If you own a pet that enjoys the woods as much as you, ticks are sure to be in your future. A few weekends ago my dog Brie accompanied us on a walk to Vickery Creek Park in Roswell. About a week later we found two ticks in her ear. After much debating and research on the matter we decided the best bet was to just get the tweezers and tug. They came out ok. After a thorough search we found 4 more on her body, two of which had blown up. Talk about the willies. I felt like I had ticks all over me for the next week or so. So here’s a few tips from research and experience:

1. Don’t use Vaseline or a match or any other crazy method you’ve heard about. That only irritates the tick and may potentially cause it to regurgitate in the host.

2. Just get your old fashion tweezers and grab as close to the head of the tick or skin of the dog/person and pull very slowly. You might hear a little pop and see a tiny bit of skin that came off too. That is a good sign. That means you got the tick plus the head. If for some reason the head didn’t come, don’t worry too much the body will in most cases just take care of it naturally and not cause any problems.

3. If there is some scabby like substance left on the body also don’t worry. Ticks secrete a concrete type substance that helps them attach. This can be washed off easily.

4. If you go anywhere near the woods or an area of tall grass check your dog and yourself thoroughly for those nasty hitchhikers.

Hang on I think I feel one on my neck…