This is a public information post and it might put you off your tea.
Last week, in what turned out to be a timely manner Mr Uhdd took delivery of a O’Tom Tick Twister a device for the safe removal of ticks. Now we don’t get many ticks in this neck of the woods, but some of the places Mr Uhdd goes fell running do. The yukky little blighter can carry the potentially fatal Lymes disease
Mr Uhdd was running in the Lake District
and Scotland last weekend, where they do have ticks.
Tonight I came home from dashing here and there to be asked ‘I’ve got a tick on my bum, can you remove it please?’ Oh joy!
So I watched the video, about tick removal, which is pretty gross, donned gloves (as instructed) and took the little plastic crowbar to the wee beastie
and twisted. The tick is now double bagged and residing in the freezer* (also as instructed, this apparently is so if he is unfortunate enough to get ill in the near future, they can see if the tick was guilty after all.)
Do you want to see a picture of the tick in situ? (if you don’t; click away now and look at some more Lakeland views)…… … don’t say I didn’t warn you!
It could have been worse, you want to hear where his fellow ‘Fellrunners Forum’ mates have had ticks sink their teeth!
*The last ‘wildlife’ we had in the freezer was a dead bat, but that is another story
Uphilldowndale 
Yikes!
My bro-in-law had one in a very, um, sensitive spot once too. He smothered it in Vaseline and it worked its own way out so it could breathe again. Also works for bot flies (link is not for the squeamish)
The theory is that the tick regurgitates its last bloody meal back into its host if you try to suffocate it or grab it with tweezers.
Once removed it was good to see under the magnifying glass, that the tick appeared to have all its mouth part intact, that none were left in Mr Uhdd’s backside.
Not sure I’d be very comfortable with the idea of carrying it around with me, whilst it slowly suffocated; once I’d found it I’d HAVE to get it off me NOW!!! I think I’ll pass on the bot flies.
Oh dear oh dear, we’ve obsessed over attack flies and tent caterpillars but I’ve been pretending there are no ticks in the Great North Woods. The Cowboy went all over faint at the sight of the Twister at work in wavy white fur just like his. We went to look at the Lake District.
Hence the name …”buttick”! 😉
Looks painful and nasty ~ I hope it wasn’t one that carries bacteria, and that Mr. Uhdd is no worse for wear!
When she was younger, my mother lived in Newmarket and her favourite way to spend her lunch hour was to take the dogs to the Heath and lie down in the grass while the dogs chased imaginary rabbits. She would then go back to the vet surgery where she worked and the vets would take it in turns to remove the ticks from inside her ears and I never want to know where else!
My cat had a tick the other day but it was sooo big that my husband had to cut the tick remover to make it even bigger to fit. I turned out to be two ticks in the same spot. Yuk.
Good idea to keep the tick in the freezer though if you get one yourself as years ago I picked up one in the New Forest and not long after was very ill for several months and doctors said it was probably Lymes Disease.. it took a couple of years to get completely better.
He’s been prescribed antibiotics as a precaution…..
hehe – and what did mr UHDD say when you delayed the tick removal process to get out the camera to immortalise his bum on your blog? The things bloggers’ relatives have to put up with…
The camera was his idea, something to do with posting the photo on the fell runners forum, it must be a boy thing, you’d not get a picture of my bum, blog to feed or not!
Get him to take you out for a beer as a reward.
Well i must have run over 20,000 miles in the last 10 years and ive never seen one out there. Hope he is okay.
The tick was gross, but the Lakeland shot was beyond beautiful. Again, I wish I were there.
I’ve always followed the advice to keep arms, legs (and bottoms) covered when scrambling through the bushes to avoid these ticks….looks like that’s not good enough!
Unless he was running au naturelle, of course.
I hope he’s OK and that the antibiotics are all he needs.
After the Highlander Mountain Marathon I had the lovely job of deticking my other half. I stopped counting, but I reckon there was at least 40 odd.
Everywhere…
The advice in Denmark, is to remove it as quick as possible, as time increase the risk of getting infected, if the tick has the borrelia virus, ofcourse. So from a Danish view, you did the right thing. 🙂
Hi UPDD
My son had Lymes disease 6yrs ago, he was 18 and working with Camp America in Wisconsin, it knocked him for 6! he was ill for about 3 months, The clinic he was taken to, suspected it, but he had blood tests back in the UK, apparently it does not show on tests for approx 28 days,
He had a month of very strong antibiotics that made if feel worse! not nice! pity he didnt have one of them gadgets! he had 3 on his back and back of leg,
Definately remove them ASAP!as Mark will verify
Take care Joan
It sounds like a very unpleasant disease…….
You’re a trooper – not the squeamish sort. Hope the Mr continues to feel okay.
That Lake District shot is beyond beautiful.
I’ve had a tick or two of my own. Those things creep me out, almost to the point of hysteria with the first one. You get enough of them attached over a period of time and the theatrics fade. 😛 Not fun though.
Grampian Orienteers award the Golden Tweezers prize to the member who has had the most ticks each year. Competition will be fierce this year as the ticks have been out in force this spring.
I’m such a novice you see! I’d have been a lot better if I hadn’t watched the video 🙂
I wonder who or what eats ticks?
This made me giggle, but only out of empathy! My mum found me with a tick on my tongue and blood pouring down my chin when I was about 4; we lived on a farm in South Africa and all I did in those days was hang out with our German Shepherd. Can you imagine??
that is a beautiful picture! not of the ticks obviously hehe
Just catching up. Love all the pictures, as usual, esp. the heron (and thanks for the link to the recipe for swans and herons, yum). The close up of the tick, hmmm. Well good for Mr. Uhdd for allowing the cameras in. Or did he know?
Interesting. Gross, but interesting! I think I’ll get one of these as we get plenty of ticks in Scotland.
Yeah! the tick should be removed as early as possible to avoid the risk of any infection.
Pingback: Snowdon | Uphilldowndale
Pingback: LXXII | Uphilldowndale