tensorgirl Posted August 2, 2009 Report Share Posted August 2, 2009 Hi everyone. I just moved to Wisconsin from Utah, where we really never had much experience or exposure to ticks. In fact, prior to my moving here, I had never actually seen a real live tick. A week ago, I took my dog on a long walk next to Lake Michigan (I'm just a few blocks away). Much later that evening (probably at least 9 hours later) I found a large engorged tick on her while petting her. Luckily I was able to remove it with tweezers (I'm pretty sure the head was intact too, as it came up with a patch of my dog's skin), but I'm not sure just how long it was there (if it was long enough to transmit disease or not). Today, exactly a week later, I was petting my dog before bed, and lo and behold, another tick!! This one was located so close to the spot on her back where the last one was that I thought it was the same spot! Turned out to be a few cm away. This one I'm fairly certain she just got today (she had a slow day in the house yesterday) and it wasn't engorged much or at all, from what I could tell. As I'm now becoming an expert at self tick removal (eww!) I got my gloves and tweezers and took it off... (it was as gross as the first time) so my questions to all of you are: 1) If anyone on this forum lives in the midwest, and specifically, in southeastern Wisconsin, is it typical to see this many ticks on a regular basis? I've now had 2 ticks in the 3 weeks that I've lived here. Maybe it's because I have such an active dog compared to many, but wow - to go years without ever seeing one to 2 in 3 weeks is a bit alarming... 2) Someone here mentioned a tick shot at the vet; does such a thing really exist? Is it enough to get a shot or would you have to do the shot along with tick collars/sprays/etc.? (And bonus, can anyone recommend their favorite brand of tick product?) 3) From the photos I took I am thinking that these have both been dog ticks (attaching some, and please correct me if I'm wrong about the species!), which means that they wouldn't carry Lyme disease, but could have rocky mountain spotted fever. How long would it take for symptoms of RMSF to emerge? Is it typically fatal to the dog? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jedismom Posted August 10, 2009 Report Share Posted August 10, 2009 so my questions to all of you are: 1) If anyone on this forum lives in the midwest, and specifically, in southeastern Wisconsin, is it typical to see this many ticks on a regular basis? I've now had 2 ticks in the 3 weeks that I've lived here. Maybe it's because I have such an active dog compared to many, but wow - to go years without ever seeing one to 2 in 3 weeks is a bit alarming... 2) Someone here mentioned a tick shot at the vet; does such a thing really exist? Is it enough to get a shot or would you have to do the shot along with tick collars/sprays/etc.? (And bonus, can anyone recommend their favorite brand of tick product?) 3) From the photos I took I am thinking that these have both been dog ticks (attaching some, and please correct me if I'm wrong about the species!), which means that they wouldn't carry Lyme disease, but could have rocky mountain spotted fever. How long would it take for symptoms of RMSF to emerge? Is it typically fatal to the dog? Ticks are SO GROSS! I can't answer all your questions but I'll give a couple a shot. I live in Florida and fleas and ticks love us here. 2 ticks in 3 wks. is really not much when you're active with your dog. If you do a search on this board for your topic, you'll find mention of people pulling as much as 30 ticks off of their dog. During the spring and summer months I check my dogs daily for ticks. We spray our yard and give Advantix. I don't use collars. I've never heard of a shot. That pic looks like a dog tick. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diane allen Posted August 10, 2009 Report Share Posted August 10, 2009 Search past messages, and you'll find a LOT of info about ticks (and fleas) - I just did, cuz I DO live in Utah, but am traveling through Kansas where we got ticks a few years ago (hiking in the woods) and going to southern Indiana and Tennessee, where I'm sure we'll see both. Ugh. I think, since mine will be a "pass through" vs. living there, I'm going to get one dose of the nasty chemicals, and just keep it on hand. I'm hoping that if we find any fleas, we can do a bath and soak 'em to death. My young dog did manage to pick up a tick somewhere last month - either tall grass at low elevation in Colorado, or somewhere at a slightly higher elevation/forest area. It had gorged, but then became dislodged. (It also survived a 15+ minute swim at one point!) I'm sure the head was also dislodged (I looked into it's teensy little eyeballs...), but the dog had a spot which over the course of a week or so, just got hard. It was slightly smaller than a pea, but two weeks later was still there. We were at my vet, and I asked about it. He said it was a keloid (basically, a reaction to the tick's saliva), was harmless, but might take as much as six weeks to go away! It's been just over three, and it's still the same. I guess there's a possibility that it transmitted some disease...but I have to go with the laws of chance at this point, and just hope not! I don't envy you..... diane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WildFlower Posted August 10, 2009 Report Share Posted August 10, 2009 I live in Milwaukee and I have never found a tick on my dog. We are quite active - but perhaps not in the "right" way to get ticks? We walk daily but on sidewalks and paths along Lake Michigan. We play in parks but not in wooded ones. We go for stock lessons every other week and even when out at those, I haven't found a tick. But now you made me nervous! I am heading up to northern WI in a few weeks. I better bring my tweezers! I do know that my vet does offer the Lyme Disease vaccination. I have never used it and don't know anyone that has either, so I can't really give you an opinion on it. Sorry.... I use Frontline on Daisy and since I haven't found any ticks on her I guess I can't comment on its effectiveness. I thought that we had deer and wood ticks here in SE WI, but I could be wrong. I didn't know that there was a dog tick. Good Luck! PS - where are you in SE WI? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted August 10, 2009 Report Share Posted August 10, 2009 I do know that my vet does offer the Lyme Disease vaccination. I have never used it and don't know anyone that has either, so I can't really give you an opinion on it. Sorry.... Most of the people on the tick list, including the vets, say to avoid the Lyme vaccine because complications from the vaccine can be worse than the disease itself. Maybe the vaccine has been improved in recent times, but personally I'd not bother with it. