Tick bite on my toddler

[Jamesonwhite]

It was on the back of her neck.We removed it with tweezers. Most of the body fell off and then we pulled out the mouth bit. As far as I can see NHS says no action needed except be vigilant for rashes that might indicate lyme disease.

Anyone know any more than this?

In your shoes I would insist on an emergency GP appointment tomorrow and get antibiotics. It's not something I would generally do but Lymes disease is so nasty and the NHS is bad at diagnosing and treating it. ABs will stop it taking a hold and needing to rely on the NHS for anything else. Do not take no for an answer.

Big hug.

2nd above don't take chances with ticks especially if there is any chance of a small amount of head/legs being left in. Draw around the red bite area so you can see if the redness spreads

Also, invest in a tick remover and throw it in the first aid kit for any future incidents, you really don’t want to remove them with tweezers.

Gosh we live in an area where tick bites are really common, you really don’t need ABs every time you get a bite.

Do see a Dr if you’re worried though.

We also live in a bad tick area (DH pulled 9 off himself yesterday) Definitely don’t need a doctors appointment. The tick would need to be attached for 48hrs.

Lyme disease starts with a red bullseye around the bite.

We found a tick in my then toddler a few years ago. I was up for just pulling it out but my husband insisted we went to minor injuries. I was pretty embarrassed but actually they took it very seriously indeed. They don’t recommend taking them out yourself unless you have proper tools (they gave us the tweezers they used as they would go in the bin anyway) and said to go back any time we were at all unsure should we get another.

I wouldn’t bother with pre-emptive ABs as I don’t think any doctor would give them. Just read up of the symptoms of Lymes and be ready to get it treated should you see anything concerning. It’s very treatable as long as you treat it early

Ring them but you need , 200-mg dose of doxycycline within 72 hours but I don't think you can give that to a toddler. You need to keep an eye out for a red bullseye mark but Lyme disease is still very unlikely. As a family we really have had 100s but you do need to get a tick remover, it's much better to get them out alive as they can't spit the content of their stomach out then, only are a few pounds. We do try and avoid them with long clothes and bug spray but they are prevelant where we are.

We also live in a tic area and we get them all the time. You don't need an emergency app. Just keep an eye out for the red bullseye rash. Also invest in a tic tool, they shouldn't be taken out with tweezers.

No. The rash is not always present. It's only present in something like 70% of cases.

In pretty much identical circumstances my daughter started having fluey symptoms a few weeks later. There was no rash. I pushed for a course of antibiotics to treat Lyme Disease. The doctors weren't hugely aware of the disease but happily treated after I explained it was a possibility. They didn't bother to test, just jumped straight to medicine.

Keep an eye out for the other symptoms too over the next few weeks.

Thanks everyone. We were in an area which I now know has tics- wont be back again so its unlikely to happen again. I found and removed the tic within 2 hours of it biting.

I work with some GPs so will ask them if they would recommend an appointment. Sounds like probably not. I will be super vigilant for a rash/temperature/flu symptoms.

I live in New England and Lyme disease is common here, and ticks are rampant. The medical advice here is that if you are bitten then you should watch out for Lyme disease symptoms, and if you experience any you should see a doctor ASAP for antibiotics.

My family have been bitten by ticks many times but never developed the disease - we do check ourselves all over every day so that no ticks are attached for more than 24 hours.

We use tweezers and pull the tick out firmly and slowly, then drop it in alcohol.

In the summer I pull them off my cats several times a week. Ugh.