Just a reminder - CHECK FOR TICKS!

[cantunamunch]

It's that time of year.

 

[crgildart]

Thanks, just pulled down the monthly pet doses. Dog done, cat later when she comes in for dinner..

 

[wooglin]

Lucky. Our ticks have been out since April.

 

[Near Nyquist]

I wanna check you

for ticks ….

Thanks brad

 

[coskigirl]

They are bad here this year. I have multiple neighbors who have had them on their dogs this year. I think I found one crawling on me last night but I squished it before it bit and didn't take a close enough look to be sure. Ginsburg is on Simparica and I spray us both with Wondercide on a regular basis. She is so hard to check because she's black so I try to double up her protection but she hates being sprayed. I have multiple tick removal tools in my car and home just in case.

 

[Nobody]

Thanks for the remainder! Never seen one around since I stopped living at my parents' home with shepherd dogs. This doesn't mean they aren't there. Each time I go in the woods or on the mountains for a hike/walk, I closely inspect me and my son once back home.

 

[cantunamunch]

Now imagine going for an urban or suburban run, skate or bike ride, never stopping, and coming home to 2-3 of them already feeding under your socks.

 

[LiquidFeet]

^^ Got doxycycline in the house for that? I take two immediately then forget about it.

 

[cantunamunch]

^^ Got doxycycline in the house for that? I take two immediately then forget about it.

No. It happens too often.

 

[Shawn]

Now imagine going for an urban or suburban run, skate or bike ride, never stopping, and coming home to 2-3 of them already feeding under your socks.

Yikes. On the Schuylkill River Trail?

 

[LiquidFeet]

No. It happens too often.

So how do you protect yourself from Lyme? Are your ticks free of this disease?

I'm a gardener and a trail runner in NE. I get ticks, but without the doxy I also get Lyme. I don't like taking all the antibiotics necessary after a diagnosis of Lyme.

Lyme has happened enough times for me to keep the pills around as a prophylactic.

 

[cantunamunch]

Yikes. On the Schuylkill River Trail?

Eh, no. Wrong skater/cyclist The pic ^above was taken on the Lebanon Valley Rail Trail. But we've picked them up on any number of local rides/skates, including ones that go straight through the city. Granted, DC is pretty parklike. Deer, rabbits, foxes and even coyotes go pretty urban.

So how do you protect yourself from Lyme? Are your ticks free of this disease?

Hah. I hardly think so.

I'm a gardener and a trail runner in NE. I get ticks, but without the doxy I also get Lyme. I don't like taking all the antibiotics necessary after a diagnosis of Lyme.

Lyme has happened enough times for me to keep the pills around as a prophylactic.

For a number of reasons, herself's doctor absolutely refuses to let her do this. Vigilance, post bite monitoring, Lyme- effective antibiotics if diagnosed.

I also double up on the silicone gripper socks- one up the shin, one folded over to the shoe/bootie

 

[James]

Tick Gaiters

Outdoor gear and apparel Made in USA

raggedmountain.com

Made in US anyway

 

[cantunamunch]

Tick Gaiters

Outdoor gear and apparel Made in USA

raggedmountain.com

Made in US anyway

I love RME's stuff and make a point of stopping in their B&M store anytime I'm near.

 

[cantunamunch]

Are your ticks free of this disease?

Oh, forgot to mention - Lyme is one thing you're already aware of.

When you come down, be aware we've also got Lone Star ticks (alpha-gal, STARI) and dog ticks (Rocky Mountain fever).

https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2022/05/01/tick-bite-lone-star-meat-allergic/

 

[dan ross]

I think half the people I know in NE have had Lyme at some point- some don’t suffer much, some are debilitated for months . I have to constantly remind myself to check when visiting, especially after hiking or anywhere near tall grass.
Sprays, socks, they seem to evade every attempt to keep them at bay. In many parts of New England, the deer population has exploded in recent years along with ticks they carry. Are there any sprays that actually work ?

 

[LiquidFeet]

The deer ticks that get on one's socks and walk up the body are more likely to be carried by field mice than deer around here.

I spray my shoes and socks heavily with 25% Deet. It's when I fail to spray that I get ticks. I can't say that the spray deters them, but it may.

There's also permethrin. You can buy it in liquid form and wash it into your clothing. The US Army uses it, and has researched its effectiveness. It is said to last through a few washings. For a price, you can buy clothing infused with permethrin. It is supposed to be more effective at deterring ticks than Deet.

 

[LiquidFeet]

Tick Gaiters

Outdoor gear and apparel Made in USA

raggedmountain.com

Made in US anyway

I've seen people wear long pants and duct tape the pants to their socks. Not my choice, but that might work.

 

[James]

Supposedly, to kill ticks after hiking, put clothes in dryer first on the high heat for a good ten minutes. Then wash. Washing alone doesn’t necessarily kill them.

 

[LiquidFeet]

^^ I've done that. It might work.

But that means when you walk inside you have to change clothes. I often work in my garden outside on and off all day. I do not want to have to change clothes each time I come in for a break. So I don't do this except if I remember at the end of the day.

I rely more on Deet. I don't alway remember to apply it. Thus Plan B - Doxycycline.