The Top 4 Tick Mistakes You Don't Want to Make

We outline the top four mistakes people make when dealing with ticks, which can lead to potential health risks. We talk about the importance of tick prevention measures such as wearing Permethrin-treated clothing, removing ticks with tweezers, and saving ticks after removal to identify the tick species and determine the risk of disease.
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[@bonniebon7335]

Took my dog to a vet about a removal of a fattened tick in his ear. She gave me a $20 piece of Nexguard. Said it would come out within the hour. Tried to sell me seasonal allergy meds. Dog has a MASSIVE INFECTION IN THE EAR SO MUCH THAT HIS SNOUT WAS SWOLLEN. She said, “We don’t pull ticks out.” I went home and ordered some dam fish ox 500mg amoxicillin to reduce the pain, inflammation and infection. We made a home made muzzle and wrestled him to get the tick that had died in situ and was decaying among the ear rot. We applied topic antiobiotic in his ear. Would have been easier on the dog with a sedative. He’d been in bad shape if I hadn’t given him turmeric before we went to the vet and until I dosed him. If you have a $10k horse, call the vet. If you need practical help with your pet, do it yourself. Just pull the dam tick out. Edit: After a full round of antibiotics, Mr. Goober is infection-free, pain-free and chasing squirrels again.

[@duvessa2003]

Get a new vet. Yours sounds useless.

[@gzman501]

That would be my last trip to that vet.

[@2010DanaA]

I would never go to that bet again! I mean a vet supposedly can do surgery on your pet…but that one can’t take out a tick? Come on!

[@Icewing10]

bad vet, but now you know how to remove them with this video and you don't need the vet :)

[@rogerjensen5277]

Some vets are just out to make money! One of our dogs was having a problem with his ears, scratching them frantically, we had to wait for a week for a appointment and had to go in two days earlier to give them a two hundred dollars deposit. We were putting olive oil in his ears until the appointment which seemed to help somewhat! They took him into another room to 'treat' him which I hate because they are putting your dog into a more stressful position, i.e. a stranger (or two) messing with their ears (or any body part) that is already bothering them without the comfort of their 'family' being there. I specifically told them to use a muzzle if they thought that he might cause a problem (bite) while being treated, they chose not to but on the follow-up visit, they said he tried to bite one of them. I didn't believe them but without proof! I don't believe that there is such a thing as a dog that won't bite, pushed hard enough, it's how they defend themselves, especially if they can't flee! On that second visit (and last visit, one week later), they took him to another room again after I told them that he seemed worse. They came back with the warning to immediately stop using the medication they sold me to put twice daily in his ears and sent me away with two weeks worth of amoxicillin to give him which I did but I didn't think (though he was getting better) that was enough so I give him another weeks worth of fish amoxicillin which is the same thing that they give humans; made by the same company, in fact! A good veterinarian is apparently as hard to find as a good medical doctor! I had a 'vet' that after giving my male Husky his rabies booster (at two years old) told me that I should be feeding him a vegan diet. I managed to not laugh in his face! I have fed my Red dog some meat (usually chicken) everyday since I got him at six weeks old and he's now eighteen years and still moves pretty good! Glad to her that Mr. Goober is doing good. Could you tell me more about the use of turmeric, like how it's applied, topically I'm assuming! Thank you!

[@duvessa2003]

I’ve never seen tick repellent clothing or shoes sold. I am going to look on the Internet since I’m in the woods every day.

[@bonniebon7335]

You can apply your clothes in a permethrin soak. Vids about how to.

[@JimKittell6486]

Permethrin is not repellent, it's insecticide. See my comment

[@WillyK51]

@@JimKittell6486 It Works, I have used regular roach/ant bug spray on clothing for many years before permetrin. 100% DEET on exposed skin, Hands Ears Neck Face, Or just stay out of the woods

[@GaiaMiranda]

Vacuum cleaner worked for me. Suction it against the skin and leave it there. The tick let go or was pulled into the vacuum tube and poof it was gone. Didn't seem to be any of it left in the skin. I ended up with a temporary purplish circle from the suction but it went away like bruises do.

[@Devo491]

I live in Australia, and, as a gardener, have had perhaps 100 tick-bites over the years. I recognize the sensations (itch/ache at the site) and apply lavender oil (100%, not the cheaper watered-down type). The tick dies within a minute, and the oil also soothes the itch. It will fall off/rejected within 24 hours, and, if you can't wait, remove with tweezers. Swiss-army knife tweezers are the best.

