Ticks???

[Bird]

My wife noticed today that our Chihuahua had a tick on the front of her neck. I haven't even seen a tick in at least 10 or 12 years. I sure hope that's not an indication of things to come. Anyway, I sprayed the yard with insecticide.

 

[Thomas]

Bad year for ticks up here also..if one see pet scratch or bit more than often time to examine closely.

 

[kenstrac]

Years ago they used DDT we did not have such a large number of Ticks and Mosquito's that carry Lyme disease EEE WNV, and I don't remember dogs having Heartworms,now we have even more threats of pest brought into the US with the influx of imports such as ALB.
I think they should bring DDT back for a year or two so we can control these pest.

 

[jinman]

We use Revolution by Pfizer on our kitties. It's an all-in-1, once per month treatment. We let them roam all day long outside in the woods and they don't have fleas or ticks. The Revolution is about $15 per month for each cat when ordered through an internet pet supply. It's expensive, but seems to work well.

 

[Bird]

We do give Dee a Sentinel Flavor Tab on the first of each month. We get a years worth at a time from our vet. They're supposed to prevent heartworms and fleas, and I don't know whether that's what works, or whether it's me spraying for insects once or twice a year, but anyway, Dee has never had fleas, and as I said, I haven't even seen a tick in many years. Dee was just 4 years old last week, so this was definitely her first tick, and we hope her last one.

Our vet is less than 2 miles from our home, so while I was spraying the yard, Margaret took Dee to the vet to see what the vet would say about the tick. Anyway the vet removed the tick, thinks she got all of it, recommended a little Neosporin on that spot, and didn't even charge for the office visit.

 

[dave1949]

Bad year for ticks up here also..if one see pet scratch or bit more than often time to examine closely.

Really Thomas? Ticks were way down for us this year. We usually take a tick off about every 1-2 weeks, but this whole spring, summer and fall just a few. Maybe because there aren't a lot of deer to carry them around? We use Intercepter, a combined tick and heartworm treatment. The ticks will bite and then die.
Dave.

 

[carpenter383]

We had fewer ticks than normal this year in Indiana.

 

[dave1949]

Years ago they used DDT we did not have such a large number of Ticks and Mosquito's that carry Lyme disease EEE WNV, and I don't remember dogs having Heartworms,now we have even more threats of pest brought into the US with the influx of imports such as ALB.
I think they should bring DDT back for a year or two so we can control these pest.

You made me curious, so I did some googling. Heartworm was detected in dogs by the early 1900's and in cats by 1920. The only place it has never been seen is in Antarctica - no mosquitoes. I lost a dog to heartworm in the early 80's. The vet treated him, but I ended up putting him down later. He was never the same and became very snippy. Couldn't trust him with our young kids. I think they know a lot more about treating it and have better prevention medicines nowdays.

Those invasive species go in all directions. Would you believe black cherry trees from here are a serious invasive pest plant in Holland? I hope the emerald ash borer and ALB never make it big up here, but that may be a false hope.

When I was somewhere around 5-6 yrs old, I remember going to the drive-in movies. Just before the movies began, they would drive up and down the aisles fogging for mosquitoes. It could have been DDT, I don't know. Haven't times changed?
Dave.

 

[QRTRHRS]

Another issue thought to be spread by ticks (up to 14 species) first surfaced in Texas recently. That is equine Piroplasmosis. Thought to be eradicated in 1988, it has been detected in 11 states. Pretty much fatal for horses.

Ticks have to be one of natures most hated scourges. Back around 88', I went through six weeks of antibiotics because of possibly having Lyme. My ex mother-in-law had a dog that got bit by a tick while boarding at a farm and we ended up having to put the dog down due to a miriad of complications.

Last year, my first in KY, was bad for what I call a dog or a wood tick but this year, I only removed a couple from the dogs.

 

[Bird]

Yeah, we used to get dogs vaccinated for rabies once a year and that was all; pretty cheap, too. But now it's $200 worth of vaccinations and heartworm medicines to prevent a whole bunch of possible diseases.