Tis the Season…for Ticks
Last week I noticed something stuck in Elle’s hair when I was giving her a bath. At first I thought it was food or dirt, but after a few tries of getting it out, I looked closer and discovered it was a tick! I let out a gasp and immediately my mind began to panic. “How am I going to get this out?” “What if it has Lyme?”
My mind ran to Lyme because my niece was diagnosed with it though she is thankfully cured now. I’ve also watched a documentary on Lyme Disease. It’s terrifying. But the good news is that caught early, it is treatable.
I called my husband and asked his advice. He was visiting my Mother in Law in the hospital – she had knee surgery. She said to keep moving the tick around so it would become flustered and release. I tried this for several minutes with no luck. I made the executive decision to get her out of the tub, get her dressed and take her to the after-hours clinic which is thankfully close to our home.
At the last minute I grabbed the iPad so Elle would have some entertainment waiting for doctor and some distraction when they removed the tic. Thank goodness I did! When the doctor came in she explained there is no scientific approach to removing ticks and it’s hard to say if any of the wives tales of removing them such as applying Vaseline or heat actually work. She said they usually don’t get the tick all at once and have to tweeze out pieces. I cringed! My poor little Elle.
I held Elle’s head while the doctor clasped the tweezer around the tick. Thank goodness for the iPad. Elle was completely consumed with Yo Gabba Gabba and didn’t jerk, pull or cry. After squeezing the tick for a minute and tugging slightly the doctor pulled the tick off – all in one piece and still alive!
She put it in a container for me to take to the local health department to test it for Lyme. We got the results today – negative! Phew.
I’m hoping your little ones don’t get bit by a tick but if they do, hopefully my experience will help. I would highly recommend keeping the tick and taking it to the local health department so you know for sure whether it may cause Lyme or not.
Also, it’s always best to bath them after being in a wooded play areas so you can get a good look for any ticks.
tick toddler in D. Playing
Reader Comments (3)
Jennifer, When we moved to Arizona our dog Sammy kept getting Ticks. She was ten years old and never had Ticks before. We were told that pets get the Ticks from the Oleander Plant. Pets and children can rub up against the plant and get the Ticks in their hair/ coat. We were taken aback with this revalation. When we travel we stop at rest stops and the majority of rest stop "Pet Areas" are suranded by Oleanders. Also in Arizona the Oleander Plant grows well in our Heat. Just a thought, Ticks thrive in Oleander bushes! They are also Poisionous!
Thanks Debbie! I had no idea. We actually have a lot of Oleander around our house. I was told it was poisonous when we moved in so I make sure to keep Elle away from it but I'll take even more caution now - might even have to chop it down though it does act as a border to our home and we like that it is deer resistant. Thanks for sharing though - hope Sammy has been avoiding ticks!
You handled that like a pro! I definitely would not have been as composed had this happened to Angus. Glad Elle is doing fine now and wasn't phased in the slightest :)