# Ticks strike again...



## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Pixel and Panda had their physicals last week, and both came back with titers for Anaplasmosis. (another of the more common TBD in our area) Unlike Lyme, I guess they can't get an exact number count on an Anaplasmosis titer. So they are running a CBC on both of them. They tell me they can tell if there is an active infection or just "exposure" from the CBC. Fortunately, neither one has any symptoms of illness... they both seem perfectly healthy. (knock on wood!)

Pixel had Lyme last year, (treated for it) so she will likely have a Lyme titer for life. But her titer numbers are low, showing that she no longer has an active Lyme infection. 

I'm really frustrated, because I am really careful about ticks, and last year, when we had a really HORRIBLE 6 - 8 weeks of ticks during the summer, I completely avoided walking them except on paved streets and sidewalks. So much fun. I HATE ticks!!!


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## ShamaMama (Jul 27, 2015)

Ugh.


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## Sheri (Oct 11, 2008)

That is wretched, Karen, being captive in your home to avoid the ticks. And, still, they apparently got an infection somehow in spite of you extreme care with them.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Yep.  

They are in good company. In our area, 60% of dogs seroconvert for a TBD before their 3rd birthday. So Pixel and Panda are right in the average range, Kodi was 8 when he got a positive titer for Babesiosis, and it was a low enough titer that he didn't need antibiotics. His system fought it off and he never got sick.

The really scary thing is that we KNOW this happens for dogs, and we take it really seriously. Eith people, if you don't have a bullseye rash and a fever, it's hard to get a doctor to treat you, and that's JUST for Lyme. People can get all the other co-infections too.


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## Pucks104 (Aug 16, 2012)

I’m so sorry Karen. I too hate ticks! It is fear of them and the diseases they carry that keep me from taking the dogs out for walks through wooded areas. I don’t like putting chemicals on the dogs so instead I tend to keep them isolated which I also hate!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Pucks104 said:


> I'm so sorry Karen. I too hate ticks! It is fear of them and the diseases they carry that keep me from taking the dogs out for walks through wooded areas. I don't like putting chemicals on the dogs so instead I tend to keep them isolated which I also hate!


I hate the chemicals too, but since they have even picked them up in our back yard, I do use them when the ticks are bad. They all got a dose last week.


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## Scarlett's mom (Feb 14, 2017)

Scarlett had several ticks last year that were on her for a while. Having had Lyme disease twice and knowing it came from being in my own yard always has me on edge. Her titer came back clear. We sprayed our yard twice last year with Wondercide which definitely cut down the tick population. I don't like to use chemicals so I have to remember to spray the dogs with Kin and Kind or Vetri science. I really thought the freezing cold winter would help but we've been finding ticks since February. Lovely.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Scarlett's mom said:


> Scarlett had several ticks last year that were on her for a while. Having had Lyme disease twice and knowing it came from being in my own yard always has me on edge. Her titer came back clear. We sprayed our yard twice last year with Wondercide which definitely cut down the tick population. I don't like to use chemicals so I have to remember to spray the dogs with Kin and Kind or Vetri science. I really thought the freezing cold winter would help but we've been finding ticks since February. Lovely.


Yes, and the old idea that they have to be on the dog for 24 hours to transmit disease has also been shown not to hold true. Especially for the non-Lyme TBD's. None of my dogs have had an engorged tick on them... I go over them carefully every day. But I have occasionally found embedded ticks on them... and on us too.

It is really hard to avoid them if you live in these areas. I saw a little spot on my glasses last week, and took them off to look more carefully, and it was a tiny seed tick walking across them!!! It was pouring rain and I'd been in the house all day!!! So I can only guess that it came in on one of the dogs' coats, dropped off and got onto me. Fortunately THAT one never got a chance to bite anyone!!!


