As the days become warmer and longer, my family and I spend most of our day outdoors. Not much has changed since I was a kid for our homestead; we dig for worms, play in the mud, ride bikes till our legs stop going and play on train tracks and in the woods. We live in a rural part of Memphis so of course we are surrounded by trees, tall grass and fields.
We have two dogs that are inside dogs but of course, when we are outside they are right beside us. Last week right after we walked in our back door from playing I noticed something fell off our boxer. I looked down at my kitchen floor and sure enough, it was a tick.
I quickly started searching my big ole baby for a place of attachment but never found it so I watched him closely the next week for any changes in his behavior.
Luckily, we never noticed any and he seems fine but all I could think of was if it had been on one of us. Do not get me wrong, we check for ticks all the time, but they can be so small they are easy to miss.
Ticks used to primarily arrive in warmer months and die off when the weather turned cooler, however the past couple of years they have taken notice to global warming and tend to be out for longer periods.
Most people look for ticks after being in the woods but you should be checking for them on your family and pets whenever you come inside. They don’t need trees; just a blade of grass or a bush will suffice.
Ticks are dangerous and their population is booming due to white-tailed deer overtaking the forest, farms and suburbs; and they can carry a number of diseases.
For most tick borne diseases, the insect needs to be attached for longer than 24 hours. This means a basic tick check everyday upon coming in will dramatically reduce your chances of being infected.
Tick bites are painless, and when they attach they also inject a painkiller, so you never feel them. Therefore, that body check is crucial.
Deer ticks, the ones that carry Lyme disease, are not as aggressive as dog ticks and they generally stop crawling once they hit a clothing barrier, which is why you will usually find these around your sock line and belt line, as well as the back of your knees where your shorts stop. Tucking in your shirt and your pants legs into your socks, and creating other clothing barriers will help keep them away from your skin.
Not all ticks carry a disease, however because the sheer number of deer ticks has skyrocketed in recent years you are much more likely to encounter an infected tick than an uninfected one. There are three different types of ticks you will most likely come across: deer ticks, American dog ticks and lone star ticks, although there are other species specific to certain regions.
To remove a tick please do not try to use Vaseline, perfume, alcohol, lighting a match or any of the other old remedies. The best way to remove one is by using pointed tweezers. Grab the tick as close to the skin as possible and gently pull it out without twisting or jerking. Wash your hands, and the spot where you found it, with soap and then disinfect the skin with rubbing alcohol.
Deer ticks do not actually die off until temperatures have dropped below 10 degrees for an extended period of time; therefore, you have to be on the lookout all year long in some regions.
It is a great idea if you find a tick to place it in a plastic bag and write the date and time on the bag as well as documenting where it was located if you need it for further research. If you notice any flu like symptoms or a spreading rash make sure you head to your doctor, although most the time a good disinfecting and washing will do the job.