June 02, 1988 - ...More on Those Terrible TicksJune 2, 1988/The Suffolk Times /Page 13A
Photo by Paul Stoutenburgh
DEER MOUSE - -Any animal from a small mouse to a problems that could come from a tick bite it is
large deer can carry ticks. Because of severe imperative we all become more informed about ticks.
...More on Those Terrible Ticks
By Paul Stoutenburgh
I've been writing for a good number
of years and most of my subjects are re-
lated to the pleasures of the great out-
doors in one way or another. Yet there
is a danger that lurks out there we
should all be aware of. I'm not one to
be slowed up by rain or fog, hot or dry,
mosquitoes or bugs, thorns or briars
and, at one time, even ticks. But today
the evidence is clear and I'm changing
my ways. I've seen first hand the prob-
lems that can occur because someone
was bitten by a disease - carrying tick.
I read and hear there are two major
kinds of ticks: the dog tick which I pick
off my dog each day and, occasionally,
the cat; and the deer tick that I've seen
just twice and then only because there
were so many of the pinhead -size ticks
they became obvious.
The dog tick is found by running your
fingers through the hair of your dog or
cat. If you catch it when it first attaches
itself to the animal, it will pull off eas-
ily, usually without any consequence.
Should you neglect to check your dog or
cat each day and the tick has time to at-
tach and fill up with blood, you'll feel a
large bump. When removed, it may
leave a sore because it has been imbed-
ded
How to remove ticks. Some pick
them off with their fingers but this is
not recommended. Even if you wash
your hands there is always a chance of
contamination. The ideal way is with a
pair of tweezers. I highly recommend
this. What to do with the ticks once you
get them off is easy enough. I have a
small jar, something like a baby food
jar, half full of alcohol and I drop them
in that. It's a lot more certain than try-
ing to squeeze them or roll them up in a
tissue and throw them out.
Now What About Yourself?
So much for your dog and cat, what if
you find a tick on you? Remember,
ticks are not just in the woods, they are
almost everywhere animals are. By ani-
mals I mean anything from a small
mouse to a deer. Your garden or back-
yard is riot off limits to them. If Barbara
and I go into an area that has high grass,
bushes or, in general, is off the beaten
u we-wear=kght_"WrsdsJong pants
4,
Focus on
Nature
and tuck them into our socks. The rea-
son is it helps you see them and if you
are with someone it makes it easy for
them to check you.
Should we find ticks on our clothing
in the field we pick them off. If we find
them at home, into the jar of alcohol
they go. If you find one attached to your
body follow the same procedure that you
would with your dog. Get a pair of
tweezers and pick it off. Usually you'll
feel them crawling and it is a simple
matter to remove them. If they are
deeply imbedded, and this is rare because
you usually find them before they can
imbed themselves, try pulling them off
and clean the area with alcohol. If suc-
cessful, keep the tick and bring it to
your doctor. He might need it to identify
the tick. If you have trouble removing it
go to the emergency room or see your
doctor and let him remove it.
The reason for keeping the tick if it
was attached to your body is that it can
be tested. A dog tick carries Rocky
Mountain spotted fever and the Lyme
tick carries Lyme disease. The first is
rather rare on Long Island but the latter
is more widely spread today. The key is
preventive measures. Should you be
bitten, diagnosis and prompt treatment
usually take care of the problem.
Ticks Don't Jump or Fall
Ticks do not jump on you or fall
from a tree. Nothing like that. Ticks
hang on the ends of twits or branches or
blaaes of grass ana you nave to run up
against them. By staying on the paths
or roadways and out of the grasses and
bushy areas you can probably avoid
them. Even beach grass can be home for
a tick.
More about the deer tick. This one is
such a problem because it is so small
and its disease more widely spread.
Lyme disease affects the nervous sys-
tem, the joints, eyesight, memory and
contributes to a whole list of unpleasant
- Vrebienrs- Uot*Hy *11 -ompbe, bypassed -i€-
diagnosed early. Many times a red rash
appears in the area of the bite but the
tick is so small people don't associate
the tick with the rash. Sometimes the
rash isn't there and only aches and pains
and other symptoms are what we have
to go by.
Most doctors, particularly here on the
East End, are aware of the problem and
symptoms. To the West, where asphalt
and cement rule, the doctors are not yet
fully aware of the problem. Therefore,
people from the West End who visit a
tick area and have symptoms of Lyme
disease should alert their doctor that they
have been in a tick area.
The tick problem is like many other
problems we face today. We know peo-
ple are killed in automobiles yet we
don't stop driving. Smart people wear
safety belts, keep their cars in good re-
pair, drive defensibly and do a whole lot
more to take away any chance of an ac-
cident.
The same is true with the problem of
ticks. We keep out of areas where ticks
tend to hang out and wait for the
passerby. We wear light - colored cloth-
ing and tuck our pants' legs in our
socks. We check ourselves over care-
fully and when possible, have someone
else check the places we can't see. We
take a shower after we've been in a
woody or grassy area where ticks might
be. We become acquainted with the
problem by reading the available litera-
ture.
Ticks are a problem but don't let
them dampen your enthusiasm for the
outdoors. I still go out but with more
caution and a whole lot more knowledge
of how to protect myself in this never-
ending, fascinating world called the East
End.
•
A booklet with more information is
available from the Suffolk County De-
partment of Health Services by calling
the Bureau of Disease Control and Epi-
demiology hotline at (516) 348 -2755;
the Office of Health Education at (516)
348 -2836; or the Suffolk County
Cooperative Extension Telecue Service
in Eastern Suffolk, 369 -2100; in Cen-
tral Suffolk, 654 -8383; in Western Suf-
folk, 586 -0101. Ask for No. 1084 -
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