How to Identify a Deer Tick Bite

Deer ticks, also known as black legged ticks, are dark-colored ticks about the size of a match head that host on the white-tailed deer, small mammals and birds. They have also been known to bite humans. Humans can become infected with Lyme disease from a deer tick's bite. The easiest way to identify a deer tick bite is while the deer tick is still attached to the skin. It can also be identified after the bite has occurred and if additional symptoms of Lyme disease occur from an infected bite. Contact your doctor if you think you have Lyme disease.

Things You'll Need

• tweezers

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Instructions

• 1

  Inspect any area of skin that is exposed to ticks. Grasp the head of the tick with a pair tweezers as close to the skin as possible if a tick has bitten and is still attached to the flesh. Pull the tweezers back slowly until the tick is removed.

• 2

  Look for a rash resembling a bull's-eye that occurs at the site of the deer tick bite. The rash is usually red, round, raised and has a pale center; this is the first indicator of Lyme disease. The rash usually expands outward if the disease goes untreated. Look for a rough rash on the abdomen that can occur instead of or in addition to the bull's-eye rash.

• 3

  Flu-like symptoms can indicate that a deer tick bite has occurred and the person has been infected with Lyme disease. These symptoms are broad and can include headache, fever, swollen lymph nodes, sore throat, nausea and vomiting. They can occur 3 days to several weeks after a deer tick bite.

• 4

  Determine if continual, long-term complications from an infected deer tick bite have occurred. These serious conditions include neurological problems, arthritis and fatigue.