but I was told by the nurse that helped us remove one from my neighbor that smothering them can make them infect you as they die. She grabbed the head of the tick with the tweezers and pulled gently. Gently is the key word. I haven't had a tick die yet when I did this. The ones that cause Lyme disease are extremely small though especially at the beginning of the tick season and they're a little tougher to get to. Regards, Deb
www.uftri.org www.linesend.com -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Gary Smith Sent: Tuesday, August 08, 2006 10:49 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [VFB] TICK REMOVAL METHOD You run the risk of pulling the head from the body and then having it become infected. Smothering them is a much safer way of removing them. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Deborah Duran" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, August 08, 2006 9:55 PM Subject: RE: [VFB] TICK REMOVAL METHOD I don't think you're supposed to smother them. You risk them infecting you when you do that. You're supposed to pull them gently out with tweezers. Then I clean it out immediately with an antiseptic. I finally found a natural tick remedy for my back yard. I just put in more bird feeders and I haven't seen a single tick yet this year. :) Last year I had to remove at least five of them just from gardening in my back yard. I thought the birds would bring more ticks but I guess they're eating them instead. My neighbor has had a big problem with them in her yard this year. We have a lot LYME disease here and my town has the highest numbers. It's a real problem. Regards, Deb www.uftri.org www.linesend.com -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Chapman, Chris Sent: Tuesday, August 08, 2006 10:17 AM To: [email protected] Subject: RE: [VFB] TICK REMOVAL METHOD I have heard vaseline works also. The key is to cover their breathing tube which sticks out of the skin while they are under it. Thanks, Chris -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, August 08, 2006 10:04 AM To: [email protected] Subject: [VFB] TICK REMOVAL METHOD Where I fish there is a very good chance of coming home with some ticks. In some areas around here 60% of the deer ticks are carrying Lyme disease. Supposedly they need to be attached between 24 to 48 hours to infect a person. So if you don't find them before they bite you, removal as quickly as possible is advised. TICK REMOVAL A School Nurse has written the info below -- good enough to share -- "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 a few seconds (15-20), the tick will come out on it's own and be stuck to the cotton ball when you lift it away. This technique has worked every time I've used it (and in KY, 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 me back to say, "It worked!" "
