How to safely remove a tick 

Ticks are EVERYWHERE. You are bound to find one on yourself, your kids, or your pets eventually, but do not panic. You can safely remove a tick and take steps to be proactive about preventing tick-borne diseases. 

Tools:

- Tick Nipper 
- Tick Carrying Device 

1. Carry your Tick Nipper and tick carrying device on you always

Ticks can be found practically anywhere, so be proactive about tick safety. Keep a Tick Nipper and tick carrying device in your purse, backpack, car, or travel bag to ensure you're ready to act when you encounter a tick. A tick carrying device is a tiny plastic container we ship to you with all of our HYKER orders. These are useful for both storing the tick as well as shipping the tick to a lab for testing.  

2. Locate the tick. Don't Panic!

If the tick has only recently made it's way onto your skin or clothing, it may not yet have attached. Typically the tick can be easy brushed off or flicked away, however, it is always a good idea to store any ticks you find on you, your kids, or your pets in a tick carrying device. This can help you identify the tick and send it for testing if needed. 

3. Activate the Tick Nipper

You've found an embedded tick—now what? The "jaws" of the tick nipper have a slight opening so that when closed they perfectly enclose the head of the tick. Open the jaws of the tick nipper and steadily place them onto the skin surrounding the tick. Slowly close them so that the middle part of the jaws close in on the head of the tick. With the jaws closed completely, firmly pull straight up removing the body from the skin.   

4. Save the tick! 

At this point you may be thinking to yourself "Ew! Throw this nasty thing down the drain!!" but wait! It is very important to save your tick for two reasons. Firstly, you can identifiy the tick using the DETICKD IT, and secondly, you can send the physical tick to a lab for testing to better understand your disease risks.  

5. Closely examine removal site

The tick nipper has a built-in magnifying glass to allow for further examination of the removal site to ensure the tick has been fully removed. Now you can clean the site and your hands with rubbing alcohol or soap or soap and water.

6. Identify tick and monitor symptoms

Using the DETICKT IT app you can upload a photo of the tick to understand your disease risks. Ixodes Scapularis, commonly referred to as the deer or blacklegged tick, can carry Lyme disease as well as anaplasmosis, babesiosis, and Powassan virus disease. Other common ticks such as the American dog tick and the lone star tick can also carry an array of diseases. Using this app to identify and learn risks is an important tool in proactive symptom monitoring. If you, your kid, or your pet present syptoms, submit the tick for lab testing and contact a healthcare professional immediately. 
 

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