Dog owners: tick season (Lyme) has started in the Whites

[HikerBob]

If in doubt - ask your primary care physician to run a blood test.

I was having an odd combination of symptoms some time back and I explained that I spent a lot of time in the woods and could we run one just to eliminate Lyme and a couple other things. Given the risk factors he had no problem getting it done. Came back clear, which was good news, I'm just generally falling apart it seems

Bob

 

[sardog1]

Been there, done that, but not this year yet. (Personal record is 28 ticks on me.) Wife was diagnosed with one of the earliest Lyme cases in Minnesota back in the 80s; we lived then in a tick-infestation hotbed in the east central part of the state. (The 28 came from laying in the grass during SAR dog training .....)

Here in SE NH, we have yet to see a single tick on us or any of the five dogs. Ordinarily we'll see them in March. It is just bizarre that we haven't yet. We use Frontline Plus, but it cannot be that solely -- we're in the woods daily with our dogs. I'm beginning to think that the apparent dearth of whitetails in our vicinity recently has something to do with it.

 

[charlos]

tick carwash

recently talked to someone who works for the new york new jersey trail conference who informed me of a box which was used to herd(attract) mice and other rodents inside and then removes or kills the ticks on them, the mice exits the box clean and unharmed.
he couldnt tell me much more besides mice are more of a factor in the spread of lyme than deer(at least around here)

 

[Jaytrek57]

who informed me of a box which was used to herd(attract) mice and other rodents inside and then removes or kills the ticks on them, the mice exits the box clean and unharmed.

Um.

That I would like to see.

First, and not to be morbid, but if the "box" can attract the mice/rodents, can the people then teach the "box" to kill the disease carrying little vermin.

Second, well, I have no second, I am laughing to hard right now with images of Wil E. Coyote in my head. Yes, I know, I lead quite the life.

Seriously, if it works i'm all for it!!

peace.

 

[NHGal]

Um.

That I would like to see.

Here you go:

http://www.maxforcetms.com/maxforce_tms.html

 

[DougPaul]

Another approach that I have heard of was to place insecticide impregnated cotton balls out where the mice can get them. They use the cotton balls for nesting and kill the ticks in the process.

The deer tick that spreads Lyme also happily lives on mice.

Doug

 

[Jaytrek57]

Cool!!

Also, lots of great tick info on that link. Thanks.

 

[Puck]

Another approach that I have heard of was to place insecticide impregnated cotton balls out where the mice can get them. They use the cotton balls for nesting and kill the ticks in the process.

The deer tick that spreads Lyme also happily lives on mice.

Doug

Actually the mice are needed as a host for the tick in its larval stage. It changes to nymph and as a nymph and an adult it needs larger mammals re deer, dogs, humans eetc.

 

[bobmak]

All 3 of my dogs have already brought home ticks this year, and I have pulled a couple of myself as well. I live in the north eastern part of Mass and the woods here are infested with them.

Last year my terrier went from being his happy active self one day to being almost totally paralyzed the next. He could barely move and was completely listless; diagnosis was acute lyme. He recovered after a heavy dose of antibiotics, but it made me think about what would happen if either of my other two dogs, both medium sized border collie mixes, had the same reaction while in the middle of a multiday hike.

As to the seriousness of lyme, my girlfriends sister contracted it maybe 10 years ago. She had moved to Calgary, and started getting fevers and flu like symptoms. This persisited for a couple of years, until finally it was diagnosed as lyme. She now has a severe chronic case of the disease, and over the course of the past few years has gone from being a very active person to being almost totally house bound.

 

[rondak46]

just a thought....

I have been looking into potential reasons for the huge success of tick populations in the last 20 years. I am no scientist but I don't have any problems making guesses as to what might be causing it. I have come up with a possible answer:

Birdfeeders: perhaps we have been giving birds too much easy food, and they pass up ticks and other bugs for a free meal of seed, or meal worms (fed to blue birds) or whatever else they eat.

Like I said, its just a thought; and I have not been able to find any research the really gives any answers to the infestation.

Mike

 

[Puck]

:
Birdfeeders: perhaps we have been giving birds too much easy food, and they pass up ticks and other bugs for a free meal of seed, or meal worms (fed to blue birds) or whatever else they eat.

Mike

The birds at the feeders are seed eater...finches, cardinals, chikadees, siskins, redpolls etc. The birds that would eat ticks would be warblers, kinglets, gnatcatchers etc. So feeders are not giving birds an alternative. Also, when there is more food available the response is to increase the population

 

[rondak46]

Oh well...

... There has to be some answer, and, it seems likely that humans are partly to blame. I know Blue Birds are fed mealworms by people.. Thanks for the info.

Mike

 

[Puck]

... There has to be some answer, and, it seems likely that humans are partly to blame. I know Blue Birds are fed mealworms by people.. Thanks for the info.

Mike

I personaly don't like the word "Blame" I think humans are accountable. Often times with disease and epidemics the virus or bacteria or strain thereof is new to a population. Things soon calm down. We humans host the epstein Barr virus and only a few of us will have problems with it. We don't have the problems with Scarlet fever the way we use to over 100 years ago. And small pox epidemics were hitting us with the less virulent strain. Now we have new lands cleared and farmed then there is the subsequent explosion of the rodent population. So South Americans are hit with the Hanta virus. Nature seems to try to find an equilibrium. Often times it the humans that have up set the applecart. But sometimes sh!t happens.

I wish Lyme disease was showing a pattern of calming down. That little spirochete is pretty nasty.I know in some forms of alternative medicine there has been some success using plants in the ericacea family...bog rosemary, mountain laurel, andromeda, kalmia, for lymes disease and its complications.

 

[SAR-EMT40]

Came back clear

Of course listen to your doc but the last I had heard, one test may not be definitive. You may want to check with him to see if you should have another test in a month or so.

Keith

 

[DougPaul]

Of course listen to your doc but the last I had heard, one test may not be definitive. You may want to check with him to see if you should have another test in a month or so.

Consistent with my recollection that the test is not very reliable.

Doug