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Original poster

Is this a tick?

18 replies

WhenDoISleep · 07/08/2019 15:16

DS2 and I went for a walk and when we got back to the car he found this on his forearm. It seemed attached but when I turned around to get the first aid kit, he suddenly said that it had crawled onto his finger. There are no signs of a bite in the area where he first saw it.

OP posts:

S1naidSucks · 07/08/2019 15:17

Yup. That’s definitely a tick and you should check your legs for any more. We used to walk through the fields as children and gave to pick tics off at the end. I sometimes wonder if that’s why I’m constantly tired now.

BlackCatSleeping · 07/08/2019 15:18

No, I don't think so. They have round flat bodies.

Quartz2208 · 07/08/2019 15:18

Yes it certainly could be

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BlackCatSleeping · 07/08/2019 15:19

Sorry, just saw the close-up picture. Yes, it does look like one.

Abstractedobstructed · 07/08/2019 15:20

Yes.
If it wasn't attached there'll be no consequences, but just keep an eye out (and tell him to stick to paths now you know you have ticks locally)

They can be tiny. The one embedded in my arm (luckily seemed disease free) was smaller than a sesame seed.

S1naidSucks · 07/08/2019 15:20

If you find any, make sure you have the head between your nails and give a quick tug. You need to do this quickly or they’ll burrow further in. DO NOT smother them in cream, alcohol or any other substance that might be suggested in order to smother them. Again they will burrow further in, in order to get away. You can buy tick removers online.

Original poster

WhenDoISleep · 07/08/2019 15:37

Thanks all - not something we have encountered before. We were at RHS Wisley, somewhere we have been a lot previously. Fortunately there don't appear to be any others on arms or legs (either his or mine). It can't have been on him long at all, possibly as little as a few minutes, and whilst it seemed attached when I first touched it to try and brush it off, it did move voluntarily to his finger when he poked at it again (he is only 7) and there are no signs that he has been bitten.

Ironically enough I have just sent DS1 off to Scout camp in a known tick area with warnings to make sure he checks himself nighty.

OP posts:

janeyre · 07/08/2019 17:55

Do make sure to check yours and his armpit and groin areas, plus his hairline if he’s only little as they tend to crawl and bite in the warm bits rather than on limbs
(I’m far more experienced than I would like on ticks haha)

SparklyOnTheInside · 07/08/2019 19:43

If he gets a "bullseye" rash in the future then you will need to go to the GP and let them know that he had a tick bite

SparklyOnTheInside · 07/08/2019 19:45

DD had a tick encounter earlier in the summer, so I did. the reading! They are nothing to worry about, unless you get the rash:
www.nhs.uk/conditions/lyme-disease/

Rosebud21 · 08/08/2019 06:33

@SparklyOnTheInside, not everyone gets the bullseye rash in this scenario. The link you've given also lists signs & symptoms suggesting infection for anyone who suspects they've been bitten by an infected tick. They should then see their GP for investigation &/or antibiotic treatment

myusernamewastakenbyme · 08/08/2019 08:47

Yes that is a tick...my partners dog picks up at least one daily on his walk...ive become quite good at spotting them and removing them.

LifeIsGoodish · 08/08/2019 10:05

They are nothing to worry about, unless you get the rash:

This is incorrect.

You can get Lyme disease from a tick bite without ever having the rash.

whatwouldbigfatfannydo · 08/08/2019 10:12

A very low number of Lyme Disease cases actually start with the rash, it's certainly not the 100% that people think it is.

The test is also notoriously unreliable. It only tests for antibodies which take months to build to detectable levels, resulting in many false negatives.

viques · 08/08/2019 10:15

you can buy tick removers online

Or at a vet surgery or a pets at home type place. Probably a better bet if you spot that you have one.

SilentSister · 08/08/2019 10:25

Definitely a tick, but if it wasn't attached I wouldn't worry about it. We get them in our garden here, and they are endemic in the fields.

DH contracted Lyme last year, had a terrible summer, two lots of horrendous antibiotics and a several weeks off. Took him a year to get back to normal. He didn't have the rash, but we knew he had been bitten because I took it off the back of his leg.

This year I got bitten too. It was so tiny I didn't realise until too late that I had unconsciously scratched it off with a nail, and left some of it in my leg. I knew because the bit I had taken out didn't crawl and wasn't whole when I checked with a magnifying glass. I telephoned GP and he prescribed 10 days of antibiotics as a precaution. We live in Surrey in a known Lyme area. The NHS advice is soon to be updated as NICE are doing a review based on the increased incidence. Sorry, I know way too much on this having looked after poor old DH for a year.

Trickyteens · 08/08/2019 10:27

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/jul/31/uk-lyme-disease-cases-may-be-three-times-higher-than-estimated?CMP=Share iOSAppp_Other

And

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/aug/04/my-brush-with-lyme-disease-increase-new-forest-scotland?CMP=Share iOSAppp_Other

OhYouBadBadKitten · 08/08/2019 10:58

Can I just say that if you do get a rash, it doesn't need to look like the classic bullseye. I had lots of bright red large ovals after a tick bite. Doxycycline sorted it after a false start of two other antibiotics.

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