Removing a tick with a Q tip.

[Goatboy]

Not seen the video yet but from the description of a technique I was taught a few years ago but using the pinkie finger tip instead. I've mentioned it here a few times.but with the caveat that using proper tools is prefered. So saying there's a lot of pants to downright dangerous tools out there that'll potentialy do you more harm than good. And you still keep hearing advice which will lead to incorrect removal.
Of all the tools I've used the Tom'o'Tick tool which comes in a pack of two are the easiest and best to use, on humans and dogs due to method, speed and ease.
I've done a fair bit of research into it as some of you know lymes got the better of me and I nearly popped my clogs, resulting in me having to get a few spare parts fitted.
If you are out and about a fair bit it's worth getting a decent tool; cheaper that a couple of pints or a good bottle of wine. Small enough to fit in a possibles pouch, FAK or your pocket. Worth the negligble weight, space and cost I'd say as it could save your life.

Sent via smoke-signal from a woodland in Scotland.

 

[21st century pict]

Could you not just cut a small 'V' notch in a credit card and use the card as a lever whilst also rotating the card, or is a credit card too thick for purpose ?

It is what I have thought of using if I did not have the proper O'tom type tick remover.

I don't have a dedicated tick remover, what is the best type?

Probably the O'tom type,
I'm just thinking about your credit card idea, the card may be to thick , but scoring the edge at a very shallow angle with a hot sharp knife might produce a notch small enough to work if nothing else is available.

 

[cbr6fs]

The lasso type is also not recommended 'cos it can nip off the head of the blighter.

Must have removed at least 100 ticks a year from the dog using the lasso type, 3-4 years use and that's a LOT of ticks, i've not yet had a tick that's not come out whole though.

 

[Dave]

NO NO NO NO NO. For all the above reasons. There are dedicated pages about these blighters and the frightening lyme disease.

Good short clip if youve never seen a tick removed.

The primary purpose of posting the video was to show what a tick looks like, and how to remove it via twisting. For those who can read, I believe it says using this tool is a potential alternative when dedicated tools are not available.

Its a good clear shot of a tick embedded in skin. Its short sharp and to the point. It shows roughly how many times you have to turn, the reaction of the tick, and what a clear extraction looks like. Its a good vid. YESYESYES [I dont normally reply to anything that gets into semantics, but sometimes I feel the forum is badly in need of a Facepalm emoticon]

Personally I carry a tomotwist tick remover.

 

[EddieP]

Just because it's on the net doesn't mean it's a good idea. If there was a facepalm moment, that video is it.

A better link is http://www.lymediseaseaction.org.uk/about-ticks/tick-removal/

Lyme disease is scary, once the bull's eye rash has gone (not that there is all the time) then the symptoms are so non-specific it's very hard to diagnose. These include neuro and cardiac problems.

 

[GGTBod]

I swear by the o tom tick twister tool, used on many occasions and never had any bad experiences, when you buy the pack you get 2 sizes of the tool, the smaller one lives in my wallet and the larger one lives in my FAK

[video=dailymotion;xe1ip9]http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xe1ip9_tick-removal-with-o-tom-tick-twiste_animals[/video]

http://www.otom.com/how-to-remove-a-tick

 

[Toddy]

Must have removed at least 100 ticks a year from the dog using the lasso type, 3-4 years use and that's a LOT of ticks, i've not yet had a tick that's not come out whole though.

We get ticks that are pinhead sized here, trying to get a thread around them is an exercise in frustration. I can only repeat what was advised re the lasso type; that it can take the head off the beast and leave it in the wound.

M

 

[GGTBod]

I agree Toddy so far i've not had a tick in Scotland big enough to warrant using the larger tool, after everything i have read on Lymes and been told by Goatboy i am very vigilant in my tick checks and always seem to catch them before they have had a chance to gorge, that little green claw hammer-like gadget is perfect for them

 

[Dave]

Just because it's on the net doesn't mean it's a good idea. If there was a facepalm moment, that video is it

..............

 

[EddieP]

..............

Disagreeing with dangerous advice isn't being a troll. It's trying to help people.

If someone posted a video about how to use clingfilm as a condom to prevent hep b or hiv would you advise against it? If someone advises against dangerous axe technique, is that trolling?

I appreciate that you put the video up in good faith, but it shouldn't be used as advice.

 

[mick91]

Disagreeing with dangerous advice isn't being a troll. It's trying to help people.

If someone posted a video about how to use clingfilm as a condom to prevent hep b or hiv would you advise against it? If someone advises against dangerous axe technique, is that trolling?

I appreciate that you put the video up in good faith, but it shouldn't be used as advice.

Admittedly it looks to have removed the tick whole and that method may well work if you practice it enough. But honestly I have to agree if you put too much pressure on it it WILL regurgitate and it can be really serious. To me it's prudent to buy a tick removal tool and carry it if you're walking around in areas where they're present. In the same way you wouldn't go to an area with malaria without a mozzy net and cover yourself with fishing nets. It might work now and again but e entually it'll end badly

 

[cbr6fs]

We get ticks that are pinhead sized here, trying to get a thread around them is an exercise in frustration. I can only repeat what was advised re the lasso type; that it can take the head off the beast and leave it in the wound.

M

Again absolutely no problem here with small tick removal, the lasso type device is so much easier to use on smaller ticks than a V type removal tool.

The land around our summer house is infested with the things, our dog is a little 5kg Jack Russell and we've pulled well over 20 ticks off her in one go.

I've tried every tool i've seen on the market, the lasso type device is by far the easiest and most efficient way of removing them.

