Yuck!

The use of hydrogen peroxide, alcohol, iodine, and mercurochrome on cuts and scrapes (for people and pets) is being discouraged more and more by the medical professionals.

Iodine is a great antibacterial agent on unbroken skin. But iodine, peroxide, and alcohol all kill healthy tissue as well as the bacteria we want them to kill.

If there is a question of whether or not the tick's head is still embedded, take the dog to the vet. Most of the time it isn't a serious problem.

At least one veterinarian site online recommends putting a triple antibiotic ointment on after you clean the wound well.
 
WinterBorn said:
The use of hydrogen peroxide, alcohol, iodine, and mercurochrome on cuts and scrapes (for people and pets) is being discouraged more and more by the medical professionals.

Iodine is a great antibacterial agent on unbroken skin. But iodine, peroxide, and alcohol all kill healthy tissue as well as the bacteria we want them to kill.

If there is a question of whether or not the tick's head is still embedded, take the dog to the vet. Most of the time it isn't a serious problem.

At least one veterinarian site online recommends putting a triple antibiotic ointment on after you clean the wound well.
Click to expand...
Hydrogen peroxide's been used for a long time and works great. Kills what's left of the tick and what it's attached to. *shrug*
 
Southern Man said:
Hydrogen peroxide's been used for a long time and works great. Kills what's left of the tick and what it's attached to. *shrug*
Click to expand...

It also kills healthy tissue that you do not want killed. This leaves the wound incrementally larger and will take longer to heal. The longer it takes to heal the more likely it is to get infected.

There was a time when hydrogen peroxide was the best thing available. Thats not true now.

If the tick's head is torn off it is already dead or dying. What you need to be worried about is the bacteria that the tick disgorged.
 
Two means of Tick Removal

Had to hunt this down, it was in a couple of e-mails from a year or so ago.

Method 1:

I don't know what campho-phenic is (camphor oil?) but if you do, it's a good suggestion.

From a good friend in the "dog business". Both are better than a lot of
other methods I have heard of in the past.
Dana

Dana,

You might want to pass on this tip for removing ticks. My grandfather used
this when I was a little girl in the early 40s and it still works today.
Just put a dab of campho-phenique on your finger or a cotton swab and cover
the tick, he will back out immediately as he is breathing thorough his body
and when you cover him with campho-phenqiue he has to get his head out to
breathe. If you just rub the "campho" on his head when he's out the tick
will suffocate and then you can just rub the "campho" into the bite area and
it won't itch and will heal up nicely. I like this for the dogs too.

I've been doing this for all of my life and I was 65 in June so I know that
it works. My grandparents lived in northern Arkansas and when my brother
and I went to the farm, my grandmother would always give us a good searching
when we came in from having been out in the woods with my grandfather. The
"campho" does a great job of promoting healing and reducing itching.



Method 2:
This seems to be directed at ticks attached to humans, but it should work equally well with dogs:

Please forward to anyone with children... Or hunters or dogs, etc!!
Thanks!

A School Nurse has written the info below -- good enough to share -- And it
really works!!

I had a pediatrician tell me what she believes is the best way to remove a
tick. This is great , because it works in those places where it's some times
difficult to get to with tweezers: between toes, in the middle of a head
full of dark hair, etc.

Apply a glob of liquid soap to a cotton ball. Cover the tick with the
soap-soaked cotton ball and swab it for a few seconds (15-20),
the tick will come out on it's own and be stuck to the cotton ball when you
lift it away.

This technique has worked every time I've used it (and that was frequently),
and it's much less traumatic for the patient and easier for me.
Unless someone is allergic to soap, I can't see that this would be damaging
in any way. I even had my doctor's wife call me for advice because she had
one stuck to her back and she couldn't reach it with tweezers. She used this
method and immediately called me back to say, "It worked!"

Please pass on >>>> everyone needs this helpful hint.
 
No clue what campo is. I wonder if nail polish would work. It seems like you just need to put something on it that restricts its breathing.
 
LadyT said:
No clue what campo is. I wonder if nail polish would work. It seems like you just need to put something on it that restricts its breathing.
Click to expand...

Liquid soap is probably the handiest (and cheapest), and wouldn't sting if the skin has been breached. I was going to suggest salt, but I think that's just for leeches. Now there's a yuck!!!
 
WinterBorn said:
It also kills healthy tissue that you do not want killed. This leaves the wound incrementally larger and will take longer to heal. The longer it takes to heal the more likely it is to get infected.

There was a time when hydrogen peroxide was the best thing available. Thats not true now.

If the tick's head is torn off it is already dead or dying. What you need to be worried about is the bacteria that the tick disgorged.
Click to expand...
You don't leave it on there for two days; just enough time to loosen the head and destroy all the bacteria. What works better than H2O2 to do that?
 
Southern Man said:
You don't leave it on there for two days; just enough time to loosen the head and destroy all the bacteria. What works better than H2O2 to do that?
Click to expand...

The head is not the dangerous part. The body will naturally encapsulate that. The most you will have is a small lump that will go away. Like a splinter would if you left it alone.

