We always just pull of by hand. They have only been on there a little while, so they come right off. It’s really no big deal with us anymore after so many years of having to remove so many.
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I walk in the woods all over the Northeast US, and I am careful about ticks because Lyme is no joke. It can be with you for life and cause very severe, recurrent symptoms. I had an acute case of it in the fall of 2022, and I pray that the treatment protocol took care of it and it never comes back, but you never can be sure.
You asked for specific prevention advice, so here is mine:
Use a good spray on your shoes, ankles, arms, etc. I don’t like chemical sprays with DEET myself, but a lot of people prefer them. An herbal spray with cedar in it is the best non-DEET option.
If you want to be very careful, it’s recommended to wear light-colored pants (trousers) so you can see them on you, and tuck your pants into your socks. I don’t bother with this, but I probably should. Wear a sun hat or baseball cap.
Don’t ever walk in an open pasture, as you said you did, if the grass is even ankle-high. Avoid grass that isn’t mown, and even after walking on your own mown lawn, check yourself and any pets for ticks. Never sit or lie down on grass without a blanket underneath you, and shake the blanket out well before coming inside.
On trails, don’t walk through dry leaves. If parts of a trail aren’t clear, try to step on TOP of the leaves, rather than kicking through them. Avoid hiking off-trail in the woods. Stay on cleared trails only. Try not to brush up against plants overhanging the trail. These might have ticks on them that will land on you as you brush by. Ticks cannot jump. They only crawl or land on your from foliage you brush with your body.
When I get home from a hike, I take off my shoes and socks and check between my toes and behind my knees. Then I like to strip off my clothes in the bathroom and shake them into the tub, so I can see if any ticks come off. I like to wash my hiking clothes frequently and never toss them onto the bed or sofa but hang them up on a doorknob or leave them in the bathroom. I shake my hair out over the tub as well, and then shower and look for any ticks crawling up the walls or sides of the tub. When you’ve been on a longer hike or a less clear trail, be sure to check your body crevices using a mirror.
If you find a tick, you must crush and kill it. They are nasty things and resilient. If you find a tick attached to you, remove it immediately by pulling it straight out with tweezers. Never twist or use alcohol or heat. You can save the tick in a ziploc bag in the freezer in case you want to send it in for testing. It costs about $50 to test it for Lyme or other diseases they carry. Watch for symptoms and the bulls-eye rash over the next few days. I didn’t get the bulls-eye, but I was still infected.
Chickens and opossums eat a lot of ticks without carrying Lyme, so if you see opossums around the property where you’re staying, be grateful, and think about whether you’d like to have chickens for your own property.
Sweet Birch Herbal in Ashfield, MA has two great Lyme tinctures for treating and preventing Lyme, as well as a good herbal spray. (I am not an affiliate and do not benefit in any way by sharing this info.) I took a course on Lyme with the herbalist who creates these products, and I can vouch for her knowledge and the quality of her products.
Hope that’s helpful!
Gillian
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Wow, @GillianWings Thank you for taking the time to share this. It was very helpful and full of information.
Many things that I would never think of like saving the tick for testing!
I am really taking this a lot more seriously now, we have ticks in the UK, but where I grew up in Southern UK on a farm we never seemed to experience them and later in life I hiked all over with my dog but he only picked up one from a sheep field. Here there seems to be lots/more common. So this information is extremely helpful.
Another great tip from @BJH is learning to identify them and the main disease-carrying ones which is something I am now doing.
Thank you everyone for taking the time to comment. We came home with several more today on the dogs but had long pants and tucked-in socks and stripped off by the door and shook out our clothing. We have also ordered several herbal tick-repellant sprays that are pet and human-safe to try.
We heard to be safe crushing them in case they splatter into your eyes and transfer any bacteria, so are putting them in a little jar of alcohol as suggested at the vets and again by @BJH
Such an important topic and to stay safe when exposed to these little critters!
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Ticks have always been out west. What’s spreading is various tick diseases.
**WRT Lyme, be aware that if you’ve had it for a while and then are diagnosed (and most tests are unreliable), antibiotics will drive the spirochetes out of the bloodstream and into the muscle tissue, where they encyst. Once the antibiotics are done, the spirochetes can show up in the blood again with a vengeance.
