TICKS are pesky little creatures that are very common in New England. Deer ticks are quite tiny (the size of a poppy seed or a sesame seed depending on its stage of development) while dog ticks are a bit larger (an adult dog tick is about the size of an apple seed). Deer ticks are well known for their ability to transmit Lyme disease.
The good news is that daily tick checks can decrease the transmission of Lyme disease. This is because deer ticks need to be attached for a minimum of 36 hours before disease transmission can occur. Check out the following links for information regarding prevention and how to perform thorough tick checks:
https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/avoi...
https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/trans...
Tick removal and what to do after removing one:
https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/remo...
https://www.healthychildren.or.....
Ticks do not need to be saved for testing. Even if the tick tests positive for Lyme, that does not mean it transmitted the disease to your child.
Symptoms of Lyme disease typically occur 3 days to 30 days after the bite. If you develop any of the following symptoms during this time, please schedule an appointment to see us:
FEVER, FATIGUE, HEADACHE, MUSCLE PAIN/ACHES, JOINT SWELLING/PAIN, RASH