Thursday, June 16, 2011

$0.02 [Tick]

I was sitting on the couch early this morning, finishing up something for work and absentmindedly petting Betelgeuse. And then I made a discovery under her arm.

A tick.


Yes, a tick.

In Brooklyn.

First stop, Google.com. Confirmed the tick is indeed a tick. Learned the basics of tick removal. Learned the horrors of leaving behind the head and also the symptoms of Lyme disease. Oh, the Internet, with its image search results, wiki hows, wiki how nots, youtube videos, pet MD, my-dog-had-a-tick-and-then-died message boards, etc.

Close laptop. Back to reality. My dog has a parasite the size of a pencil eraser on her armpit. I need to remove it and then I need to go to work.

I texted my veterinarian (a pro of being pals with your vet). Should I bring her in or just remove it with tweezers? "You can do it. Grab it as close to the head as possible and pull slowly." Do I need to keep the tick or anything? "Nope. Just make sure it's dead."

I sanitized a pair of tweezers and prepared a cup of soapy water. Pulled the tick off (along with his stupid little tick head) and drowned him. We went to the park for a celebratory game of fetch, and I was only ever so slightly late for work, mostly because of the fetch.

My two cents: Flea and tick medicine every month, even in Brooklyn, folks!

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