Venting: Yesterday I pulled what appeared to be a deer tick off my kid’s ear. I swear the thing waited until I spotted it before it sunk its fangs in, so it wasn’t engorged, neither had it been on for very long, and if, as they say only about 20% of deer ticks are infected with any diseases should I adopt a wait and see or run in a panicky sweat to the pediatrician?
I don’t think there is much cause for worry but I AM a mom so the worry is there.
All you need to start an asylum is an empty room and the right kind of people.
That’s a good question. Lots of people will tell you to run screaming to a doctor, but I know doctor visits aren’t always affordable. In any case, I’d watch your child’s ear like a hawk. Lyme Disease will show signs of infection, and can be cured with antibiotics before any lasting effects set in. Am going to look for a Lyme website.
Check out these, Yankee: http://dir.yahoo.com/Health/Diseases_and_Conditions/Lyme_Disease/
Near the bottom there’s one on tick-borne diseases in general. You could go to that one first since you’re not looking at Lyme in particular.
Am I reading Hippocrates right?
He’s not just a big box for storing large semi-aquatic mammals, is he?
One more thing: this site says save the tick! That’s the last thing I would have thought of to do, but if you keep the little critter’s carcass, they can test it for Lyme, which will make the diagnosis easier.
I hope you didn’t already through the thing down the toilet or something though, cause that’s what I would have done before reading this: http://www.uri.edu/artsci/zool/ticklab/lyme5.html
Thanks, Boris. My server crashed just after posting the above, so I could not respond until now, but thanks.
I did know enough to save the little corpse, thought we could mount it on the wall.
The bite is healing with no signs of the classic rash, though. I’ll take good thoughts, though. 
All you need to start an asylum is an empty room and the right kind of people.