The best tick remover is a pair of flat tipped tweezers or specific tick remover-marketed tools. Ticks are small parasites that attach themselves to animals. These insects attach themselves to a mammal’s skin by biting through flesh and then feed on the mammal’s blood. Ticks can be extremely small, and many times people don’t see the parasite for a few days. They often grow to be much larger as they continue to draw blood from the mammal.
Ticks are found predominately in wooded or grassy areas, and the parasites usually attach themselves to higher vegetation and then drop onto passing animals or humans. There are many types of ticks, including the deer tick, American dog tick, lone star tick, and western black legged tick. It is important to remove ticks as soon as possible because many of the parasites carry diseases, such as Lyme disease. These diseases can debilitating, and a physician should be consulted if a person begins to experience strange symptoms after being bit by a tick.
Most experts agree that the best tick remover is a pair of flat tipped tweezers. Using the tweezers, you can grab onto the tick close to where it has bitten into the skin and then pull back without twisting the tweezers. It is important not to let the mouth or teeth of the tick break off into the skin. The tick should be disposed of in a container and not squeeze the body of the tick, which could cause pathogens to be released if it ruptures. Some people save the body of the tick to be tested for diseases immediately or if the person were to become sick in the weeks following the bite.
There are also tick remover devices available. Some tools use a sliding motion to detach the tick, and there are also tick pliers that detach the parasite from the skin. These tools remove the tick safely from the skin without rupturing the body of the parasite. People should not touch the tick if possible, so wearing gloves is sometimes necessary.
Prevention of a tick bite is important. There are many tick repellant products available for humans, dogs, and cats. People can wear long sleeves or tuck his or her pants into their socks to prevent tick bites. After returning from an area where there could be a tick population, the person should check his or her body for any small bumps. Outside dogs and cats should be checked regularly for the parasites, and owners can purchase special brushes that can rid the animal of ticks.
