A simple hike yesterday turned into a weekend full of worrying about ticks! Copper got tick number two and Sara Beth got tick number one. Mommy got two! Eeeew Gross!
First of all, we had a great hike, so I think all of this fuss is worth it (assuming I don't keep finding ticks).
Second, I learned what works to deal with the stupid bugs once they've latched on. Last time we dealt with ticks, we googled what to do with dogs that have a tick and so many sites said not to use nail polish remover to make the tick release from the skin. So we tried that and we couldn't remove the head! (Eventually, Copper's body pushed the head out, like with a splinter and he was fine.)
So, this time, I was trying the nail polish remover method. And guess what?! It worked like a charm. I held a cotton ball with nail polish remover over the tick for about ten seconds. Then, I was able to easily use tweezers to get the bug and flush him down the toilet!
Third, I realized that I now need to just brush the dogs IMMEDIATELY after any hikes through the woods down here. With our dogs and their forests of fur, it's easy for ticks to crawl around and hard for me to see. But when I brush the dogs with the deshedding brush, I can easily see their skin and I end up brushing their entire body, which means that I check their entire body. Great multi-tasking!
Now the ticks I found on myself were just crawling through my hair...enough to give me the heebie geebies...
but gave a great show to those watching as I was driving down the highway and flinging the bug out the window as fast as I could and then again in the middle of church this morning!