[@Jay1830]

My swiss army knives tweezers just flatened the tick. I got it out by pinching the base between my nails. Now i use tick tweezers, it works amazingly well, super inexpansive, and tick stays alive so i can stick it to my ticks collection in case i need to run some analyses after a weird disease

[@peterwallace9764]

What do you do with a Paralysis Tick. Once they are embedded your pet has paralysis & cannot walk & has other nerve damage. Pulling one out, if you don’t know how, only sees to tick squirting more toxin into your pet.

[@Devo491]

@@peterwallace9764 It takes a big tick a couple of days to cause symptoms in a cat, Lavender oil kills the tick within minutes, and it will drop off in a day or so as the body rejects it. If the pet is showing signs of paralysis (wobbly back legs and such), apply the remedy, put the pet in a warm, comfortable spot and wait for it to pass. May take a few days.

[@maxwebster7572]

Just curious, do they have lyme disease there?

[@Devo491]

@@maxwebster7572 No, though some conspiracy nutters say there is.

[@tiedryflies]

I was taught [don't remember who] to use the tweezer lightly holding the tick and un-screw it, turning counterclockwise until removed. Have done this to others, myself, and pets; I'm now 75.

[@rg3412]

In Europe they sell a little device with a tiny loop to grab the tick between the skin and the body and recommend you then twist the body a quarter turn (if I recall) before pulling to avoid leaving the head inside the skin

[@LynnRPerry]

They sell tools that hold the tick next to skin and you turn. You can find videos on you tube on how to do it.

[@blessedwithchallenges9917]

You unscrew it clockwise if in the southern hemisphere! 😅😅😅

[@scottwebber652]

I’ve invested in permethrin products after a wake up call n my fingers are crossed !!

[@mick5740]

Story?

[@Guitar6ty]

If you are in the middle of nowhere with no tweezers flick the thing really hard with your fingers it will fall off and take all its bits with it. In the UK Ticks generally live in grass especially where there are sheep grazing. After flicking it off make sure that you sterilise the wound area or at the very least clean it with soapy water or salt water.

[@Icewing10]

Just bring tweezers with you :)

[@Stabby__]

They sell special tick removers that fit on your keychain, like a couple dollars

[@gzman501]

Living in Arkansas, seeing ticks is an every day thing. His recommendation of not squeezing the tick is good advice, as what he describes is exactly what will happen. Had to laugh about the taking a picture thing though. You'd be pretty busy here after a trip in the woods. Tick carried disease is no joke, ask someone who contracted Tularemia (rabbit fever) which is quite deadly. My brother did and spent 33 days in an induced coma to fight it. The US Army has weaponized it...the only treatment is Gentamicin. Living in Arkansas is a tick education experience. My technique for removing them is to 'hook' them with a finger nail and pulling them off. Using tweezers can do the same thing as squeezing them if you're not careful and I wouldn't recommend it. I have also come to use wild Oregano essential oil to treat all insect bites, ticks included. I also use it on my dogs, especially when I see a halo or ring around a bite. This stuff is anti-microbial, anti-fungal and anti-biotic and extremely potent. Never use the pure strength oil, always use it diluted in a carrier (it can be purchased this way as well). Oh, and it is death to chiggers as well and relieves itching/swelling quickly. As for preventing infestation or protecting ones self, cedarwood oil is very effective. Not only will this stuff kill ticks and fleas, but a treated area will have no parasites, including all the round-worm species (hooks, rounds, tapes...all of them) and kills their eggs, nymphs and young. The best part is it doesn't kill other insects(butterflies, bees, etc.) unless you spray them directly and is not toxic to animals. The brand I buy is from Cedarcide.

[@flowergirlabc123]

I live in Canada. How would I mix that product (IF I can even find it) and is it safe for dogs with end stage kidney disease? That's my concern because what they wanted to sell me an insecticide product (taken internally, monthly X4 or 6) which is dangerous and can cause seizures. I absolutely refused it.

[@mstsp9546]

Good practical advice.

[@mawage666]

I found out about permethrin about 10/12 years ago. First time I tried it on my socks/shoes/lower pant legs... and didn't get 1 single tick on me the entire Memorial weekend at Highbridge Hills in northern Wisconsin. Where as the previous years, I had to pull ticks off me about at least once every hour all day throughout the weekend. Permethrin is a game changer!