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anda Posted August 10, 2009 Report Share Posted August 10, 2009 I've never had problems with fleas or ticks in Denver, but when we traveled to Montreal a couple of years ago, we gave Ouzo a treatment with Frontline. And last year, before a camping trip, I applied some over the counter stuff on him, just to be sure. Last week a Flickr friend of mine lost her 5 year old beautiful English Setter to Lyme disease, it was terrible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ooky Posted August 11, 2009 Report Share Posted August 11, 2009 My question would be, did you start using a tick preventative when you moved? And if so, do you know that it is still effective in your area? IME ticks are closely associated with certain veg types in any place that does have them. They seem to like water, and I'm not surprised you didn't encounter any in Utah (although, there are riparian drainages you could have gone to in UT that are filled with them - I've seen it.) CA is one of the worst places for ticks I've ever been in - except maybe for Arkansas. I am totally scared of chemicals because I'm very sensitive to them. I can't even come near my animals for days after I put preventative on them without having a reaction of stinging/itching/numbness all over any exposed skin. But still, if I took Odin to certain places here with no chemical protection, I know from my own experiences with ticks he would literally be covered in them. Like 50 ticks picked up in 2-3 weeks, easy. Yet Odin has had only 1 tick embedded in 17 months, when I lapsed his preventative. To give you an idea of how well the preventative alone seems to work, I will describe the amount of ticks there really are outside here. I've been in places where I was standing stationary for 30 sec. and looked down to literally see 4-5 ticks crawling up my legs, with more visible in the grass coming at me trying to get on me to start their climb. I've looked around in 7-ft weeds to just SEE them, countless little jerks all standing on the tips of branches at eye-level with the back legs and stretching, stretching, trying to catch on to my hair or clothes with their front legs. You can imagine how the graphics specialist at my work hates us biologists, because we often come into his office to make a map, notice one and go, "EWWW I have a tick!!" and then out of blind instinct and revulsion fling it across his office into a pile of books. As for the tick living through a 15 min swim, I've had ticks in my hair without knowing it for hours, changed clothes, and taken a shower with shampoo even, and then had the tick nonchalantly walk across my face as I'm sitting in bed later that night. Actually, as for how they ARE EVIL, I've come home, muttering "I know they're on me, I know it, I know it" like a CRAZY person. Then while watching tv, jumped up and ripped off my clothes (again, like a crazy person), going, "do you see it? do you see it?!??!" with increasing panic. And guess where the ticks would go every time I ripped off my clothes? Yep, stayed IN the clothes and then when I put them back on just started marching up towards the top of my head, again. Which you really feel way less than you would think, but sometimes you just KNOW. Ok, sorry, /rant on ticks now, but I've become very passionate about the little #*$()*s. It's personal. So, overall, I'd say try a spot-on tick preventative first - the least you can use because I really don't think these are "good" chemicals we are talking about here. I often try to go 4.5-5 weeks especially if there is a tick "off" season, and also sometimes don't squeeze out ALL the stuff onto Odin. We have deer ticks, which are apparently less likely to embed. But I do believe TBDs are BAD, and my tactic is I'm going to do the best I can with my animals to minimize the number of times, and hopefully avoid altogether them getting bitten by ticks while using the least chemicals possible. If you keep getting ticks after trying a spot-on, go for a different one or up the dose if he is on the cusp of the weight range. I found Advantix (the one that also does ticks) caused a much worse reaction for me personally compared to Frontline, but I hear Frontline has stopped working in some areas and will switch Odin back if he picks up a tick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmilyMiller Posted August 15, 2009 Report Share Posted August 15, 2009 I agree with Jedismom, it looks like a dog tick too me. I live in SW Michigan and we have fleas and ticks all the time. I have recently come across - at Traget - a topical flea medication that is made by the same manufacturer as the Adam's flea and tick spray. And the spray works really well as an assistant to any preventative. My BC Shelby will be put on preventative - Frontline or Revolution - this year because I petsit for too many people that DON'T give flea and tick preventative. The house I got her from is loaded with fleas and they can't figure out why; dumb people. Hope some of this helps. Emily & Shelby Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D'Elle Posted August 28, 2009 Report Share Posted August 28, 2009 Most of the people on the tick list, including the vets, say to avoid the Lyme vaccine because complications from the vaccine can be worse than the disease itself. Maybe the vaccine has been improved in recent times, but personally I'd not bother with it. J. Julie, I still have an ongoing tick problem....or should I say Nightmare. If there is a tick list that I can join I would be interested in finding out about it. I have run out of resources around me to search for a solution to the tick situation I have here. Can you give me a link to join up? thanks! D'Elle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Journey Posted August 29, 2009 Report Share Posted August 29, 2009 Not Julie but here is some info about Tick-L and how to join it. Links to information on tick-borne diseases and related topics can be found at http://saluqi.home.netcom.com/ticklinks.htm To join you need to go to - TICK-L@APPLE.EASE.LSOFT.COM though that's the email addy not the website. Sorry, you will have to do a Apple.Ease search to find the group. Hope this helps! Karen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alaska Posted August 30, 2009 Report Share Posted August 30, 2009 To join you need to go to - TICK-L@APPLE.EASE.LSOFT.COM though that's the email addy not the website. Sorry, you will have to do a Apple.Ease search to find the group. Google is your friend. Here is the third link returned from a search on "tick-l": Tick-L subscription information Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Journey Posted August 30, 2009 Report Share Posted August 30, 2009 Google may be a friend but so are you! Thanks Alaska, I was out of time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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