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Tick Bites - Symptoms And Treatment

Ticks are small spider like insects (arachnids) that bite to fasten themselves onto the skin and feed on blood. Ticks live in the fur and feathers of many birds and animals. Tick bites occur most often during early spring to late summer and in areas where there are many wild animals and birds. Those of us who keep dogs as pets are aware of the troublesome nuisance of tick infestation in dogs. By themselves ticks may not be a problem, however ugly they look, climbing all over the walls where the pet normally sits.

Ticks can be fairly large -- about the size of a pencil eraser -- or so small that they are almost impossible to see. Ticks can cause a variety of health conditions ranging from harmless to serious.

Causes and Symptoms of Tick Bites

What is worrying is when a tick bites you or your dog. The local reaction is redness and itching in the area. If the tick is not removed, it stays stuck to the area and continues to suck blood. Its saliva secretes a toxin that affects the nerves. In some sensitive cases, this toxin causes slow paialysis-there is a feeling of weakness, restlessness and irritability because one is not sure what is wrong. As paralysis sets in, different systems are affected. There may also be respiratory distress. Timely removal of the ticks and symptomatic supportive treatment reverses the problem. Absence of fever or any violent active symptoms are responsible for delay in treatment, but one should remember that the toxin can take some time to reveal its full effect.

Home remedies for the Tick Bites treatment

• All ticks must be removed from an animal. Herbal tick baths with neem decoction are available, but you can make your own.
• Individual ticks can be removed by dabbing kerosene on them and then lifting them off with a tweezer. Incomplete removal may cause the sting to remain. This results in a local inflammation and the formation of a nodule. Scratching this results in a secondary infection, or the nodule starts increasing in size, giving rise to the mistaken diagnosis of a tumour.
• If all the parts of the tick cannot be removed, get medical help.

Tick Bites Prevention

• Wear light-colored clothing on which the ticks can easily be seen.
• Check your children for ticks, especially in the hair, when returning from potentially tick-infested areas. See the list above for the places on your child's body to check for ticks. Remove any tick you find on your child's body.
• Wear long pants and long sleeves when walking through heavy brush, tall grass, and densely wooded areas.

TICKS ARE ALSO VECTORS FOR DISEASES LIKE TULAREMIA, TYPHUS AND LYMES DISEASE. IT IS IMPORTANT TO DE-TICK YOUR PET BECAUSE TICKS HAVE THE POTENTIAL OF SERIOUSLY HARMING YOUR HEALTH.

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