[@rickysand1900]

I’ve started using permethrin myself. Working in the woods near Phelps WI. It’s the season for those ticks for sure.

[@mawage666]

@alicekapolas3210 it's just bug repellent for your clothes/shoes (not your skin). It not only repels but also kills wood ticks.

[@WillyK51]

@alicekapolas3210 You Spray on your clothing before puting them on,(Back in the day used roach/ant bug spray on clothing) Socks included. Hang outside and Let air dry. Use 100%Deet on exposed skin, Neck,Ears, Hands, Face(stay away from lips and eyes. Regular Off/Deep woods works for mild bug nuisance,

[@ELizbeth135]

But what about when the tick mouth parts are in you?? Do you just leave them there?

[@raymondclark1785]

I think I'm immune to Lymes. My blood chemistry is messed up because my parents had an RH problem and our family MD said bacteria need certain conditions to survive. My ex got Lymes even though I was the one who always had ticks. A bottle collector and hunter who used our farm also got Lymes. A Navy audiologist found one in my ear that tested positive but I never did.

[@Morbius1963]

Russian outdoor trousers have a downward fold at the calf which prevents ticks from migrating fully up the leg. When at rest you can flip up the fold and clear out the ticks. Do US manufacturers use this technique?

[@kimcroe]

For 15 years, i use to backpack in west texas on the Nuaces River. I never used repellents. Seldom got a tick. I always bloused my pants into my boots. What i did is take a 15 to 30 minute soak in the river in the morning and at night.

[@vullerseris5372]

Good advice

[@billclarke1131]

Permethrin is banned in the EU, and being phased out in Canada due to its toxity to children and aquatic life.

[@nodemever3291]

Stock up before it becomes unavailable

[@nodemever3291]

Permethrin spray on all your outer clothing Hang the clothes outside and give them a good amount but don’t soak them Let them completely dry before wearing them Use a good insect repellent on your skin I prefer high percentage deet type Buy yourself a tick spoon or make one out of a plastic takeout type food spoon just in case a tick manages to get past all your preventative measures The spray will last through multiple washings

[@rico_cavalierie]

I gave the tick to my doctor and he laughed and said "Well okay then, we will throw it away for you".

[@tombattino3319]

I check twice and shower right when I get home yet I still find one on me the next day sometimes either crawling around or biting me. Do you have any tips on where they hide cause I check everywhere extremely well

[@jannotasleep9551]

They let go as soon as you pour alcohol on them.

[@RC-Flight]

I’ve pulled three buried ticks out of me in three years. All of them were deer black legged ticks.

[@mick5740]

Damn

[@tonymcveigh8789]

I get really tired sore it’s been two years and I haven’t got any better

[@InsectShieldTech]

Sorry to hear that.

[@SarahBearah2023]

Prayers ❤

[@RonaldDCass]

I try to have Scotch Tape available & stick the tick between the folded over strip of tape. The tick can easily be identified & it will eventually die encapsulated in the tape. I write the date on the tape trapped tick.

[@MsDaisy173]

A lone star tick got me, and it was cemented into my backside upper hip. I could not get the mouth off, ended up going to my doctor…should have showed her a picture of the tick. She gave me a dose of antibiotic (one pill). Later I looked back at picture and realized it was a Lone Star tick.

[@jackvoss5841]

I apply permethrin to all clothing from socks to hat, with emphasis on underwear. Also to sleeping bag in and outside. Also tent screens, floor, & inside corners. Courtesy of Half Vast Flying

[@Icewing10]

but isn't it toxic to your skin?

[@jackvoss5841]

@@Icewing10 G’day, Ice. No. Not supposed to get it on you when it’s fresh,y sprayed and wet. Once it’s dry, I’ve had zero effect. Actually, the bit of wet stuff I got on my fingers had no effect. But, I don’t try to get into it. But boy! Does it ever get to the bugs! Courtesy of Half Vast Flying

[@bonniegeesey4508]

Had one them imbedded under my skin before on. My back was never treated and my dog nor my son's had fleas or ticks on them when they were alive

[@musicauthority-kt6zy]

I live in the Pacific Northwest. and the way I was told to remove a tick that is the most effective. is to simply light a match and blow it out. and immediately while the tip of the match is still hot. touch the tip of the match to the body of the tick. and it will back out and fall off. under no circumstances scratch the the tick off. the proboscis will break off and remain lodged in you're skin. and it can be difficult to remove and increase the chance of infection. I repeat so not scratch a tick off.

