Check Yourself and Pets for Ticks
A few weeks ago I told you how it was going to be a nasty tick season this year. I kinda thought maybe it was just something people were saying because we pretty much hear that every year. Well, I was wrong.
Last weekend while I was doing some yard work, one of those suckers got on me and latched onto my skin. Of course, at the time I had no idea. Even while taking a shower, I still had no idea it was on me. It wasn't until after that when I noticed it while sitting on my couch. I went to scratch my leg and noticed what felt like a scab. I got up and looked at the back of my leg and there it was.
I can tell you right now, those things are hard as hell to kill. First I used a wet paper towel and pulled it off my skin (it wasn't until after that I heard you're supposed to use tweezers). I tried to smash him but he wouldn't die so I flushed him down the toilet.
I took my dirty clothes and immediately washed them in hot water. Then I searched the rest of my body to make sure there wasn't more on me. Luckily that was the only one.
The next day I went to the vet and picked up some flea and tick preventative for my dog to ensure he doesn't get one of those nasty buggers on him either. The vet told me ticks are especially bad this year.
I talked to a few people this week that also said they found ticks on themselves. My dad said he had a couple crawling on him last week too.
I think it's safe to say, they might actually be worse than normal this year. Do yourself a favor and just be aware when you go outside.
I don't know if it's true but I read somewhere that you're not likely to get Lyme disease if you find the tick within 24 hours.