These little bloodsuckers are having the time of their lives right now, so protecting yourself from the diseases they carry is key.
is to avoid getting bit by a tick. When you go out for a walk or hike in grassy or wooded areas, dress with skin protection in mind, says Dr. Foley. Think shoes that completely cover your feet, long pants tucked into socks , and—less important but still worth it, in temperatures that allow for it—a long-sleeved shirt . You can also apply a product that contains at least 0.5% permethrin, a highly effective insecticide, on your clothes and gear .
When you’re headed inside, take off your shoes and change into fresh clothes at the door to avoid bringing ticks into your home, Dr. Foley suggests. Do a full-body tick check, and take a good look at the clothes and shoes you had on too. If you were in a particularly tick-filled area , take a shower.
It’s normal to notice irritation after a tick bite, so expect to see or feel some signs of that, like itching, minor swelling, and redness or other discoloration . What you), which is a telltale sign of Lyme disease in a majority of cases. If you develop that symptom or a fever or headache within a day or two of the bite, contact a doctor as soon as you can. They should run some tests, and if need be, prescribe treatment . The faster you can get those meds, the better off you’ll be.
Dogs and cats can contract tick-borne illnesses, too, so make sure they’re up-to-date on their tick protection meds, says Dr. Foley. While they can’t spread these diseases to humans, they can bring infected ticks into your home , so look them over from head to toe anytime they’ve been outside too. Even though ticks skeeve me out, I haven’t given up my hikes—though I’ll admit that day in Florida was a major wake-up call that I need to do a better job of checking myself and my pup after our walks. So far this year, I’ve already pulled two of these bloodsuckers off of my dog, one off myself, and a fourth from a blanket . At least I’m catching them before they hang on and become a real problem—even though it makes me squirm, it’s so worth it.
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