Tick & Lyme Disease Season

[Bonny]

Yesterday I found 30 ticks on Missy & 13 on Baxter. We have had a mild winter with only 7 days to count below zero to freeze the ticks out. There is a bumper group of them already. The veterinaries office said they are seeing on the average of 3 dogs a week coming in with Lyme disease. I picked up some Front line & set up appointments for both dogs next week to get checked for Lyme disease & to receive their immunizations for Lyme's.

[Desert Arabian]

Yesterday I found 30 ticks on Missy & 13 on Baxter. We have had a mild winter with only 7 days to count below zero to freeze the ticks out. There is a bumper group of them already. The veterinaries office said they are seeing on the average of 3 dogs a week coming in with Lyme disease. I picked up some Front line & set up appointments for both dogs next week to get checked for Lyme disease & to receive their immunizations for Lyme's.

I know your pain - the ticks are terrible right now where I live too. Franny goes in next friday for her Lyme and Leptospirosis vaccines and was tested two weeks ago at her annual exam, luckily she was negative for both. I am not a fan of Frontline though because it does a terrible job of repelling ticks. Frontline is not effective until after the tick bites and injests the blood containing the medication, by that time the dog will already contract Lyme's. I think I am going to give K9 Advantix II a try - I have read a lot of good reviews on the product and supposidly it deters the ticks before they bite.

A trick I use on myself since ticks find me to be very attractive and tasty is fabric softener sheets! If you rub them on your clothes you will not get ticks! I tried this out last turkey hunting season after hearing about it and it really worked! I took two sheets and stuck them in my boots with just a little corner hanging out for extra scent. I wonder if you rubbed it on a dog if it would work!? I would just be worried about the dog licking her fur and injesting some of the fabric softner. (And yes, I have tried every bug spray on the market for myself....nothing works.)

[pomtzu]

The fleas and gnats are terrible already, but I haven't encountered any ticks yet. I use Advantix on the pups, and oddly enough I used nothing on them last year, and they never had a single flea. Highly unusual - and baffling too! This year will be a totally different story, and I need to get them started on the Advantix now. Sparky just got groomed and I need to bathe Myndi so I can get them on it by the 1st of April.

Lyme vaccine is a must, but keep in mind that it isn't 100% effective. I get them a vaccination yearly, but a couple of years ago, Sparky came down with Lymes. He had tested a false negative for it, but doc put him on a 30 day antibiotic treatment for it since he was exhibiting all the signs, and then he was fine, with no lasting issues because of it. Doc says it's only about 85% effective, but it's still not worth the chance of not getting any vaccine at all.

[Bonny]

Last year I was dog sitting our neighbors Sheltie & would take him on walks twice a day around their farm for exercise. When they got home the next day Dexter would not eat & was very listless. They took him to the veterinary & he had Lyme's. He was doctored with antibiotics & came out of it fine. This was in February when we had cold & snow. The veterinary said he could of picked it up in the fall. I guess that is why they take blood samples & test to see if they have the disease before they immunize.

When the dogs & I go on walks I wear dark clothing & tuck my jean bottoms into my boots & that works pretty good. Will try those dryer tools to see how they work. The Front line I was told has to be applied every three weeks to keep it affective. If there are ticks now I wonder with all this extreme warm weather what kind a buggy year this will be? Last year we had those nasty little flying black gnats that would bit & leave nickel to quarter size welts on humans.

[Freedom]

From what I have researched, the Lyme vaccine is a waste of money, and I don't bother with it. There are so many strains of Lyme out there, and the vaccine can only cover 2 or 3. The likelihood of that being the strain in your area, or that your dog gets, is close to the chances of winning the Powerball.

I do use prevention, Frontline Plus, and mine get a 1/4 tablespoon of minced garlic in their food daily. I've seen a tic walking on a dog now and then, but never had one bite my dogs.

We walk regularly at Bridgham Farm (I've posted 4 photo threads). The folks with Labs, Boston terriers, etc. all say they get home and spend half an hour removing tics from their dogs. They wonder how I do it, with 5. I don't, I have not had to!

Yes, everyone says this is a banner year for the insects. I'm not enthusiastic about THAT at all!

[Desert Arabian]

From what I have researched, the Lyme vaccine is a waste of money, and I don't bother with it. There are so many strains of Lyme out there, and the vaccine can only cover 2 or 3. The likelihood of that being the strain in your area, or that your dog gets, is close to the chances of winning the Powerball.

There are many tick borne illnesses - I think ticks are just as disgusting as mosquitos (the #1 disease carrier). Wisconsin is one of the worst states with Lyme Disease and I personally know many people and dogs affected by the disorder. I do not want to take any chances of my dog catching it, so I will do whatever I can to try to prevent it. No vaccine is 100% effective but it is still worth getting one if the risk of contracting it is high, imo - for both people and dogs. I chose to get her vaccinated against Leptospirosis as well, since we frequent areas where she can easily contract it. Just a slight peace of mind knowing that hopefully she is OK and will never have to deal with it.



Also, since we are on the topic of ticks- if you ever want to remove one easily without fear of ripping off the head - take a dab of vasoline and smother the tick with it. Wait a few minutes and the tick should back out if feeding, ticks breathe through their skin while feeding so if you cover them with vasoline they cannot get oxygen and need to come out to catch a breath.