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## Scarlett's mom (Feb 14, 2017)

krandall said:


> Yes, and the old idea that they have to be on the dog for 24 hours to transmit disease has also been shown not to hold true. Especially for the non-Lyme TBD's. None of my dogs have had an engorged tick on them... I go over them carefully every day. But I have occasionally found embedded ticks on them... and on us too.
> 
> It is really hard to avoid them if you live in these areas. I saw a little spot on my glasses last week, and took them off to look more carefully, and it was a tiny seed tick walking across them!!! It was pouring rain and I'd been in the house all day!!! So I can only guess that it came in on one of the dogs' coats, dropped off and got onto me. Fortunately THAT one never got a chance to bite anyone!!!


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## Scarlett's mom (Feb 14, 2017)

The ticks are especially hard to find on Willow since she is half black. My husband constantly checks for them but we have missed many. They are so wiggly which doesn't help!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Scarlett's mom said:


> The ticks are especially hard to find on Willow since she is half black. My husband constantly checks for them but we have missed many. They are so wiggly which doesn't help!


All of mine have a lot of black... especially on their heads, wich is wear the ticks seem to like it best!


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## Molly120213 (Jan 22, 2014)

I am worried about ticks here too as several of my neighbors dogs have gotten lyme disease. We have many beautiful walking trails in my neighborhood but I stick to the main road and yards instead.


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## Jackie from Concrete WA (Mar 23, 2015)

Ewwww! I hate ticks. So far Willow has had only one. She gets Advantix on a monthly basis. We are going camping in another week and will be in tick country - more so than what we have here.


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## Heather's (Jun 18, 2012)

We have a major tick problem here. The groomer found a tick on Scout and Truffles the last time she was here. I think Truffles got it on her morning walk because I didn't see it earlier that morning. It was on her muzzle and I didn't notice it. They both get NexGard monthly.


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## Ollie"s Mom (May 23, 2014)

Aggggghhhhhh!!! Scary little filfthy mcnasties. I hope everything is ok Karen. Those things just give me the creeps.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Ollie"s Mom said:


> Aggggghhhhhh!!! Scary little filfthy mcnasties. I hope everything is ok Karen. Those things just give me the creeps.


Just got the CBC back on both... no active infection. Yay!


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## DuketheDog (May 1, 2017)

UGH, I have yet to experience a tick... I really hope that we can avoid them.. but from reading it can be in your own back yard which freaks me right out..!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

DuketheDog said:


> UGH, I have yet to experience a tick... I really hope that we can avoid them.. but from reading it can be in your own back yard which freaks me right out..!


Depends on where you live. We are pretty close to ground zero for Lyme.


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## Heather's (Jun 18, 2012)

Scout and Truffles are protected, but I'm not!


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## doggostormer (Oct 28, 2018)

Newbie here. What is the best way to fight ticks and fleas? From my perspective of having a cat, when the cat is having some kind of scratches everywhere, I bath the cat with some shampoo to deal with the flea/tick. Then it's gone. I heard some people utilize the flea collar, but really do not know how effective it is.


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## abi38 (Mar 23, 2017)

Here in Western WA luckily we are not in tick country. Even both Zelda and Link picked up one from one of our hikes this year. Ticks love eye lids, all ticks I have ever found were on their eye lids. They left behind a large pink bump that takes months to go away.
Nasty creatures.


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## Melissa Brill (Feb 22, 2017)

*eye lids!*

on the eye lids! ewwwwww!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Melissa Brill said:


> on the eye lids! ewwwwww!


I haven't found one on my dog's eyelid, but we did several times on our cat. We had to take her to the vet to get them off(silly as that sounds!) because she fought with us so hard over the removal, and we were afraid to poke her eye in the process!!!!


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## Sam I Am (Aug 26, 2018)

I use generic Frontline, in addition to heartworm meds. Our tick problems in Michigan are mainly in the spring, at least the dog ticks, which are pretty easy to find. With the treatment, ticks don’t embed, but will leave the dog or cat in favor of you! My big long haired black cat hates the treatment, but I slicker brush him every time he comes in, & it gets them off.


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