Properly identifying engorged ticks can help reduce the risk of complications from tick-borne diseases. Your best defense against these blood-sucking bugs and the diseases they spread is close inspection. And some adult ticks can stay attached to your body for upwards of a week. Unfortunately, the longer a tick has been feeding, and the more engorged with blood it has become, the more you may be at risk of contracting a serious infection. And, unless you’re allergic, you won’t even feel the pinch or itch of a tick’s bite many ticks actually manufacture and secrete their own pain-killing chemicals so their hosts remain unaware of their presence. These parasitic arachnids (they are cousins of the spider) are often difficult to detect with the naked eye, but they can wreak havoc on your health. These symptoms may appear in stages, or over time.If you’ve been exploring outdoors, especially in wooded areas, forests, areas where long grasses and/or shrubs are present, or have found a tick on your body, and show these symptoms, see a healthcare provider.Do you work outdoors? Do you hike or camp frequently? Do you share your home with a pet that has recently had a tick problem? If so, be on the watch for ticks. Rash (sometimes shaped like a bull's eye).Lyme disease is treatable with a short course of antibiotics. Only the blacklegged tick can transmit Lyme disease, and in most cases, a tick carrying the bacteria that can cause Lyme disease must attach and feed for at least 24 hours before the bacteria can be transmitted. To have a tick identified please visit eTick.ca for more information. Avoid crushing ticks with exposed fingers. Once removed, flush the tick down toilet, drown in rubbing alcohol or freeze in a plastic sealed bag prior to putting in the garbage. This will be important if you, or a loved one, begin to feel unwell. Make a note of the date and where on the body the bite occurred.Once the tick is removed, clean the area of the bite with soap and water or alcohol hand sanitizer.Gently and slowly pull the tick straight out of the skin.Carefully grasp the tick with tweezers – the pointier, the better - as close to the skin as possible.Put clean and dry outdoor clothes in a dryer on high heat for at least 10 minutes to kill any remaining ticks.They can enter your home on your pet and move to you or another family member. Dogs can’t transmit tick-borne illnesses to people, but ticks are hitchhikers. If you have pets that spend time outside, make tick-checks part of your daily routine.If you see a tick, remove it safely (see below).Having a bath or shower within two hours of coming inside makes it easier to spot ticks and wash off unattached ticks.Check yourself and your family for ticks after being outside. Permethrin treated clothing repels and kills ticks when they come in contact with it and is now registered for use in Canada for those 16 years of age and older. Follow directions on the package carefully.
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