Over the last 5 years we have received 2 live ticks in the office to send out for Lyme testing. Already this year we’ve had 3! For anyone who doesn’t know, we have Tick Kits in the office that we can use to send a tick out to be tested for Lyme disease. The tick must be caught alive and brought to us alive. Here are some tips to help you bring in a live tick if you’ve found one on yourself or a loved one:
- Pull the tick off safely! Do not squeeze it’s belly when pulling it off. This can force its stomach contents into you. Lyme disease bacteria live in the stomach of the tick. You can purchase low-tech removal tools that are very cheap and will help minimize the chance of Lyme disease transmission.
- Put it in a ziploc bag and freeze it until you bring it in to the office. Do not kill the tick!
- when you get to the office, purchase a Tic Kit. This is sent to the lab and tested for Lyme disease. The Tic Kit costs $40, and assures that you will not be balance billed hundreds of dollars if your health insurance doesn’t pay it.
- You can also purchase Tic Kits to store at home to contain the tick if you live in a heavily wooded area, hunt a lot, or have a lot of deer through your yard. Each Tic Kit comes with a safe removal tool and a storage container to safely store the tick for transport to our office.
- Prevent tick bites in the first place! Plant yarrow around your yard, keep your grass short, and use essential oils such as cedar wood, sandalwood, thyme oil, or garlic oil. A great skin spray to use on your skin is called Tickshield by Cedarcide. You can also use Neem on your pets instead of harsh tick medications.
