Pulled a tick off my DH this morning. What does he need to do now?

[Anonymous]

This morning my DH found a tick on his lower back. It must have been there since the weekend, when we were at a friends' house with a woodsy backyard in Great Falls. I was able to get it off with tweezers and it was about pea-sized, maybe smaller. I didn't know we could keep it and have it tested so I flushed it down the toilet. In typical fashion, my DH is unfazed and has probably not given it a second thought all day. I don't want to overreact, but I want to make sure we don't miss the chance to do something we should be doing. Does my DH need to go to the doctor right away? Is there anything they can do pre-emptively to minimize the possibility of contracting Lyme disease? If he gets the "bulls-eye" rash, would it be at the same site where he found the tick? How noticeable is the bulls eye? Thank you!

[Anonymous]

Have him leave a message for his doctor and say that you removed an engorged tick that had likely been attached for 3-4 days, and ask what the doc recommends. Definitely keep an eye on the site and watch for redness/bullseye.

[Anonymous]

Same thing happened to my daughter. Her pediatrician told us to put neosporin on it & keep an eye to make sure it healed up & didn't get the rash.

You can do a google image search for "lyme disease bullseye" to get an idea of what to watch out for -- it will be around the site where the tick was.

[Anonymous]

Get tested for Lyme. Do it whether or not you get the rash. I study this for work. It is possible to not get the classic 'bulls-eye' and test positive for Lyme. I'd force the test. Antibiotics very early can stave off the symptoms of Lyme that can last a lifetime.

So- I'd be neurotic on this one. Too many deer in this area carry lyme ticks.

[Anonymous]

Doctors generally with not prophylactically treat for Lyme. You generally must exhibit symptoms or a positive test first.

PP who claims to study this for work seems uninformed about testing. An immediate blood test is VERY likely to come back negative even if there was an exposure to Lyme. Lyme has a long incubation period and a blood test can turn up negative for weeks after a bite. He could test now, but he will very likely need to test again if and when symptoms develop, anyway.

80% of people get the classic bulls-eye rash, so it's unlikely he won't be one of them. But even if he has Lyme and doesn't get the characteristic rash, there is no need to panic like PP is doing -- if he develops symptoms, have him get another blood test and get on doxy. My mother had Lyme without the characteristic rash (but knew she'd had a tick bite) and was treated with doxycycline starting about 4 weeks after exposure (and some really severe symptoms in her case) and was 100% fine after treatment began.

Of course, the absolute best thing to do is to keep the tick in a plastic ziplock bag and mail it to a lab for testing (I have used U Mass's excellent lab in the past) because then you know for certain whether the tick was infected or not. Keep it in mind for next time.

Tick checks after spending time in the outdoors, particularly in the May-July timeframe, are also a great next step for your family.

One last thing: is it possible it was a dog tick instead of a deer tick (since it was "pea sized" -- deer ticks are smaller, especially at this time of year when it's likely a nymph is biting)? Dog ticks don't carry Lyme. If the legs went down the sides of the tick when it was engorged, it was probably a dog tick, if the legs were all near the mouth, it was probably a deer tick (hard to say without saving the tick, sometimes).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Get tested for Lyme. Do it whether or not you get the rash. I study this for work. It is possible to not get the classic 'bulls-eye' and test positive for Lyme. I'd force the test. Antibiotics very early can stave off the symptoms of Lyme that can last a lifetime.

So- I'd be neurotic on this one. Too many deer in this area carry lyme ticks.

It's the mice, not the deer, that are the vectors for Lyme disease. Come on, you say you study this for a living.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Doctors generally with not prophylactically treat for Lyme. You generally must exhibit symptoms or a positive test first.

PP who claims to study this for work seems uninformed about testing. An immediate blood test is VERY likely to come back negative even if there was an exposure to Lyme. Lyme has a long incubation period and a blood test can turn up negative for weeks after a bite. He could test now, but he will very likely need to test again if and when symptoms develop, anyway.