**Source: A Lyme Disease Antibiotic Guide - Marty Ross MD.
Stephen Buehner, an exceptional herbalist, wrote a book called “Healing Lyme”, where he recommends several successful herbal protocols. The book is full of information about Lyme, its history, its spread across the globe, and the protocols to use. I highly recommend it and seeking a Naturopathic physician as part of the medical team.
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That tool is also mastiff approved! I’ve just been in the Welsh mountains, and was getting up to 20 ticks off him each day. I googled and found they have three life stages, which (partly) explains the varying sizes.
I only had one in three weeks, and I put this down to wearing wellie boots on nearly all walks. They hang about in the heather, and although they could latch on to the doggo, they couldn’t get a purchase on me!
As sitters we travel with our own remover (can’t take a pic as it’s with my partner at the moment) you depress the top and four ‘claws’ grab the tick when you release. Just as effective as the little guy shown above and imo easier to use as it can’t slide off.
Hello, @Sunshine_G please share the tool when you get a chance as it would be good to have backup options, especially if it’s easier to use! 
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An interesting article in The Independent on What is Lyme disease, what are the symptoms and how can it be treated?
Do you have a link to that tick tool, please? Not sure how it works or why one helps. Does it extract if a tick has burrowed into skin?
One of our homes backs to woods and is frequented by many deer, so we’re always on the the lookout for ticks. My husband found one on our dog only a couple of weeks ago. If having a tool on hand helps, I’ll buy one.
@Maggie8K Yes they even help when the tick has burrowed into the dogs (or your) skin.
Here is the one we have been using:
We picked ours up from the local vets, but they also sell them in pet shops. You slip the tool between the tick and the skin and twist and it pops out and does not break off the head. It took us a couple of attempts to perfect it, also making you choose the right size for the tick, but it comes with several sizes, and then we found it was easy.
There are other ones on the market we have yet to try! If you try them let me know how they go 
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Ticks are my biggest fear and nightmare when hiking because of Lyme disease (as others here mentioned). We have them in the Midwest, too; believe it or not, they also appear in some parts of the city! (parks with many meadows or trails).
My partner was bitten by one recently, and because the tick was nowhere to be found, his doctor recommended he go into antibiotic treatment immediately. This is the best way to ensure you don’t wait for the possibility of getting Lyme disease which sounds awful.
My dog gets the low dose for ticks and fleas (he’s 7 lbs hence the low dose). And we’ve been lucky with him not getting any. When I go on long hikes, I spray myself with deet but I know Deet is bad for most pets, so probably not the best option if you hike with your dogs.
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Thanks much, Carla! Will let you know if we try other ones.
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Ticks Carry More Diseases Than Just Lyme. Here’s an article with what you need to know.
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Another tick related article today warning of a possible tick-bite meat allergy
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@Samox24 Wow it’s so interesting that they can cause so many issues. I was watching a vet program and a poor cat had tick paralysis which I didn’t know much about. They are tiny but mighty creatures!
I read about this and gave me the creeps!
Ticks can be so small and I also know of people that didn’t even noticed getting one and then ended up with Lyme disease.
You can get a lot of weird stuff from mosquitoes too. I remember when I got dengue many years ago, it traumatised me to the point that getting mosquito bites now, make me super anxious.
@wendy_chicago yes I know exactly what you mean, we have a friend too who also has Lyme disease.
Another article in todays news regarding a tick-bite meat allergy, this time in Surrey in the UK.
I have also attached an explainer article also in todays news
Today was the first time as a pet sitter that I have had to remove a tick.
Well, I held the dog, whilst the owners sister removed it with one of those gadgets especially for the job.
I had phoned dog owner to see what she wanted me to do.
be aware folks, they are around now.
I have now bought a tick remover from Amazon. very cheap, less than £4.
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Thanks for the reminder @RedLassie - my cat still picks up the occasional tick even though he’s more of a homebody these days!
They are around early in the UK this year. One of our regular sits had to remove a tick from their dog in late April. We have added a tick remover tool to our petsitting kit.
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