Why should you actually remove the tick?
It is important to remove the tick as soon as you find it. You should search your animal and yourself every day. Borrelia and Anaplasmosis do not spread directly when the tick bites, but it can take up to 24 hours before the infection is transmitted. TBE, which is a contagious meningitis, spreads more quickly after the tick has bitten the skin as the virus that causes the disease is found in the tick’s salivary glands.
How to remove the tick?
- Do not use substances or liquids to get the tick out
- Always use a tick picker or tweezers that allow you to grip far down the tick’s head without squeezing the body. If you use your fingers, it is easy to squeeze the tick’s body and then the animal spits infectious substances into the dog or cat.
I myself like O´Tom the best who looks like a crowbar and easily and safely takes out the tick. Watch the video on how to “spin away” the tick easily.
What do you do if the tick’s head remains?
- Wait a few days
- However, you want to get the head out as it may contain infectious agents (then not Lyme disease, anaplasmosis or TBE) that can lead to an inflammation or an infection.
- Often the body itself tries to push out the foreign body. The head comes out on its own after a few days in most cases. You can also try to get hold of the head with a small pair of tweezers
Swelling after tick bites
A swelling can form after the bite and this is often an inflammation after substances that have entered the dog or cat’s body after the bite and from the head. This inflammation usually subsides after about 10 days. You can treat with viatop, Relieve gel spray daily to calm itching and keep any wound opening clean.