How do you treat a tic bite?

Answer 1

If the tick remains attached to the host (you, your pet, etc.) and is alive, the best thing to do is use tweezers to gently and firmly graspt the tick's thorax (the thickest part of the body) and ease the intact tick out of the wound. Some people use mineral or baby oil as a lubricant for this purpose, but this isn't necessary. Gradual, slow, contiunuous pull should be exerted, and it may take a few minutes. Once the tick is out, apply an antiseptic. If you accidentally break the tick, extracting the head is very difficult. You are faced with a procedure that may do more harm than good (as now intrusive techniques -- needle, scapel, etc.) are required, or simply leaving the tick head in place, and applying an antiseptic, and a bandaid. Eventually, the body will decompose part of the remaining tick head, and express out the remainder. I generally recommend the later method. If you choose that, observe the wound at least daily for signs of infection. Note that methods like using a cigarette to heat the tick so it burrows out doesn't work, and typically kills the tick while still embedded in the wound. Addition of alcohol and other chemicals will typically cause the same unfortunate result, and are not recommended.