[@ronpflugrath2712]

On dogs i use small side cutter pliers like for bead wire gets close to skin with least pinch of tick put tic in jar alcohol

[@alexgolovchenko3791]

Another mistake some folks make is referring to the tick as an insect. It's not, the tick is part of the arachnid family, it's a blood sucking spider. Creepy. 😨

[@jonkirkwood469]

I took a Lone Star Tick off my Insect Shield socks. It seemed hale and hearty at the time. Kind of surprising.

[@marieennis6114]

I have a problem with tick bites itching terribly for weeks after a bite. Is that normal? I had blood work done, and it came back clear of lime disease, but I showed antibodies for Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and I never knew I had it. I've lived in florida in tennessee all my life

[@mrmaxaxl]

I experience the exact same thing! I think I'm allergic to them. I try really hard not to scratch! But holy hell is it hard not to! The first 4-5 nights are a total nightmare! I wake up in the middle of the night and my whole body is screaming: SCRATCH IT!! NOW!! Nope. Ain't gonna happen. The last tick I got was just a month ago and only recently did it stop scratching 😡🤬. Hate those little bastards!

[@marieennis6114]

@mrmaxaxl Get someone to look at it for you if you can't see it to make sure the mouth parts are not left behind. I can feel if they are where I can reach them.they are hard. You can kinda feel them click under your finger nail. The little bitches always in bed in my damm back so I have too get my daughter to get them out for me. But if they are left in their they will itch for months. At least they did on me.

[@flowergirlabc123]

I purchased, at my vet, a product called 'TicTwister' in a package with 2 sizes. I still have the packaging it came in with instructions. So we are NOT to twist the tick after getting the body underneath the unit? I used it on my dog the second time he was bitten in under 8 weeks. I photographed and brought to the vet, in a Ziploc baggie and went to the vet again. Would you believe this particular product and its instructions are incorrect??

[@1TimBaugh]

Pulling straight out will NOT work for European ticks, the mouthpart is likely to break off and stay in you. They need to be twisted out, and this cannot be done reliably with your fingers. You need a simple inexpensive 'tick picker' which allows you to easily grip the tick next to the skin and then twist 360 degrees multiple times, which forces them to let go. The tick picker usually holds them firmly, allowing time to decide what to do with them. It's also worth mentioning that with deer and sheep ticks here, you need to survey the bite area for some months to ensure that there are not signs of residual infection, which can be very serious, even mortal in the case of Lyme Disease. And further East (I'm in France), tick born Encephalitis. Not funny.

[@Truthspreader70]

I just finished 21 days of doxycycline for lyme disease in Poland. Fukn things are everywhere 😢

[@bryanstrom812]

Can you put rubbing alcohol on the tick?

[@lilikoidasilva9097]

I recently got 2 ticks . I remembered hearing about using the tweezers to pull them out, but these were really attached, so I thought to try applying some rubbing alcohol and that seemed to do the trick-then it was easy to pull them out with the tweezers.

[@dominiclapinta8537]

I can actually feel a tick when it bites me, as I have had it happen several times at work. Both in the basic same area, because I wear pants all of the time. They both tried to bite me at between the base of where my neck begins, coming from my shoulder. It felt like a hard bite to me and I grab it by bunching up the clothing there and hooking it basically. i knew when it gotten on me basically, because both times, I had walked in the part of where I work where there was grass that has been reported to have them. But I have always had strong nerves, where I can feel things more so. I used to really like going there, but ever since I stopped, I never had to worry about them on me

[@CogentConsult]

Try some tick-repellent clothing called ElimiTick, manufactured and sold by a company called Gamehide. Two turkey hunters sat side-by-side in the woods, one was wearing ElimiTick, the other was not. Back at the truck for lunch, the one without the tick-repellent clothing pulled 26 ticks off of himself, while the guy wearing ElimiTick had ZERO ticks. The stuff works. Buy the pants and the socks and you’ll be good to go and tick-free. I know…cuz I bought the stuff and it works.

[@paulk6077]

We have amblioma and dermacentor ticks. I am very sensitive to them and feel them right away and pull them off. I usually get them from my dog. They ride on him and crawl off on me. I use repellents in the woods.

[@Albisriede]

How about getting an Oxpecker bird as a pet and have it remove the ticks? No joke, we see all these animal flicks where Monkeys fleece one another or Oxpeckerd pick ticks off ungulates etc. How effective is that, and do they get the entire tick or do parts of the tick remain burried?