80% of people get the classic bulls-eye rash, so it's unlikely he won't be one of them. But even if he has Lyme and doesn't get the characteristic rash, there is no need to panic like PP is doing -- if he develops symptoms, have him get another blood test and get on doxy. My mother had Lyme without the characteristic rash (but knew she'd had a tick bite) and was treated with doxycycline starting about 4 weeks after exposure (and some really severe symptoms in her case) and was 100% fine after treatment began.

Of course, the absolute best thing to do is to keep the tick in a plastic ziplock bag and mail it to a lab for testing (I have used U Mass's excellent lab in the past) because then you know for certain whether the tick was infected or not. Keep it in mind for next time.

Tick checks after spending time in the outdoors, particularly in the May-July timeframe, are also a great next step for your family.

One last thing: is it possible it was a dog tick instead of a deer tick (since it was "pea sized" -- deer ticks are smaller, especially at this time of year when it's likely a nymph is biting)? Dog ticks don't carry Lyme. If the legs went down the sides of the tick when it was engorged, it was probably a dog tick, if the legs were all near the mouth, it was probably a deer tick (hard to say without saving the tick, sometimes).

OP here. Thank you so much for the responses. I feel like the legs were kind of evenly distributed around the body, but I can't be sure. It didn't even occur to me to save the damn thing. At least I will know for the future. We do have a big hairy golden retriever, does that increase the chances that it could be a dog tick? I have to admit we have not been as diligent as we should be with Frontline, but I put it on her today and will be on top of it from now on!

[Anonymous]

Some doctors will have the person go on special antibiotics to be on the safe side. If you have a dermatologist I would call her/him too. I don't recall what the percentage is of tics with Lyme, but I think as someone mentioned there is s a class of tics that doesn't carry Lyme. Keep a lookout for the bulls-eye rash.

[Anonymous]

I never got the bulls eye rash, and never found a tick on me. I went in feeling extremely tired, after feeling like I had the flu, a week earlier, and ended up testing positive for lyme. I would just be cautious and get tested now, and then a month later, to be on the safe side.

[Anonymous]

You can do a single prophylactic dose of doxycycline within 48 hours of removing the tick which has a 90% prevention rate. Call your doctor.

[Anonymous]

I spent last weekend at my family farm. My dog gets Frontline habitually and had 4 ticks, I had 9. I pulled them off and burnt them with a lighter. That was Monday and today I have not a care about it. If I see a rash, I know what it is from and I'll handle it. More likely than not I will be just fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I spent last weekend at my family farm. My dog gets Frontline habitually and had 4 ticks, I had 9. I pulled them off and burnt them with a lighter. That was Monday and today I have not a care about it. If I see a rash, I know what it is from and I'll handle it. More likely than not I will be just fine.

You clearly don't know anyone who has Lyme disease.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I spent last weekend at my family farm. My dog gets Frontline habitually and had 4 ticks, I had 9. I pulled them off and burnt them with a lighter. That was Monday and today I have not a care about it. If I see a rash, I know what it is from and I'll handle it. More likely than not I will be just fine.

You clearly don't know anyone who has Lyme disease.

Actually, I know a handful. I just realize that out of everyone I know in a farming community who deal with ticks daily, maybe 1 out of every 100 has gotten Lyme after years and years of picking ticks out of their skin. Being an alarmist won't help your health.

[Anonymous]

If a doctor offers you prophylactic antibiotics, find a new doctor. That's not medically sound. There needs to be symptoms, a positive test or a rash (one if those, not all 3).
The tests are not accurate and should not be relied upon alone.

Check it everyday for a rash. IIRC, it took mine 7 or 14 days to show up.

[Anonymous]

I don't know what you're "supposed" to do but honestly I would probably just forget about it. If some sort of an unusual symptom - like a bulls eye rash appeared, I would see my doctor.