Lymes is very common in my area as well as Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Some thing you can do to avoid leaving the head behind.
1. using a safety pin or paperclip heat up the tip.
2. grasp tick with tweezers firmly but enough to squash
3. touch tick with heated end of paper clip or safety pin...this should cause the tick to retract its head due to the heat.
4. deposit tick in a glass with a small amount of alcohol.
5. repeat as needed for all ticks
6. dispose of dead ticks in glass...I like to flush them
If there is any small nick or such, treat with something like neosporin and watch for any abnormalities like swelling, rashes, etc... If such signs occur see your vet.
If you walk or live in tick infested areas you should do regular checks after walks or daily in they are in your area. You may also consider some of the more long term topical applications for protection.
Ticks and treatment
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