Tick Alert

[Raven]

This week has involved my annual doggie checkups with the Vet. Wednesday I brought Shelta in and the Vet found a tick on her. I started the flea and tick treatment on both dogs that night. Today I brought Tinker in and the Vet found 2 ticks on her even though I had treated her. I also found a tick on me earlier in the week.

Vet says that this has been a terrible Spring for ticks, the worst he has seen. Probably the unusually warm winter, he thinks.

So, in addition to treating your pets with the topical treatment every month, be sure to get the Lyme vaccine for them. The Vet says that if a tick gets through the topical barrier, the vaccine will prevent disease.

And for humans, be sure to check yourself if you have been out and check yourself anyway since you can pick these nasty little critters up from your pets.

That's my public service announcement for the day.

[NV Whino]

1. Yep

Just picked one off my arm. I was put weed whacking this morning. Probably
Ickes it up then. Annoying little beasts.

[Raven]

3. They are more than annoying, they carry

some nasty stuff. The deer tick can giive you Lyme Disease which I'm told is pretty nasty. From what I have read, the deer tick is pretty tiny, the brown dog tick is larger... none of these critters are very nice! The advice is to wear light colored clothing, long pants tucked into your socks and a long sleeved shirt. Kind of takes the romance out of gardening. My vet said they like the head area and the back of the neck. Smart little bastids!

[NV Whino]

12. I've been treated twice

Ever vigilant is the key.

[siligut]

2. Here is a link to the CDC's tick maps

http://www.cdc.gov/ticks/geographic_distribution.html

I live in Seattle, doesn't look like I have to worry too much until I go camping or hiking.

[baldguy]

5. And here's a picture of Patrick Warburton!

http://www.thetick.ws/photos.html

[Rhiannon12866]

4. K&R! This is really important!

Especially this year. Here in NY it's practically an epidemic, all the vets are on alert. My mother's dog has already had three removed, but the vet said they were already dead. I was told that it's essential to have them removed before 36 hours, before they "bury in." My mother's friend lost her bichon to Lyme Disease a few years ago. He had picked up a tic.

Thank you so much for the reminder!

[femmocrat]

6. Our vet said the same thing yesterday.

We found one on one of the corgis. Our dogs never go in high grass or weeds. She picked it up in our yard somewhere. It is the first time I have ever seen a tick and I've owned dogs for decades.

[opiate69]

7. My niece in rural Eastern Connecticut

took my sister's chihuahua for a walk a couple weeks ago.. when they got back, she gave him a bath and pulled off 67 ticks... definitely gonna be a bad year for them

[RZM]

8. I got a tick behind my ear once in college. It was kind of embarassing

Because I discovered it the next morning in a class. It was a pretty laid-back class, so the prof came over and removed it. He then threw it on the ground and stomped on it repeatedly.

Since then I always check after I'm in the woods.

[grasswire]

9. and Frontline and Advantage appear to have lost some efficacy, at least on fleas

Thousands of complaints are all over the Internets about it. The most recent dose of Frontline plus I used on doggie seemed to work for three days, instead of a month.

[Raven]

11. Glad you mentioned this...

my Vet has used Frontline until this year. He now recommends Vectra 3D. I asked about this and he said Vectra was at least as good and that the cost of Frontline had gone through the roof. He also suggested that I treat the dogs every 3 weeks instead of every 4 weeks.

[grasswire]

16. there's also a similar product named PetArmor

Same ingredients as frontline/advantage, much cheaper. Widely available.

But if those ingredients have lost their efficacy, what's the point in continuing to dose up an animal with some toxicity. The targeted critters have built up an immunity, but the toxicity is still there.

Someone's going to have to come up with a new remedy.

[NV Whino]

13. I use Biospot on my cats

So far it's still working. Cheaper than Frontline or Advantage.

[MiddleFingerMom]

10. k

[leeroysphitz]

14. I'm a little disappointed. I thought this was going to be a tourette's thread. n/t

[sarge43]

15. I've knocked at least four off me already

Had to dig one out of the spousal unit.

Just about guaranteed if you're doing any outside work, the nasty things will jump you

They are really bad this year. Damn.