Lyme disease

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hylights

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Oct 13, 2007
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Location
Maine
I am freaking out about ticks today, last year 2 of my dogs were positive for lyme, then in august i was hospitialized, severe headaches, fevers, and then facial nerve paralysis, Lyme,I can't remember being so sick, and the fatigue lasts forever....

So now this spring my dogs are positive again! and the vet says it is showing as a new infection, so they are back on the antiobiotics for a month, yesterday I found 2 deer ticks on me, and my dr is running my lyme titer again...

My horses seem fine, but do people routinely test their horses?

I would be afraid to go outside, but the dogs and cat seem to bring them in so it doesn't seem to matter.

I do use frontline but it doesn't seem to help with the ticks, I spray the horses down with spray every morning. I am thinking of getting chickens, I don't know how else to deal....

Is anyone else having rampant lyme disease?

Amy
 
Amy, ALL our states have Lyme disease, some more than others and the ones that have less, probably have Drs that wont acknowledge it.

K, I live in central TX, and have chronic Lyme. My 2 dogs have/had Lyme as well as one horse and hubby. Everyone that has been tested, had/have it. I know what you mean about freaking out about it, after my dx, I could not bring myself to go riding for a loooong time. I will not vaccinate my critters because I do not trust the vaccine as it only covers a few of the hundred+ strains, so if they get bit again, the Vet will assume they cant have it. This year I havent found a single tick on anyone, however our fleas are on steroids!! LOL

You can go to lymenet.org and search around for how Lyme affects horses. For my guy, it was gastro. Another friends horse had severe lameness problems.

I so feel your pain
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just keep an eye on your critters and as you already know, prevention is the best medicine. Also, you may look into those leg wraps for horses ( like the fly masks) and soak them with a good repellant. And know that grass can have more ticks than forests. Holler if you need a shoulder! [email protected] or pm me. Ohh, Boinky also is a Lymie and I think she is in Maine as well. Heather
 
When we were in NC a few years ago. We were looking at a property and needed to walk the property line. Well when we got back into the house and sat down I noticed that I had ticks ALL over my legs, socks and feet!!!!!! I started FREAKING OUT!!!!!!!! I thought I got all of them off of me but then when we were driving in the car and I was looking down at the map, one fell out of my hair and onto the map! Talk about a loud screaming frenzy! When I was younger I had one embed itself in my hair line at the top of the back of my neck! We used vasaline to get it out! I will never forget that so I can understand why you are concerned! I can't imagine dealing with those ugly things every time you go out your door! EWWWWWW

I hope you find something to help the situation
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I can't help on the Lyme but for ticks we use K9 Advantix on our dogs and it works great! I apply every 3 weeks since ticks are bad here and the dogs get wet frequently. We have lots of brush/grass, live near a river and seem to have perfect tick conditions but I have yet to find an embedded tick on the dogs if we use Advantix regularly. We also spray the yard with a tick/bug spray, I can't recall the name but it's from our local home improvement store and works well.

I feel for you! I have major tick phobia, when we moved into the house before this one it had been vacant for 6 months and I guess the ticks were starving because the first day we were there the dogs were loaded - I found NINE ticks on my old dog *shudder* When I saw one walking up the living room wall that was it - I went to a hotel and wouldn't come home until my husband had sprayed everything and promised me they were gone LOL

I have never found a tick on my horses... I do flyspray them and I don't have pastures so maybe that helps.
 
We have Lume disease here in TN, but our dogs have been vaccinated for it. Our doxie was vaccinated before coming down from OH and our vet here had to order the shot for our puppy at my request. Luckily we don't have a lot of brush in the yard and we use Frontline monthly but we haven't had a bad tick year. I know the vets here for equine do have a lyme vaccine, I plan on getting my filly vaccinated for it as well as Potomac even though there hasn't been a case near our county, but rather be safe than sorry.

As for having a lot of ticks, you can also get the flea and tick shampoo and do weekly baths on the dogs. My MIL said the shampoo can be used by humans too. She is a groomer and has had a flea infestation once and had to use it on the family. I've heard Lyme disease is horrible so we just vaccinate and hope honestly. I have found a tick or two on one of our dogs, but it hadn't started to suck blood yet and I was just happy to find them early.

Hope things get better for ya, take care of yourself and the dogs!
 
are your dogs showing actual symptoms? one thing to remember if the dog has ever been vaccinated it will always show up as possitive (or very likely so). I don't understand why vets are pushing the vaccine (which i'm very very skeptical and against after reading much info) because you'll never know if your dog truly has it or not. I also know many vets are capitolizing on Lyme disease now so it' shard to tell if the vets are really doing right by you or not. Lyme IS very serious though but i hate to see it capitolized on. Hopefully though with all the stuff going around about it it will force more research and stuff about it though.

I've heard ticks are bad down in s. maine this year. Heard they were up this way too but i have yet to see any ...hopefully they stay away! LOL
 
Lyme is very prevalent around here.

My kids both got it but quickly recovered from it.

ALL my dogs, and I have a few:), test positive but until they show symptoms I don't worry.

Just as an fyi Frontline does not work well anymore for my dogs and per my vet the ticks have built up

resistance to it.

This is the first year I know 2 ladies locally that have been very sick with Lyme.

I am just very aware of ticks and check the kids and dogs alot.
 
definatly a disease that can make you extremely ill! i've been batteling with it (technically longer but diagnosed) for 9 years. really stinks! I think the key to it is to be conciencious of the disease. How it's contracted, symptoms ect. It can be easily "cured" (although i suspect it's truly just remission) in the very early stages. prevention is certainly the key for now. hope they find a better cure soon though!

I think another problem with the disease is most people hear about being "cured" if treated early..they don't hear the "if treated early". those that go into chronic stages just are nearly impossible to cure. I think more people need to be aware of how serious it TRULY can be not that it's "easily curable" and "no big deal" like many doctors tell people.
 
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Just be thankful you're not in Canada...much of the Canadian medical sector denies that Lyme disease is still around in Canada. There's been quite a lot of articles going on about it lately...many angry people as well. Quite a few have had to go down to the states to be properly diagnosed and treated!

Anyway...I've actually never seen a tick before in my life...I did have one on my head as a child but my parents removed it and since it was on my head I never saw it! However...I know that when my boyfriend goes hunting the deer are always covered with them so it turns into a quaranteen zone! So they are around...I just have not seen them.
 
ohh much of the medical population here in the States denies it exists.... some do believe in it but dont' believe it goes chronice (duh..hello it's a disease..any kind of untreated disease is sure to go chronic).

but MOST just don't believe in it. it's incredible to talk to doctors and have them tell you it is all in your head!!
 

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