Tick size?
- Thread starter Kane
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i only ever had one that i didnt spot before it got to be a decent size.. i woke up the day after spending 5 days in the woods and felt this lump on my back.. it wasnt as big as yours i would guess it was a little under 1cm but as i put my hand on it and felt it i felt the little bugger dig his head further in to my back!
An dog we used to have had a tick on it about that size once. I think the vet said it was a sheep tick......................Jon
I used to trap a fair number of mink every year for my local fishery and various other venues in my area, and the mink would often come with their own little "passengers". Biggest tick I ever saw on one of them was about 1.5cm long and as fat as I think it could have been without bursting. I've had them on my old dog a couple of times and a few on my lower legs, but nowhere near that size.
To think of a tick 2cm long makes me shudder.
To think of a tick 2cm long makes me shudder.
Reminds me of a bit from 'Red dog' Louis De Bernieres where a well meaning lady attempts to remove the large 'ticks' from the dogs tummy but sticking hot needles in them.. she couldnt understand why it made the dog squwirm.. then someone pointed out it was his nipples *wince*
Some are scary it has to be said.
The best removal tool I've ever used it a tick hook - you'll get one from your nearest vets - I often use one on my tom cat and it works a treat . (He gets a lot of of sheep ticks).
You inset the prongs between the tick and the skin, and kinda slide them into place, once they are a decent fit, you gently twist the tick out - it generally works really well, and avoids the horror of an embedded head rotting away inside the wound.
Deer tick tho ... now they are even more sinister.
The best removal tool I've ever used it a tick hook - you'll get one from your nearest vets - I often use one on my tom cat and it works a treat . (He gets a lot of of sheep ticks).
You inset the prongs between the tick and the skin, and kinda slide them into place, once they are a decent fit, you gently twist the tick out - it generally works really well, and avoids the horror of an embedded head rotting away inside the wound.
Deer tick tho ... now they are even more sinister.
tomtom said:
I can fully sypathise with that dog . I tried to pierce my nipple once , wouldn't try that again ,even for my own 200 acre woodland . It hurt so much i passed out !!!
I think its cos i was pushing the needle to slowly
I get the tick off the dog with the needle nose pliers on my leatherman . Grab and roll in one swift movement . They come off easy enough .
Pumbaa
I thought you could cover them over with vaseline as they found it difficult to breath. They just backed up out of there.
I was also told not to pick at them as thier heads would be left in the skin and could become infected.
John
I was also told not to pick at them as thier heads would be left in the skin and could become infected.
John
Used to get really big shellback ticks in Oz - a good quarter inch before they start sucking. God knows how big they'd get if you didn't get 'em off.
Funnily enough, big ticks don't bother me so much as the really, really tiny ones you get in the Highlands. Big ticks are easier to remove...
Funnily enough, big ticks don't bother me so much as the really, really tiny ones you get in the Highlands. Big ticks are easier to remove...
pumbaa said:I can fully sypathise with that dog . I tried to pierce my nipple once , wouldn't try that again ,even for my own 200 acre woodland . It hurt so much i passed out !!!
I think its cos i was pushing the needle to slowly
I get the tick off the dog with the needle nose pliers on my leatherman . Grab and roll in one swift movement . They come off easy enough .
Pumbaa
Introcan needles - you'll be through in no time, plus you'll have that nice slippy PTFE catheter to shield the steel when you slip it back into the piercing. I wouldn't use anything else ...
Friar Tuck said:
You can, but it can take a while and it can be a bit hit and miss if your coverage isn't 100% - ok on us, but your animal will almost certainly try to clean it up and end up undoing the covering...
Another option is to use a mild analgesic in a liguid form, maybe something like certain types of eye drops, especially in sensitive animals as the drops would have a mild soporiphic effect on the tick, which would save too much trauma for the animal.
Generally pulling is not a good idea as the tick may come apart, and as you say, that can cause quite a nasty infection. Bursting, popping and burning are rather the wrong way to go about it.
Most spot-on flea treatments offer some protection against ticks, but I don't tend to use these on meself, so it's long trousers and a good look over myself at the end of the day. It's still pretty alarming when you feel that lump tho' - especially if it's your first one !
Regarding the original question. No I've never seen one quite that big, certainly not on a human at least. How did it manage to stay on you so long without you noticing it?
With regard to the other information about tick removal we had a thread on this recently http://www.bushcraftuk.com/community/showthread.php?t=2864&page=1&pp=10&highlight=tick+removal
It really isn't recommended to use any other method than pulling out the tick with tweezers or some other tool. Burning it, pouring whisky on it, rubbing Vaseline on it, etc are all not recommended and could contribute to making you ill.
Long trousers won't protect you unless you have them tied at the bottom or tucked into long boots. In fact they make it even easier for the tick to hide and stay on you. I had more problems being bitten in jeans than I did in shorts.
With regard to the other information about tick removal we had a thread on this recently http://www.bushcraftuk.com/community/showthread.php?t=2864&page=1&pp=10&highlight=tick+removal
It really isn't recommended to use any other method than pulling out the tick with tweezers or some other tool. Burning it, pouring whisky on it, rubbing Vaseline on it, etc are all not recommended and could contribute to making you ill.
Long trousers won't protect you unless you have them tied at the bottom or tucked into long boots. In fact they make it even easier for the tick to hide and stay on you. I had more problems being bitten in jeans than I did in shorts.
IT wasn't on me thank gawd - I noticed a black bleb on the garden wall when I was parking up and assumed it was a lump of tar - the next night it had moved and when I had a close look I realised it was some sort of critter - it went missing the next day but the following night it was back but considerably smaller (presumably having digested it's last meal!)
Kane
Kane
tomtom said:Would it be daft of me to ask why on earth you did that?
Ironically enough , i wanted it done . I have a face full of metal and bone piercings any way .
monkey_pork said:
They are exactly what i was using , and clamps , and 3 tubes of emla . the problem was it only numbs the outside and its a tad sensitive underneath !!!
Pumbaa
Tick removal is a serious issue. Ticks can give you Lyme Disease.
Rebel is right. Remove ticks as soon as you find them - the longer they are attached, the greater the risk. Use very fine forceps to grab the head/mouthparts - not the body, as that will squeeze the ticks stomach contents back into you. Or, as has been suggested, buy the excellent 'otom' remover from your vets.
Forget vaseline, flames, tobacco juice, etc, etc.
Rebel is right. Remove ticks as soon as you find them - the longer they are attached, the greater the risk. Use very fine forceps to grab the head/mouthparts - not the body, as that will squeeze the ticks stomach contents back into you. Or, as has been suggested, buy the excellent 'otom' remover from your vets.
Forget vaseline, flames, tobacco juice, etc, etc.
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