Dogs are appropriately known as "man's best friend" because they are naturally close to humans. But what if a common parasite that likes feasting on the blood of your beloved dog, attacked your child as well? A parasite such as a tick? A 4-year-old boy almost became deaf because of a tick which was found in his ear. We've also provided a short guide on the signs of tick in ear and its general symptoms.
Ticks crawls into ear of little boy, feasts on blood
That's exactly what happened to four-year-old AJ, who got the tick in his ear from his pet dog Yuki.
At first, AJ's dad thought it was a spider that was in his son's ear...
AJ's dad was shocked when he first heard his four-year son telling him to remove the spider from his ear. His wife even thought that their son was joking. However, when they took a look in the child's ears, they were suprised to find a live tick inside one of them.
The boy's mum suspects that the tick was brought indoors by their dog, after which it crawled into the boy's ear.
Fortunately, AJ's father was able to remove the tick in his ear without any problems.
What are the symptoms of a tick bite?
People bitten by ticks often experience symptoms like skin irritation and rashes. Sometimes, severe allergic reactions can happen --- which can be deadly.
Ticks also cause and spread diseases like lyme disease, which comes with high fever, headaches, and fatigue. This is not found in Asia though. It is also possible to contract blood parasites should you be bitten by a tick.
The ticks don't necessarily have to be alive to move between hosts. Unfortunately, even their eggs are enough to stick on dogs and human alike, hatching later. Once removed, you should place the tick in a container full of fabric conditioner or bleach to kill them.
If you suspect that your dog has ticks, do take it to the vet. You can also buy anti-tick soap and anti-tick medicine which you can use to keep your pet tick-free.
It is also important to maintain a clean home and garden environment so that ticks can't spread.
Other signs of tick in ear
Some people have described signs of tick in ear, like itchiness, a buzzing, bubbling or scratching noise in the ear. Thankfully many of these patients didn't seem to suffer additional symptoms.
Most of the time, tick bites don't have severe consequences. They might even not result in symptoms at all. However, people who are allergic to tick bites may suffer from:
- pain, or the bitten area becoming swollen
- rashes
- feeling as if there is something burning at the bitten area
- blisters
- issues with breathing, if severe
However, as stated before, tick bites can transfer diseases. These diseases can lead to a range of symptoms which start to show after several, or even a few weeks, after a tick bite. Here are some red flags to watch out for:
- red spots or rashes close to where the tick bit you
- rashes all over your body
- a stiff neck
- a headache
- feeling nauseous
- weakness
- aching or painful muscles, or joints
- feeling feverish
- chills
- swollen lymph nodes
To be safe, if you suspect your pet or family to have been bitten by a tick, do consult a medical professional for treatment and advice as soon as possible. If you see a tick attached to your child, it's best to bring them to a doctor to get the creature removed.
References: Healthday, Healthline, Science Direct, NZ Herald.co.nz
This article was orginially written by Jan Alwyn Batara. It has been translated to English from Filipino by Kevin Wijaya Oey and republished with the permission of theAsianparent Phillipines.
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Common parasite infections all parents should know about