What to do before, during, and after a tick encounter — for you, your family, and your pets.
The most important thing is to remove the tick as quickly as possible. The longer a tick is attached, the greater the risk of disease transmission.
Use fine-tipped tweezers
Grasp the tick as close to the skin's surface as possible. Do not use your fingers — tweezers give you a firm, precise grip.
Pull upward with steady, even pressure
Do not twist or jerk the tick. Twisting can cause the mouthparts to break off and remain in the skin. If mouthparts break off, try to remove them with tweezers. If you cannot, leave them and let the skin heal.
Clean the bite area
After removing the tick, clean the bite area and your hands thoroughly with rubbing alcohol or soap and water.
Dispose of the tick
Put the tick in a sealed bag, place it in alcohol, or flush it down the toilet. Never crush a tick with your fingers. Consider saving it in a sealed bag in case you need to show a doctor later.
Do NOT:
Most tick bites don't cause illness, but it's important to monitor yourself for symptoms over the next few weeks.
Record the date
Note when you found the tick and how long it may have been attached. This helps your doctor assess disease transmission risk.
Monitor for symptoms
Watch for a rash (especially a bull's-eye shaped rash), fever, chills, fatigue, muscle and joint aches, and headache for up to 30 days after the bite.
See a doctor if symptoms appear
If you develop any symptoms, contact your healthcare provider right away. Many tick-borne illnesses are treatable with antibiotics, especially when caught early.
Consider preventive antibiotics
If the tick was a black-legged tick (deer tick) and was attached for more than 36 hours in a Lyme-endemic area, your doctor may recommend a single dose of doxycycline as a preventive measure.
Seek emergency care if you experience:
Pets — especially dogs — are highly susceptible to tick-borne diseases and can bring ticks inside your home. Check your pets after every outdoor outing.
Check your pet thoroughly
Run your fingers through your pet's fur, paying special attention to around the ears, between the toes, around the tail, under the collar, and in the groin area.
Remove the tick the same way you would for humans
Use fine-tipped tweezers, grasp close to the skin, and pull straight upward with steady pressure. Clean the area with antiseptic.
Watch for symptoms
Signs of tick-borne illness in pets include lethargy, loss of appetite, fever, lameness or joint swelling, and swollen lymph nodes. Symptoms may appear 1–3 weeks after the bite.
Contact your vet
If your pet develops any symptoms, contact your veterinarian. Mention that your pet was bitten by a tick and when it happened.
Prevention for pets
Wear protective clothing
Wear long sleeves and long pants when in wooded or grassy areas. Tuck your pants into your socks and wear closed-toe shoes.
Use insect repellent
Use EPA-registered repellents containing DEET (20–30%), picaridin, IR3535, or oil of lemon eucalyptus on exposed skin and clothing.
Treat clothing and gear
Use products containing 0.5% permethrin on clothing, boots, and camping gear. Permethrin-treated clothing remains protective through multiple washings.
Check yourself after being outdoors
Check your whole body for ticks after returning indoors. Check under the arms, in and around the ears, inside the belly button, behind the knees, between the legs, and around the waist.
Shower after outdoor activity
Showering within 2 hours of coming indoors has been shown to reduce the risk of tick-borne disease. It washes off unattached ticks and provides a good opportunity to do a tick check.
Tumble dry clothes on high heat
Dry clothes in a dryer on high heat for 10 minutes to kill any ticks on clothing. Ticks can survive a trip through the washing machine.
Symptoms can appear anywhere from 3 days to 3 weeks after a tick bite, depending on the disease.
Lyme Disease
3–30 days after biteBull's-eye rash (erythema migrans), fever, chills, fatigue, headache, muscle and joint aches, swollen lymph nodes
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
2–14 days after biteHigh fever, severe headache, rash starting on wrists and ankles, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain. Can be life-threatening if untreated.
Anaplasmosis
1–2 weeks after biteFever, headache, chills, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite
Ehrlichiosis
1–2 weeks after biteFever, headache, chills, muscle aches, nausea. Rash is less common than Lyme but possible.
Babesiosis
1–4 weeks after biteFever, chills, sweats, headache, body aches, loss of appetite, nausea. Can cause severe anemia.