UGH! Ticks

[Toto-lee Cairn]

Wish there was a monthly treatment I could be prescribed for ticks.

This week, I have had two ticks attach -- one behind my knee, the other at my waistline.  I've been a bit surprised because in all of the years I have spent the amount of time outdoors that I have, I have never had ticks get me.   Mosquitoes and fleas traditionally eat me alive, but this, with the ticks, is most unusual for me.

I went to the Urgent Care on Sunday when I developed the symptoms of a tick-borne illness, and am taking a round of doxycycline.  I was running a fever, had a horrendous headache, and a rash at the bite site that was continuing to spread.  My leg ached. George has had Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever,  twice, believe it or not, so we really pay attention to the devils.  Our neighborhood is overrun with deer.  We counted a herd of (25) in a neighbor's yard, and they roam the entire area several times a day.  We removed the ticks, and saved them in a small snack bag, which let us determine they were Lone Star(s).

The prescription is helping, and Benadryl cooling gel, bathing in plain epsom salts, and staying cool has eased the itch.  Ice cubes applied to the bites work wonders. We are being told that across the state, we can expect higher than usual numbers due to a mild winter.  Great.  George has sprayed the backyard, and while that is fresh, we move with the dogs to the front of the house, and will reverse our efforts when he sprays the front.  I'll need to replenish the bug stuff, and keep some at the doors we use to head outside.

George spent a week in the hospital both times he contracted  RMSF, so you cannot afford to address the problem casually.  Thank goodness the Boys are protected.

Hope you all fare well these warm months. 

[Sam I Am]

Wow that sounds terrible! I have only seen ticks on one of my horses who was in an area that was home to moose and deer…they really are disgusting! I hope everyone recovers and stays in good health. 
 

 

[Toto-lee Cairn]

Nothing to mess with.  

I am seeing differences already, from the doxycycline, and topicals.  Ice cubes held against the bites work wonders.  This a.m., I am headache-free, and we were all able to spend time on the patio -- George and I enjoying coffee, Toto chasing a ball non-stop, and Axel trying to eat the concrete.  Poor puppies, and teething.

We sprayed the yard which we really don't like to do, but have been told this is going to be a bad tick season.

I'd like to scout for opossum as they will eat their weight in ticks.  We actually have bats that roost, and keep mosquitoes in-check.

[Sam I Am]

TLC where on earth do you live?

[Catalyzt]

We should take this more seriously.  (I do when I'm back east and friends remind me.)  Spike does get ticks all the time, though we haven't, at least not that I know of.

What is SO crazy: When we find one, we put him on top of the dog food barrel on a cushion -- which is on top of a chest, so he's 4.5 feet in the air -- and put him into a sit-stay.  He will sit, motionless, as we  yank the tick out with tweezers, put alcohol on the wound, and then a dab of neosporin.  

We give him cookies afterwards, and he always seems to act like he has no idea what all the fuss is about.  "You were removing a tick.  I should be giving you a cookie, guys, thanks for the props, but really not necessary."

However, as I noted in another thread, when I try to remove a few twigs that were caught very loosely in his coat, he bit the hell out of my hand.  

I also caught him trying to flush something out from a wood pile.  I picked him up.  No biting.

The flea situation here is real bad.  They never seem to infest the house.  I'm scared to give him Advantage topical.  The essential oils flea collar actually works fairly well, but it's not perfect.  He always has one or two in the summer, which I don't like.  The flea collar is pretty near 100% for Bartleby.

[Sam I Am]

By the sound of it it’s a good thing we live in a province and city that for 5-6 months it’s winter like conditions which seems to keep a lot of these nasty critters in check! 

[Toto-lee Cairn]

We live in the Piedmont area of NC, about 3 hours from the coast and 3 hours from the mountains.

Our neighborhood is large, the average yard size roughly just under an acre.  Ours, on the books is 2 acres, but is an unusual shape, and it's misleading to think we have a full 2 acres to use.  Behind the house, and on a state-maintained but more rural road, we have a small pond/swamp/creek that swells with rainfall, or dries-up some with a lack of rainfall.  Our backyard is grassy about 1/2 of the area.  The other half is mature woods -- when the leaves are off in the winter, we see cars go by, and from the road, you just can spot the back of the house, and those of our neighbors.  In the warmer months, not so much, because of the dense leaves from a variety of trees including several types of oak, elm, sycamore, hickory, large pines here and there, a tulip poplar.

Surrounding our neighborhood are more rural areas, which unfortunately are slated for development.

Lots of wildlife, mostly deer which drive us all nuts.  Herds of 25 can be spotted on large open grounds (a golf course), and they have no fear of humans, or dogs.  The woods behind our house is a major thoroughfare but we manage to keep them at bay with all sorts of different approaches -- sprays, deer deterrents, etc.  We do not have a fenced-in yard, but our neighbors who do, say the deer will jump a fence in the 4-6 foot height.  At one time, coyote were thinning-out the deer population, but that creates a whole different issue.

I've seen chipmunks, squirrels of course, field mice, skunks, raccoon, a possum or two, foxes (one with her kits), a variety of snakes including good ones and bad, tortoise and turtles, large birds of prey like eagles and hawks, beautiful owls.  Lots of animal life that would naturally carry fleas and ticks and parasites.  Most keep their distance.  We had a home inspector here recently, and he let us know we had bats roosting in two areas outside the attic.  They can't get into the attic, thank goodness, and I guess we are grateful they eat large numbers of mosquitoes.  At dusk, you can spot them, or with a full moon.

