Liquid dish soap. We all have it in our kitchens. Scented,
antibacterial, and in jewel colors.
So common, so ordinary, we take
it for granted.
But it is magical stuff.
Do you have ticks
where you live? We do, and we check the dogs and each other frequently
during the summer months. You can't be too careful with Lyme disease and
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever out there.
Having found many a tick on
my dogs, I have tried most common methods of tick removal. My current
technique of choice was first grasping the tick with flat tweezers, then
VERY, VERY patiently tugging and wiggling it gently, waiting (and just
flat hoping) for all of the tick parts to fully detach. Whew!
Verbal threats (Don't make me get my tweezers and PULL YOU OUT!) have
had absolutely no effect. Matches are a common remedy (Hold STILL for
heaven's sake- I can't help it if it smells like your hair is on fire!)
but don't work well on areas with hair or fur.
Kerosene is not
exactly a household staple any more, and after applying Vaseline to
smother the tick, if it doesn't wiggle out on its own, getting a good
grip on it with your tweezers is almost impossible.
And putting nail
polish on the tick SOUNDED good until I couldn't find the nail polish
REMOVER afterward...
Which brings me to the mystery--and magic--
of liquid dish soap.
The idea is, you dab it on the tick and it makes the tick back out
quick as you please. Reading about it on the internet, my friend
Denise and I gave it the "Hmm, sounds like it COULD be useful
someday...", rather lukewarm thumbs up.
To be tucked away with other someday-possibly-useful information like the 48 ways to reuse fabric softener dryer sheets, or if you drip yellow mustard down
your front eating a hot dog at a baseball game, if you IMMEDIATELY
pour ginger ale or clear soda on the spot, it won't stain.
Okaaaaay...
Last month my 3 Scottish Terriers went to stay at Denise's house
when my husband and I went out of town. She has Scotties too, and
they love playing together. When I called to check on them, Denise
said she had found a tick -a TICK FOR HEAVEN SAKE- on my little guy
Jamie's neck. Jamie, my 6 year old Scottie, is a gentle soul, nicknamed
Spook because he is black, hates loud noises and lurks under
kitchen chairs. So, Denise got to try out the dish soap tick
removal trick on him.
After putting a dab of liquid Dawn® on the tick, to her amazement it
IMMEDIATELY began a frantic back stroke and within moments was OUT, completely out. After wiping it off with a tissue, she reported that it was the EASIEST and MOST EFFECTIVE tick removal method she had ever imagined.
Almost like magic!
How it works, exactly, is a mystery to me, but you can't argue with
success. It really does work--almost like magic.
Warm Regards,
Dr. Louise
www.askdrlouise.com
© 2011 Louise Achey Helping You Take Medicine Safely™