Scottish Tics

uggghhh. Little beggars they are. My dog gets them all the time even treated
with Front Line.

"AndyP" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I've never come across tics in the Highlands of Scotland before now but

this

Quoted message said:

summer they were loads in places like Glen Shiel. I was constantly
brushing them off my trousers in long grass and whilst stripping off for a
paddle by the shore of Loch Quoich I found 2 that had breached my early
defence system and had got their teeth in. I hate tics. Midges on the
other hand were no problem at all.

AndyP said:

I've never come across tics in the Highlands of Scotland before now but this
summer they were loads in places like Glen Shiel. I was constantly
brushing them off my trousers in long grass and whilst stripping off for a
paddle by the shore of Loch Quoich I found 2 that had breached my early
defence system and had got their teeth in. I hate tics. Midges on the
other hand were no problem at all.

<fx: shudder...> How did you get them off?

Best wishes,
--
Peewiglet

"Peewiglet" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

AndyP said:

I've never come across tics in the Highlands of Scotland before now but

this

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

summer they were loads in places like Glen Shiel. I was constantly
brushing them off my trousers in long grass and whilst stripping off for

a

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

paddle by the shore of Loch Quoich I found 2 that had breached my early
defence system and had got their teeth in. I hate tics. Midges on the
other hand were no problem at all.

<fx: shudder...> How did you get them off?
Best wishes,
--
Peewiglet

There was an "amusing" thread on Bikemagic.com recently where some guy had
got one on his scrotum whilst riding through bracken. It made for amusing /
horrifying reading at times.
Had one from some woods in Wiltshire recently, luckily he was only just
trying to bite in when I found it!
Mark

Were they nervous tics?

Or were they ticKs?

"Mark Fowler" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Peewiglet" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

AndyP said:

I've never come across tics in the Highlands of Scotland before now but

this

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

summer they were loads in places like Glen Shiel. I

"Scott Leckey" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

Were they nervous tics?

Quoted message said:

Or were they ticKs?

Well in the real world they're ticks but I had it in mind that most people
usually used the word tics on here. Probably so as not to be confused with
threads concerning bagging exploits. So, trip report: ticks about 10, tics
2.

Peewiglet said:

<fx: shudder...> How did you get them off?

As I am accused of being a tick-magnet by bf...:
the vet sells something called O'Tom which is a set of 2 plastic hooks
with very fine v-shaped ends which you can use to slide under the tick and
just twist. Desinfect the spot.

http://www.otom.com/

Treating clotes with Permethrin and yourself with DEET is supposed to keep
them away.

My record is several dozen per limb (half walking around and half dug in
alread) after foolishly going for a run in shorts in the local (east
coast) forest....

Roos

"Peewiglet" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

<fx: shudder...> How did you get them off?

I find a hard stare usually works.

On Tue, 17 Aug 2004 23:23:44 +0100, Peewiglet <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

<fx: shudder...> How did you get them off?

with difficulty :-(

discussed at length in another place last year, suggest a rummage:

http://www.thenmc.org.uk/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=184&highlight=ticks

Part of the thread contains a [significant] re-quote from another web
page, a page that contained the best info I found whilst researching
the problem (and quoted in the above because web pages have a habit of
disappearing).

Despite all of the options available (including wodka on the advice of
my GP ;-) I've not found a means of removing ticks "cleanly". The bite
area will still be noticeable a couple of week's later. The only
method I've yet to try is the, possibly mythical, tick removal tool
that vets reputedly sell... as say reputedly because I keep forgetting
to ask about them whenever I'm in my vet's.

HTH

SteveO

NE Climbers & walkers chat forum;
http://www.thenmc.org.uk/phpBB2/index.php

NMC website: http://www.thenmc.org.uk

On 18 Aug 2004 07:28:32 GMT, Roos Eisma <[email hidden]> wrote:

spooky ;-)
or serendipity? :-)

Quoted message said:

Peewiglet said:

<fx: shudder...> How did you get them off?

As I am accused of being a tick-magnet by bf...:
the vet sells something called O'Tom which is a set of 2 plastic hooks
with very fine v-shaped ends which you can use to slide under the tick and
just twist. Desinfect the spot.

http://www.otom.com/

I want one now! It'll go straight in my fa kit.

Quoted message said:

My record is several dozen per limb (half walking around and half dug in
alread)

=8-O

SteveO

NE Climbers & walkers chat forum;
http://www.thenmc.org.uk/phpBB2/index.php

NMC website: http://www.thenmc.org.uk

SteveO said:

Despite all of the options available (including wodka on the advice of
my GP ;-) I've not found a means of removing ticks "cleanly".

I seem to be a magnet for ticks, but find I can remove them easily
just by grasping them carefully but firmly with a pair of tweezers (from the
Swiss Army knife, of course) and pulling them straight out. This works
regardless of how deeply they've attached themselves. Even well-attached
ticks come out painlessly. YMMV, of course.

Mark
--
Mark Manning [email hidden]

SteveO said:

Despite all of the options available (including wodka on the advice of
my GP ;-)

Actually a Bad Idea (also meths or similar poisons) as it turns out they
cause the tick to barf straight into your bloodstream, so if they /are/
carrying anything naughty you increase the chances of transmission.

Quoted message said:

I've not found a means of removing ticks "cleanly". The bite
area will still be noticeable a couple of week's later. The only
method I've yet to try is the, possibly mythical, tick removal tool
that vets reputedly sell...

