If you've ever found a tick...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had a tiny deer tick on my back. I thought it was a mole that I accidentally scraped, so I left it alone for a couple of days until I saw a huge rash in the mirror.

How would you have noticed the rash before noticing an engorged tick? Even the nymphs get HUGE when they are engorged.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for all the responses- this is exactly what I wanted! Have u found it easier to remove them with tweezers or one of those products that is online?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had a tiny deer tick on my back. I thought it was a mole that I accidentally scraped, so I left it alone for a couple of days until I saw a huge rash in the mirror.

How would you have noticed the rash before noticing an engorged tick? Even the nymphs get HUGE when they are engorged.

Are you sure you're not confusing a deer tick with a dog tick? The engorged tick on my back was tiny.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had a tiny deer tick on my back. I thought it was a mole that I accidentally scraped, so I left it alone for a couple of days until I saw a huge rash in the mirror.

How would you have noticed the rash before noticing an engorged tick? Even the nymphs get HUGE when they are engorged.

Are you sure you're not confusing a deer tick with a dog tick? The engorged tick on my back was tiny.

Yes, absolutely sure. I've had ticks (grew up in PA) and most recently, my DD had an engorged deer tick that I sent to a lab for testing, so there is absolutely no question that I know exactly what they look like and that the most recent (huge when engorged, though a nymph) was a deer tick, confirmed by lab as Ixodes scapularis in nymphal stage. It was bigger than an apple seed when engorged -- no chance of missing it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So basically is everyone destined to eventually get lyme disease, unless you basically never venture outside?

no. Not every tick carries Lyme. I gave had numerous ticks (as have my family) and have never had Lyme.

[Anonymous]

Is there really a vaccine for dogs?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is there really a vaccine for dogs?

Yes. But all it will do is prevent your dog from contracting Lyme. It does not protect your family, as the only vector by which Lyme can be transmitted to humans is the rodent/tick route (larger mammals like humans, dogs, and deer can't transmit Lyme even if they have it).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had a tiny deer tick on my back. I thought it was a mole that I accidentally scraped, so I left it alone for a couple of days until I saw a huge rash in the mirror.

How would you have noticed the rash before noticing an engorged tick? Even the nymphs get HUGE when they are engorged.

Are you sure you're not confusing a deer tick with a dog tick? The engorged tick on my back was tiny.

Yes, absolutely sure. I've had ticks (grew up in PA) and most recently, my DD had an engorged deer tick that I sent to a lab for testing, so there is absolutely no question that I know exactly what they look like and that the most recent (huge when engorged, though a nymph) was a deer tick, confirmed by lab as Ixodes scapularis in nymphal stage. It was bigger than an apple seed when engorged -- no chance of missing it.

Lots of people get Lyme disease because an engorged deer tick was unnoticeable. That's why there's an epidemic.

[Anonymous]

I had Lyme, never saw the tick. In hindsight it was probably right on my left shin, as my husband recalls having seen a large raised red area there for a week or two. We thought nothing of it at the time.

I check my kids but I am always worried I'll miss one. I'm big on bug spray on the shoes and socks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Found a couple while hiking on the Blue Ridge. Wore long pants to help keep that from happening, and they crawled up from my ankles to my knees and thighs. Just a few. Didn't notice until I took my pants off later in the day. Pulled them out. No problems. Next time I'll be more careful. I don't like insect repellents, but I'll spray some around my ankles.

The Girl Scout trick is to pull your socks up over your pants.

Good idea.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for all the responses- this is exactly what I wanted! Have u found it easier to remove them with tweezers or one of those products that is online?

I saw somewhere -- Mayo or CDC -- that the current thing to do is just pull with tweezers until comes out. That's what I did. They say don't try to use old remedies such as touching it with a blown out matchhead, trying to suffocate it, etc.

I have a little thing I got from REI -- kind of like a little paint scraper -- that you are supposed to scoop up the tick with and kind of lever it out. But I can never find it when I have a tick!