The danger is the infection. And the larger the wound the greater the chance for infection. With the destruction of healthy skin cells you increase the chance of subsequent infection.
 
WinterBorn said:
The head is not the dangerous part. The body will naturally encapsulate that. The most you will have is a small lump that will go away. Like a splinter would if you left it alone.

The danger is the infection. And the larger the wound the greater the chance for infection. With the destruction of healthy skin cells you increase the chance of subsequent infection.
Click to expand...
Dr. Winterborn, answer my question. :)
 
Southern Man said:
Amazing your ability to create a straw man argument from a simple front-porch procedure. LOL
Click to expand...

Again with the straw man? I did not give you a straw man argument. I pointed out that modern medical science has discovered some drawbacks to hydrogen peroxide for the use you suggested.

Most Drs now recommend using other antibiotic ointments rather than hydrogen peroxide.

If LadyT wants a "front-porch remedy" she is welcome take your advice. If she asks her vet he will probably suggest other, more modern and thorough treatments.
 
WinterBorn said:
Again with the straw man? I did not give you a straw man argument. I pointed out that modern medical science has discovered some drawbacks to hydrogen peroxide for the use you suggested.

Most Drs now recommend using other antibiotic ointments rather than hydrogen peroxide.

If LadyT wants a "front-porch remedy" she is welcome take your advice. If she asks her vet he will probably suggest other, more modern and thorough treatments.
Click to expand...
The straw man is that the H2O2 treatment would be used for any length of time beyond necessary to flush out the wound. I could have just as well said "flush with water" and you'd accuse me of drowning the dog in a lake or hitting it with a fire hose.

Ointments tend to seal in the head of the tick and would be a terrible choice of treatment. Nor have you specified what type of ointment. Is that what you're suggesting as a better treatment than H2O2?
 
Southern Man said:
The straw man is that the H2O2 treatment would be used for any length of time beyond necessary to flush out the wound. I could have just as well said "flush with water" and you'd accuse me of drowning the dog in a lake or hitting it with a fire hose.

Ointments tend to seal in the head of the tick and would be a terrible choice of treatment. Nor have you specified what type of ointment. Is that what you're suggesting as a better treatment than H2O2?
Click to expand...

And please point out where I suggested the H2O2 be used any longer than would be necessary to out an imbedded tick head and the bacteria around it.

The action of boiling that out with the H2O2 is also killing healthy tissue.

Triple antibiotic ointments do not seal in the head of a tick. The do not remove it, but neither do they seal it in. We are talking about a small amount of ointment, not spackling compound. What these ointments do is to kill the bacteria in the wound without killing the surrounding (healthy) skin and tissue. They also remain in the wound (unless washed out intentionally) and continue to kill bacteria that may enter the wound. (something H2O2 does not do)
 
LadyT said:
No clue what campo is. I wonder if nail polish would work. It seems like you just need to put something on it that restricts its breathing.
Click to expand...


Campho Phenique (sp?) is in a little bottle and I thinnk is camphor oil and alcohol mostly. It is used on fever blisters and such and can be bought in the over the counter area of a pharmacy.
 
WinterBorn said:
And please point out where I suggested the H2O2 be used any longer than would be necessary to out an imbedded tick head and the bacteria around it.

The action of boiling that out with the H2O2 is also killing healthy tissue.

Triple antibiotic ointments do not seal in the head of a tick. The do not remove it, but neither do they seal it in. We are talking about a small amount of ointment, not spackling compound. What these ointments do is to kill the bacteria in the wound without killing the surrounding (healthy) skin and tissue. They also remain in the wound (unless washed out intentionally) and continue to kill bacteria that may enter the wound. (something H2O2 does not do)
Click to expand...
Its killing healthy tissue only as long as its applied. When the wound is cleaned out you stop application, duh. The first rule of any wound is to clean it, not seal it up with part of an insect in it like you're suggesting.

I'm still waiting on an answer from you. :)
 
WinterBorn said:
And please point out where I suggested the H2O2 be used any longer than would be necessary to out an imbedded tick head and the bacteria around it.

The action of boiling that out with the H2O2 is also killing healthy tissue.

Triple antibiotic ointments do not seal in the head of a tick. The do not remove it, but neither do they seal it in. We are talking about a small amount of ointment, not spackling compound. What these ointments do is to kill the bacteria in the wound without killing the surrounding (healthy) skin and tissue. They also remain in the wound (unless washed out intentionally) and continue to kill bacteria that may enter the wound. (something H2O2 does not do)
Click to expand...

You can now get Neosporin in a little spray applicator. I take it with us on trips, in our First Aid kit.
 
Southern Man said:
Its killing healthy tissue only as long as its applied. When the wound is cleaned out you stop application, duh. The first rule of any wound is to clean it, not seal it up with part of an insect in it like you're suggesting.

I'm still waiting on an answer from you. :)
Click to expand...

And killing healthy tissue increases the chances of infection because of the increased size of the wound.

And when you stop applying the H2O2, you stop killing bacterial and preventing infection.



Thorn, spray neosporin? I will have to look for that.
 
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