Tick Bite
Main Symptoms
- A tick (small brown bug) is attached to the skin
- A tick recently was removed from the skin
- The wood tick (dog tick) is the size of a watermelon seed and can sometimes transmit Rocky Mountain spotted fever and Colorado tick fever
- The deer tick is between the size of a poppy seed (pin head) and an apple seed, and can sometimes transmit Lyme disease
- The bite is painless and doesn’t itch; so ticks may go unnoticed for a few days
- Ticks eventually fall off on their own after sucking blood for 3 to 6 days
See More Appropriate Topic
- If not a tick bite, see Insect Bite
Call Your Doctor Now (night or day) If
- Your child looks or acts very sick
- You can’t remove the tick
- You can’t remove tick’s head that broke off in the skin (Reason: to prevent localized infection) (Note: if the removed tick is moving, it was completely removed)
- Widespread rash occurs 2 to 14 days following the bite
- Fever or severe headache occurs 2 to 14 days following the bite
- Bite looks infected (red streaking from the bite area, yellow drainage) (Note: infection doesn’t start until at least 24-48 hours after the bite).
Call Your Doctor Within 24 Hours (between 9 and 4) If
- You think your child needs to be seen
Call Your Doctor During Weekday Office Hours If
- You have other questions or concerns
- Red-ring or bull’s eye rash occurs around a deer tick bite (Lyme disease rash begins 3 to 30 days after the bite)
Parent Care at Home If
- Tick bite with no complications and you don’t think your child needs to be seen
Home Care Advice for Tick Bites
- Reassurance: Most tick bites are harmless. The spread of disease by ticks is rare.
- Tick Removal:
- Use a tweezers and grasp the wood tick close to the skin (on its head)
- Pull the wood tick straight upward without twisting or crushing it
- Maintain a steady pressure until it releases its grip
- If tweezers aren’t available, use fingers, a loop of thread around the jaws, or a needle between the jaws for traction
- Tiny deer ticks need to be scraped off with a knife blade or credit card edge
- Note: covering the tick with petroleum jelly, nail polish, or rubbing alcohol doesn’t work. Neither does touching the tick with a hot or cold object
- Tick’s Head: If the wood tick’s head breaks off in the skin, remove it
- Clean the skin with rubbing alcohol
- Use a sterile needle to uncover the head and lift it out
- If unsuccessful, call your doctor
- Antibiotic Ointment: Wash the wound and your hands with soap and water after removal to prevent catching any tick disease. Apply antibiotic ointment to the bite once
- Expected Course: Tick bites normally don’t itch or hurt. That’s why they often go unnoticed
- Call Your Doctor If
- You can’t remove the tick or the tick’s head
- Fever or rash in the next 2 weeks
- Bite begins to look infected
- Your child becomes worse or develops any of the “Call Your Doctor” symptoms