As "tick magnet" Roos reported, they really do work (we now have one in
our FAK). If you don't have one, tweezers are the best alternative
that's likely to be at hand.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Mark Manning said:

SteveO said:

Despite all of the options available (including wodka on the advice of
my GP ;-) I've not found a means of removing ticks "cleanly".

I seem to be a magnet for ticks, but find I can remove them easily
just by grasping them carefully but firmly with a pair of tweezers (from the
Swiss Army knife, of course) and pulling them straight out. This works
regardless of how deeply they've attached themselves. Even well-attached
ticks come out painlessly. YMMV, of course.

sorry, added confusion to the issue, I find them easy enough to remove
and its painless too. By "cleanly" what I meant was that I'd not been
able to avoid the bite area "marking" for a couple of weeks or so
afterward, irrespective of which method I'd used for removal or how
patient or otherwise I'd been in trying to remove them.

tbh the only method that seems to make sense, without running the
foreseeable risk of promoting vomiting into my leg from the wee
beastie, would be the "Tick Tyre Lever" that Roos has just pointed
out.... my only question is "when am I next going to the vets?"

SteveO

NE Climbers & walkers chat forum;
http://www.thenmc.org.uk/phpBB2/index.php

NMC website: http://www.thenmc.org.uk

SteveO said:

sorry, added confusion to the issue, I find them easy enough to remove
and its painless too. By "cleanly" what I meant was that I'd not been
able to avoid the bite area "marking" for a couple of weeks or so
afterward, irrespective of which method I'd used for removal or how
patient or otherwise I'd been in trying to remove them.

I don't think that can be avoided - quote from a website:
"Once a tick has initiated feeding, the salivary secretions form a cement
that locks the jaws in place."

The red itchy bump is a reaction to the cement. I normally get them unless
I caught the tick very early on.

Roos

"Peewiglet" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

AndyP said:

I've never come across tics in the Highlands of Scotland before now but

this

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

summer they were loads in places like Glen Shiel. I was constantly
brushing them off my trousers in long grass and whilst stripping off for

a

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

paddle by the shore of Loch Quoich I found 2 that had breached my early
defence system and had got their teeth in. I hate tics. Midges on the
other hand were no problem at all.

<fx: shudder...> How did you get them off?

When we were young up in Scotland my dad would place a lit cigarette close
to the tick and this would make it retract its "feelers" in defence.

Rory

The message <[email hidden]>
from "AndyP" <[email hidden]> contains these words:

Quoted message said:

I've never come across tics in the Highlands of Scotland before now

Some posters will know that I work in a veterinary lab in the north of
Scotland. In the far north-west ticks are rife and we often see sheep
that are covered with hundreds of the nasty wee beasties.

--
Cheers,
Compo

"Rodders" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

<fx: shudder...> How did you get them off?

When we were young up in Scotland my dad would place a lit cigarette close
to the tick and this would make it retract its "feelers" in defence.

Rory

As per Peter Clinches advice regarding chemicals, the cigarette may cause
the tick to vomit the contents of it bowl into you, this exchange of bodily
fluids can pose a risk of Limes disease which can be very very serious and
unfortunately the incidence of ticks carrying this disease is becoming more
and more common.

The miniature crow bar type plastic tick removers as discussed elsewhere in
this thread are excellent, I have used them a few times on myself and have
always managed to extract the tick alive! This is important as a live tick
is less likely to have passed anything into you.

As a rule the Tick takes about 24 hours to establish itself into your skin
(it glues itself in place!) when established the tick injects anti
coagulents into its host to promote the flow of blood from you to her. Its
this exchange of fluids that can pass on Limes disease. So basically if you
get the tick off in 24 hours you should be ok

As to the original persons post, I too have seen more ticks this last couple
of years than I have ever seen before!

Stuart
Another type of tick list ....
http://www.stuartstuart.fsnet.co.uk/munros/

"Stuart" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

The miniature crow bar type plastic tick removers as discussed elsewhere

in

Quoted message said:

this thread are excellent, I have used them a few times on myself and have
always managed to extract the tick alive! This is important as a live tick
is less likely to have passed anything into you.

Am I right in thinking this needs the tick to have been feeding on you a
while so that you have something to slide the tool under? It wouldn't be
able to lift off ones that have only just attached themselves would it? How
long does it take before they swell up visibly anyway?

I usually manage to notice them before they dig in at all by regular checks
going along and the 2 I found actually attached hadn't inflated any amount
and were pinched out with fingernails. I was a bit worried that there was a
tiny black spec left in that I couldn't get out without a trip back to
civilisation but no rash or anything yet. I'll probably take a tweezers
next trip (lightweight titanium ones naturally).

SteveO wrote:

[snip]

Quoted message said:

The only
method I've yet to try is the, possibly mythical, tick removal tool
that vets reputedly sell... as say reputedly because I keep forgetting
to ask about them whenever I'm in my vet's.

I keep one of these hooks that vets sell in my first-aid kit. 2cm of
green plastic, with a simple fork at the end. It works too, but you have
to be patient. I got hold of it a couple of years ago, after my wife
found she had a dozen or more tics attached after camping near
Balquidder. They were /everywhere/. Tried all sorts of things, spirits,
lighters, tweezers, ice, spraying with deodorant. The most efficient by
far was the dog hooks. Well worth 99p or whatever it cost.

Bernie

On 18 Aug 2004 07:28:32 GMT, Roos Eisma <[email hidden]> wrote:

[...]

Quoted message said:

My record is several dozen per limb (half walking around and half dug in
alread) after foolishly going for a run in shorts in the local (east
coast) forest....

<fx: little shriek!!!>

Best wishes,
--
Peewiglet