Am I worrying too much about ticks?

[sassafras]

Originally Posted by PWCorgi

Last year was TERRIBLE. Megan and I took the dogs hiking in wisconsin last year and I had Frodo on my lap for the like drive back to her house. It was getting dark and I glanced something moving on frodo's back. Then I saw MANY things moving on his back, they were just everywhere and I am scared to death of ticks. Worst. Moments. Ever.

Last spring I was camping up by Brainerd in May or June and they were climbing ALL OVER my stuff. Like... the tent, my camp chair, the firewood, my extra pair of shoes, me, the dogs. Every time I turned around, everything was covered in ticks. I just really didn't want to spend my whole trip picking ticks off of everything.

[crazedACD]

Originally Posted by Maxy24

You say many dogs don't show any symptoms of Lymes, but does that mean it will never affect them? It's a chronic disease, so couldn't it cause problems later, years down the road?

Zoie became symptomatic a few years ago..very obvious sore on one leg for a day or two, to couldn't walk at all. Round of doxy, she was fine, but it still flares up when her immune system goes done. She will flare up when given vaccines now (which is minimal, I only do rabies).

[MafiaPrincess]

Get a tick tool, check your dogs and move on with life.

Not sure where you are in Ontario, but we play multiple venues of dog sports, trial mainly outside, and spent the last 4 days camping and trail riding in the woods with our horses.. no ticks. Haven't seen any in Ontario. That said, we traveled to the states last year and there were days I pulled 30 of my black american cocker. If you are skeazed about them.. get preventative and check your dog over once a day.

[JessLough]

Where in Ontario are you?

Ticks are BAD here this year, supposedly, but we just go on with life and don't even worry about it. We've never had a problem (I did briefly consider preventative this year, but the anti-chemical thoughts in me won LOL)

[chaospony]

I'm in Kingston. There seem to be a lot of ticks around here. I've talked to several dog owners whose dogs have picked some ticks up at the conservation areas and there have been a few people who contracted Lyme while walking in town, along by the river.

[Picklepaige]

Oh wow, I'm glad I don't live where you guys live! I live in Mississippi, and we go walking through the woods all the time, and I have never had a tick on me before. My (male) friend, however, does get ticks, and we both wear shorts when we go walking, so maybe they just like leg hair?

Maggie always comes with us, and she has gotten, at most, three ticks on her, and that's walking through the tall grass and trees and everything.

[Jynx]

well I LIVE in Lyme CT, so am in the tick capital

I used to vac for Lyme, stopped about 7-8 years ago. I have never had a dog come up positive for Lyme.

Just to add, the Lyme vac only covers (if it covers) Lyme disease, it does not cover any of the other tick borne diseases which in my opinion can be much worse.

My dogs are constantly positive for anaplasmosis equii erhlichia. One of my male shepherds passed because of complications FROM anaplasmosis. My 4 year old gsd, has NEVER been negative!

Ticks are a way of life around here, the ones that cause disease are so 'minute' you'll probably never find them..

Tick disease is nothing to fool around with, some don't see any clinical signs until it's to late. Antibiotic dosage by most vets are to low and to short term to do anything. Long term and high dose sometimes won't knock back.

Once you or a dog has had lyme disease, it never leaves the body, you/dog are always subject to 'boughts' of the disease

Ticks suck, they can cause such misery for dogs/people but I'm not going to keep my dogs in glass houses either..

[JessLough]

Ah yah you're not terribly far from me, I'm in Ottawa.

[JessLough]

Originally Posted by Picklepaige

Oh wow, I'm glad I don't live where you guys live! I live in Mississippi, and we go walking through the woods all the time, and I have never had a tick on me before. My (male) friend, however, does get ticks, and we both wear shorts when we go walking, so maybe they just like leg hair?

Maggie always comes with us, and she has gotten, at most, three ticks on her, and that's walking through the tall grass and trees and everything.

LOL yah I've never seen a tick before and live about 2 hours from where they do. It is supposedly a bad year for ticks due to a really pathetic winter, but living right by a wooded area that we frequent, I've never had an issue

[sassafras]

Originally Posted by Jynx

My 4 year old gsd, has NEVER been negative!

I know this is a losing battle for me, but a positive test doesn't mean the dog HAS clinical anaplasmosis (or Lyme or erlichiosis), it just tests for antibodies and means that the dog was exposed to it at some point. It doesn't matter how long a dog is on antibiotics or how high of a dose, treating a dog is not going to make the test convert to negative if that's what you mean by "knock it back".

There is a lot that isn't known about tick borne diseases in dogs and there is a LOT of misinformation out there, but in general they do NOT act like they do in people and the level of anxiety over them is generally out of proportion. I could go stand on a street corner and test the first 100 dogs that walk by, and a very high percentage of them would likely test positive without ever having had, or without ever having, any clinical signs. Not to say that tick borne diseases can't be serious, but serious complications seem to be an individual thing and the vast majority of dogs don't have problems from being exposed to these diseases.