How to remove ticks
What tick removal tool should I use?
Why are ticks so difficult to remove?
What if I leave the head in?
Links - more tick information
As soon as possible, but disease transmission
doesn’t happen right away. When the tick bites an infected mouse, lyme disease
organisms (coiled bacteria called spirochetes) move to the tick’s intestine
and go dormant. Spirochetes can live this way for years waiting for a new
host. When the spirochetes detect the fresh blood, they wake up and
multiply rapidly. The tick’s gut is soon packed with spirochetes (which is why you
don’t want to squash that tick). Finally, the spirochetes move to the tick’s
salivary glands and into the new host’s bloodstream.
This process – multiplication and migration to the
salivary glands, takes time – at least twenty four hours and often longer,
so rapid removal of ticks should offer a measure of
protection.
Do products that slowly kill the tick and allow it to
remain in place (like Frontline) prevent lyme disease transmission? I don’t
think anyone knows for sure. Our preference is to remove ticks right away
if possible and to use Preventic collars, which cause ticks to detach and
drop off within a couple of hours. And of course, you should vaccinate your
dog for lyme disease.
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