If anyone has told you that the heads come off i can only assume either they are mistaken or they are not using the tool correctly.
This is the tool i'm using and how it's used.

[video=youtube;Q4-1xYl97gg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4-1xYl97gg[/video]

As you can see you still need to twist the tick around once it's lassoed, if you were to lasso it and pull it out straight i can imagine that you would have problems, but then that's exactly the same no matter what you use to remove the tick.

As i say i've had around 4 years real world use of these devices and we've found them to be by far the best tool for the job.

 

[pysen78]

(Note to OP, don't sweat it, if bad advice floats around out there, it's better we discuss it here, than it never be debated at all.)
This vid actually shows upfront how crappy this method of removal is. Done right the tick should be properly agitated and crawl around after removal. This guys tick seems dead, and also seems to be missing its head.

I've grown up in the Stockholm archipelago where ticks have a real foothold. I usually removed upward of 10 ticks per season as a kid. A bit less now since I dont get out as much, but still something like 5-10 every year unless it's a very dry summer. You can get both Lymes and meningitis from them, so they pose a risk that should be taken into consideration. How many I remove from pets every year, I don't count.

As a reference, I've lived in Scotland (North Ayrshire) and also had tics on me in germany and france. This is purely anecdotal, and I can't vouch for the respective local varieties being exactly the same, but the ones I've come across have been very similar in appearance and size at least.

The really tiny ones are not adult tics, but a previous (larvae or nymph?) part of their life cycle. They sometimes have only six legs instead of eight if you look closely. Also less likely to carry disease, I think, but don't quote me on that.

I find tweezers is the best way to go. Never had any luck with the special tic-tools. As a kid I used whatever was available, and nowadays I have one of these on my key ring:
http://www.ohsayusa.com/High-Tech-Tweezers-p/cc-tweezers.htm

My girlfriend grew up breeding dogs, and can remove tics alive with her fingernails only.

I strongly advice against the slow massage-to-death technique of the original post.
If caught out with no other tools, I would shave the tic of with a sharp knife. Yes, that leaves the head in aswell, but without causing the tic to die and vomit in the process. Also a lot better than "leaving it for when I get home"-method, which reportedly increases the risk of disease. The other medical implications of leaving the head in, is it often causes a minor abscess, which isn't a big deal in the context of lymes and meningitis.

Sorry for the rant. Had a recent conversation about this at work, aswell, and feel strongly about it. Lots of old household tips out here, dousing with gasoline and whatnot. Don't do it. Look up the proper advice for your area, or at least information from credible sources. (Don't rely on information from me either. I've had a lot of ticks to be sure, and I'm still here, but that could be coincidence. Think NHS or something)

 

[21st century pict]

The advice from the Lyme Disease website and NHS is not to use anything other than tick removal tools.

Hi Cub Kaa
Can you put up a link to that page please, cheers.
I just had a look at Lyme Disease NHS choices the GOV.UK site and the US GOV Disease prevention websites and all 3 recommend using fine tipped tweezers and not twisting. There seams to be a lot of inconsistency from the "official" websites on the subject.

 

[21st century pict]

sorry double post nothing here.

 

[mrcharly]

Hi Cub Kaa
Can you put up a link to that page please, cheers.
I just had a look at Lyme Disease NHS choices the GOV.UK site and the US GOV Disease prevention websites and all 3 recommend using fine tipped tweezers and not twisting. There seams to be a lot of inconsistency from the "official" websites on the subject.

Here
http://www.lymediseaseaction.org.uk/about-ticks/tick-removal/

 

[Cub Kaa]

Hi Cub Kaa
Can you put up a link to that page please, cheers.
I just had a look at Lyme Disease NHS choices the GOV.UK site and the US GOV Disease prevention websites and all 3 recommend using fine tipped tweezers and not twisting. There seams to be a lot of inconsistency from the "official" websites on the subject.

Here is the Lyme website.

http://www.lymediseaseaction.org.uk/about-ticks/tick-removal/

Does say not to twist and to use tick tool or fine twezzers and not to twist but pull out. None of the tools I have seen twist out.

 

[Goatboy]

Had a chance to watch the OP video now. Similar to the technique I was talking about earlier but they were being a lot rougher and distressing the tick.
The way I was taught (if you were caught without a proper removal tool) was to use something smooth like the tip of the pinkie and just touching and no more gently brush 'round the abdomen of the tick anticlockwise, usually after about 5 - 12 rotations the tick just withdraws and lies there almost as hypnotised/in a torpor. (Like you can do with lobsters, frogs and some other animals). The tick doesn't seem distressed by it as it doesn't thrash around like it did in the original video.)

So saying in tick season I try to always have my O'Tom Twister about my person as I've found them to be the best and both medics and vets have recommended them to me too.

 

[ol smokey]

Saw the credit card idea somewhere and thought that the card would be too thick. Using the same idea I made one from
part of the lid from a plastic margarine tub. This works very well and is handy to carry in my wallet. I try to always have
a O Tom tick remover with me, but the homemade one is there as a stand by.

 

[rorymax]

Saw the credit card idea somewhere and thought that the card would be too thick. Using the same idea I made one from
part of the lid from a plastic margarine tub. This works very well and is handy to carry in my wallet. I try to always have
a O Tom tick remover with me, but the homemade one is there as a stand by.

I think that would work, credit card size would have plenty of space for different sizes of 'V' notches, I would also try keyhole shapes, again different sizes, so that a 'loop' would go around the tick's head, lots of room for experiment.

Will give it a go, need to post an ad for ticks to volunteer for test trials .