TICKS AND LYME
DISEASE
It's
Spring - Time for Ticks and Lyme Disease -
by Ava Schutzman
One of the first
things I learned as a CSRNE adoptive parent was how to
protect Taffy from fleas and ticks. Living in New England means
being aware of the dangers of Lyme disease, transmitted by tiny deer
ticks. It can compromise the human immune system. In dogs,
symptoms usually appear 2-5 months after exposure. The disease
causes fever, lameness, and lethargy. In humans, look for a telltale
red rash, target-shaped, about five inches across. Awareness and
preventative care, followed by appropriate post-infection remedies
administered by qualified veterinarians and physicians, will, in
most cases, suffice to protect our dogs and ourselves.
The Schutzmans and Taffy
I would like to share
my own run-in with ticks recently. I hope that my experience and
lessons learned the hard way will make it easier for the reader to
avoid the hazards of ticks. To begin, on Monday morning Taffy and I
set out for our after-breakfast walk. This Monday she led me off the
road into a nearby field and back to our normal walking territory,
where we rejoined our friends. That afternoon, at my mother's house
in Connecticut with Taffy, I noticed a brown spot on my upper arm. A
yank yielded a deer tick! And there were more - along with a visit
to the doctor.
The removal procedure lasted 30 minutes. The nurse claimed she
removes ticks from people all the time. Yet, while I had this tick
removed, the nurse did not check for more; nor did she give me any
medication. She said that deer ticks will not transmit disease for
at least 36 hours, so I would be fine. The next day, in the late
afternoon, I felt another stinging, this time in my back. Now home,
I called my HMD, got an appointment for the next morning, and saw my
doctor. She removed the 3rd tick, pronounced it a wood tick, and
gave me an antibiotic for the other tick bite because last year
there was a lot of Lyme disease around. Now I'm on the antibiotic
doxycycline for 2 weeks. Dogs are treated for tick bites the same
way.
While looking for ticks on your dog, I admit that I have it easy
since Taffy is a blond cocker. Those of you with those gorgeous
blacks and chocolates will have more work to do, because the ticks
won't stand out visually. After your dog spends time outside, you
should remember to feel her/him all over for little bumps that
shouldn't be there (especially ones that move).
A nurse told me that if you put alcohol on the tick bite, the
embedded tick will start coming out for air. Vaseline also works by
smothering. The nurse added that I should not be surprised that I
got tick bites while fully covered up in jeans and a sweatshirt.
Ticks jump under the jeans and crawl up your clothes. To prevent
this, you can wear long socks over your jeans. So, here are some
helpful pointers for dog walks:
-
Stay on the
pathways or roads as much as possible.
-
Avoid fields with
long grass; stick to mowed areas. The long grass is like a bus
stop for hitchhiking ticks! These commercial products protect your
dog (but are not available for humans):
-
Tick Collars -
can last for up to 3 months but it can't be submerged in water.
The collars are less expensive than the topically-applied liquid
medications.
-
Topical
Applications (Spot-on products) - these are liquid medications
applied directly to the dog's skin
Also: Frontline and
Frontline Plus - monthly use kills fleas and their eggs and larvae,
kills ticks, keeps them from attaching. They prevent the bug from
biting, but you should still check your dog for ticks, which will be
removed easily (so that they will not transfer to you when you give
your dog those big hugs). Additional benefit of Frontline is that it
does not wash off when dog bathes or swims.
-
K9 Advantix - kills
fleas, ticks, and includes a mosquito repellent. The only product
for all three pests.
-
Advantage - applied
monthly, kills all fleas, only. Can be used with a tick collar.
-
Shampoos, dips,
sprays, powders, indoor bombs for fleas and ticks: these work for
a shorter time period, ranging from usage time only to a few days,
up to two weeks.
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