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
