Recommendations for Tick Treatment (Information from http://www.bada-uk.org)
How a tick is removed is extremely important. Incorrect removal can result in:
• The tick's mouth parts being left behind in the skin
• Compression of the tick's abdomen
• Puncture of the tick's body
• Injury and stress to the tick
These in turn can result in localised infection from foreign bodies and the introduction of infective organisms from the tick's stomach contents and saliva.
Leaving behind the tick's mouth parts can result in septic abscesses which, in severe cases, can lead to septicaemia.
Compressing the tick's abdomen can cause its stomach contents to be squeezed back into the blood stream of its host.
Puncturing the body of the tick can spill its stomach contents, which may contain infective organisms.
Causing injury or stress to the tick can result in it regurgitating the blood meal that it has ingested. This may contain infective organisms and result in the host contracting a serious infection/s.
Stress to the tick can result from applying solutions such as alcohol, aftershave, oils / butter, paraffin or petroleum jelly. It can also result from applying a freezing agent or burning the tick with a cigarette, lighter, or match head.
These methods might be successful in getting a tick to release its grip, but they can also significantly increase the chances of disease transmission.
For Tick Removal Shallowford recommends the O’Tom Tick Removal Tool, available from http://www.bada-uk.org at a cost of about £5 (worth every penny!)
Tick Removal Instructions
Ideally, wear rubber / plastic gloves or, in the absence of gloves, shield fingers with tissue or paper.
1. Choose the most suitable O'Tom Tick Twister hook, according to the size of the tick (each pack contains two sizes, one for adult ticks and one for the tiny nymph ticks).
2. Engage the hook by approaching the tick from the side (the body of the tick is flat) until it is held securely.
3. Lift the hook very lightly and TURN IT (screwing or unscrewing). The tick detaches itself after 2-3 rotations.
4. After removing the tick, disinfect the bite site and wash hands with soap and water.
5. Save the tick for identification in case you become ill within several weeks. Write the date of the bite in pencil on a piece of paper and put it with the tick in a sealed plastic bag and store it in a freezer. Your doctor can use the information to assist in making an accurate diagnosis. Although not every tick carries Borreliosis or any of the associated co-infections, immediate removal of an attached tick is recommended.
DO NOT use petroleum jelly, any liquid solutions, or freeze / burn the tick, as this will stimulate it to regurgitate its stomach contents, increasing the chance of infection.