[@dogpaw775]

'ticks use cement' !! , i just use my dog's tick remover gizmo, we share everything 8o)

[@jeremyburns9151]

I apparently didn't know much about ticks lol

[@Tailspin80]

Our dogs got ticks last week in Scotland. Bought a tick removal tool and they came out in one piece very easily. The tool is just a plastic moulded two pronged “fork” bent at a right angle. You slide it under the body of the tick and rotate gently two or three times until it comes off the dog. If the tick is still alive and we’ll you know you did it right!

[@Ex_Ax]

Do you rotate cw or ccw?

[@bobcranston3414]

Buy yourself a tick spoon. They work like a champ!

[@charlestravis9798]

You need a Tick Key (sold on Amazon)to remove its head properly. Do not use tweezers ever.

[@jimh2061]

What about putting alcohol on your skin to get the tick to release?

[@frankemcgillivray6695]

Applying alcohol may cause the tick to throw up in the wound.

[@waynegroves6922]

@@frankemcgillivray6695 I do that when I've had too much alcohol . . .

[@exoticivy4180]

@@waynegroves6922😂😂😂

[@georgehaeh4856]

I have a TickKey on my keyring, but maybe I should keep it in my shower as that's where I find them.Very simple to use on Rocky Mointain Wood Ticks. The tick tries to hold on; so you need a bit of traction.

[@murcoxc]

Why is the camera jumping around like he is a car or something?

[@bobbipetty7411]

Huh? I didn't see that

[@franek_izerski]

I just dig them out of my skin with my nails until it bleeds. I make sure there are no black bits left. Sure, you got a hole in your skin and the scratching out can hurt like hell ( like on your genitals), after a day or two, depending on the size of the tick or how long it has been in your skin, it will be healed. What I've learned is that they tend to crawl upwards and almost never downwards. I wear rubber boots with the pant legs tucked in. I remove them at home when they are crawling on my pants or my arms. And I learned that if I keep scrathing to much at some spot under my clothes, it's probably a tick.

[@douglas9607]

Thank you with a sub/likie

[@dfuss2756]

I use scotch tape to enclose the tick for identification.

[@MrDepodot7]

I tried alcohol, soda, vinegar and soda and vinegar. alcohol always works. I realized it was dead. My ex laughed and said, "let me get this straight, the tick bit you and died".😂😂😂

[@gregcourtney5001]

Save tics body for vet if your dog got a disease from it. Save in empty pill bottle see if your dog stays healthy or catches a disease .Vet will ID from tick blood.

[@K94Life]

I would never grab with tweezers myself in all honesty just in case any bits (or teeth what not) was left in there. I have seen this done though. Dripping alcohol onto bite site with pipette forced the tick to release itself rapidly and intact as it began semi floating in the heavy stuff from my titanium tank! ard! 😂 Then I caught it while drunken, stupefied and just like WTF and not moving much. 😅 Winner every time.

[@jelijones4205]

ticks are a bio-weapon

[@daninraleigh]

#1. I can't pull the supposed tick out if I never even see it! #2. Too bad you couldn't tell us what tick-repellent clothing is.

[@JimKoonz]

Put a drop of tea tree oil on the tick. Dead in a minute!!

[@garywanner7860]

Thanks!

[@tommyrq180]

Funny how people who watch this video feel the need to tell us what THEIR method is, rather than simply listening to the advice given by this expert. My tick strategy is to do what he says. And that’s it. We don’t need to hear anyone’s tick stories or odd wive’s tale strategies, most of which violate his simple instructions. As for Europe banning permethrin, they banned it to protect bees, that is, as a widespread, broadly applied agricultural insecticide. To use it as this expert says it is safe, although, for the legion of idiots out there, it is categorized as a “likely carcinogen” WHEN INGESTED by mice… So if you are a mouse, don’t ingest it, and humans, don’t eat your (permethrin treated) clothes... The US and British military uses permethrin treated utility uniforms. That is all. 🇺🇸 😊

[@davidhidalgo5662]

well at least this time nothing silly or stupid this is all sound advice

[@larrylazure4288]

I WAS BITEN 8 YEARS AGO AND LIFE HAS BEEN HELL EVER SINCE

[@wallytverstol8627]

yup just use your finger nails and try to pull it out with the head and some of your skin