We understand this will be a bad year for ticks because we had such a mild winter.  It only dipped into the teens for maybe two weeks, in January, and we had no snowfall this year, which I miss.  It'll snow sometimes around the holidays, and usually melts after a few days -- a week or more of sticking around is unusual.

L-o-o-o-o-n-g answer to your question, 'where do you live?'

[Sam I Am]

Wow…well thank you it was a very interesting read! And here I was so excited about a weasel in our wood pile and a great horned owl in one of our trees. 

[Toto-lee Cairn]

We live in the Piedmont area of NC, about 3 hours from the coast and 3 hours from the mountains.

Our neighborhood is large, the average yard size roughly just under an acre.  Ours, on the books is 2 acres, but is an unusual shape, and it's misleading to think we have a full 2 acres to use.  Behind the house, and on a state-maintained but more rural road, we have a small pond/swamp/creek that swells with rainfall, or dries-up some with a lack of rainfall.  Our backyard is grassy about 1/2 of the area.  The other half is mature woods -- when the leaves are off in the winter, we see cars go by, and from the road, you just can spot the back of the house, and those of our neighbors.  In the warmer months, not so much, because of the dense leaves from a variety of trees including several types of oak, elm, sycamore, hickory, large pines here and there, a tulip poplar.

Surrounding our neighborhood are more rural areas, which unfortunately are slated for development.

Lots of wildlife, mostly deer which drive us all nuts.  Herds of 25 can be spotted on large open grounds (a golf course), and they have no fear of humans, or dogs.  The woods behind our house is a major thoroughfare but we manage to keep them at bay with all sorts of different approaches -- sprays, deer deterrents, etc.  We do not have a fenced-in yard, but our neighbors who do, say the deer will jump a fence in the 4-6 foot height.  At one time, coyote were thinning-out the deer population, but that creates a whole different issue.

I've seen chipmunks, squirrels of course, field mice, skunks, raccoon, a possum or two, foxes (one with her kits), a variety of snakes including good ones and bad, tortoise and turtles, large birds of prey like eagles and hawks, beautiful owls.  Lots of animal life that would naturally carry fleas and ticks and parasites.  Most keep their distance.  We had a home inspector here recently, and he let us know we had bats roosting in two areas outside the attic.  They can't get into the attic, thank goodness, and I guess we are grateful they eat large numbers of mosquitoes.  At dusk, you can spot them, or with a full moon.

We understand this will be a bad year for ticks because we had such a mild winter.  It only dipped into the teens for maybe two weeks, in January, and we had no snowfall this year, which I miss.  It'll snow sometimes around the holidays, and usually melts after a few days -- a week or more of sticking around is unusual.

L-o-o-o-o-n-g answer to your question, 'where do you live?'

[Sam I Am]

We live in Edmonton in the province of Alberta. We have the largest urban park in Canada with more than a 160 kilometres (100 miles) of maintained pathways and 20 major parks. A great place to go for bike rides and walking dogs. We have coyotes, great horned owls, lake sturgeons, porcupines, pileated woodpeckers, garter snakes, white tailed deer, the occasional bear and I think even a cougar once wondered into the area although very rare …thank goodness.

[Toto-lee Cairn]

Wow, lucky you!  And much cooler weather, no?  By this time of the year, the temps are rising into the mid-80s and 90s, and the humidity is unbearable.  It has been a cooler-than-usual Spring here, and I have not yet had to shut the house up and turn on the a/c, which is so nice.  The breaking point for me are the overnight temps, and whether I can sleep or not.

I really enjoy seeing the wildlife, even the 'bad' snakes, and truth be told, I feel for the poor deer who have lost so much of their land to roam.  I don't understand the attraction to our yards and the plants in them, but a horticulturalist explained it was like 'ice cream' dessert and plain ole plain ole.

I'd enjoy the bike rides, and walking, in cooler temps.

[Sam I Am]

Alberta has weather patterns to the extreme ..we can go from 85 above and drop 20 degrees or more within hours. It’s been unbelievably hot and dry and we have had major fires and continue to do. I am afraid Canada is burning and the farmers are afraid crops are a write  off in many areas. We are getting a fair bit of rain now but it isn’t enough. In the winter we can go from -40 to above freezing in a day.

[Toto-lee Cairn]

UNbelievable, Sam I Am.

Just this Spring we have experienced days in the mid to upper 80s, with lows in the lower 60s and upper 50s.  Most unusual for us, too.  It is only because the evenings cool down that I've been able to not turn on the a/c here.  When I lived on the coast -- in Wilmington -- the breaking point was the humidity.  If I took a shower, and it was too humid to even get dry to get dressed, that was all it took for me to turn on the unit.  I personally dislike a/c but recognize it is a necessary evil.  Do you even put in a/c in Canada?

We have smelled the smoke even this far from the fires in Canada.  George commented on the haze yesterday.  My family on the coast was shocked that one of the coastal counties chose to 'control burn' now.  I would think it had been too dry just recently.

Back on topic, LOL,  my tick bites have improved.  About 1/2 way done with the doxycycline, no fever, no aches, no headache and still some itch and rash and bruising.  The bruising was a new one as I never experienced that before with an insect bite.  (Is a tick an insect?  Need a science refresher course.)  Just wanted to share so others would be aware of the concern with these pesky parasites.