Lyme Disease

[fishinhogdaddy]

Tis the season for the deer ticks to be out with the cooler weather and the rivers in the foothills opening up and members heading to fish those nice creeks and streams. Make yourself aware of precautions to take and how to identify if you have been a victim of a deer tick bite. Some of the symptoms of Lyme Disease are quite gnarly and can have a lasting impact on your health. Do some research, and be prepared!

FHD

[bigbowtrout]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyme_disease

 

 

Click here if the movie does not play. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyme_disease

 

 

[j5ep00]

had a nice big tick jump on my neck last week.

i felt it and got it off thankfully

 

[humblefisherman]

so far this season i've found 2 on myself and another 2 on my dog. Only one took hold on my dog and the bump is just now starting to shrink. I have a feeling they are going to be bad this year.

 

I'm more fearful of Ticks than i am of bears. Anyone know of any "natural" non-chemical repellents for ticks?

[jksnijders]

 

 

When I was younger and our dogs would get them, we'd cover the tick's body in Vaseline, they fell off within a day usually. The ticks breathe through holes on the sides of their body, the Vaseline would suffocate them. No worries about mouth parts left for infection. As for on myself, I've had as many as 3 in my clothes at the end of the day. Never had one get ahold, luckily. Lyme disease is pretty nasty from what I understand. Tall grass is just as bad as willows or brush for holding them in my experience. The Red Deer river valley, in the grass, is thick with them.

[Jeffro]

When I was younger and our dogs would get them, we'd cover the tick's body in Vaseline, they fell off within a day usually. The ticks breathe through holes on the sides of their body, the Vaseline would suffocate them. No worries about mouth parts left for infection. As for on myself, I've had as many as 3 in my clothes at the end of the day. Never had one get ahold, luckily. Lyme disease is pretty nasty from what I understand. Tall grass is just as bad as willows or brush for holding them in my experience. The Red Deer river valley, in the grass, is thick with them.

 

 

Suffocating or causing severe stess (burning) to the ticks is not a good idea. When suffocating the tick the risk of regurgitation is high as well as with other old school methods. The best method for tick removal is to take tweezers and get them as clost to your skin as you can and pull in one slow steady motion. Alberta isn't known for issues with lyme disease although the experts are finally admitting the imaginary border that keeps rats out doesnt necessarily work for infected deer ticks. Wood ticks are not capaable of transmitting lyme disease as they remove it from their system when they moult and do not carry it any further in their 2-3 yr life cycle. There are a number of other diseases carried by the buggers, luckily most species of ticks are species specific and don't bother humans too much yet

 

[cdock]

so far this season i've found 2 on myself and another 2 on my dog. Only one took hold on my dog and the bump is just now starting to shrink. I have a feeling they are going to be bad this year.

 

I'm more fearful of Ticks than i am of bears. Anyone know of any "natural" non-chemical repellents for ticks?

 

Garlic. Or so I'm told. Crush it and rub it your wrists and neck or anywhere a tick can gain access to under your clothes in order to bite. I've never tried it. One added benefit is no one would fish near you.

 

[jksnijders]

Suffocating or causing severe stess (burning) to the ticks is not a good idea. When suffocating the tick the risk of regurgitation is high as well as with other old school methods.

 

 

On a dog, minor. Myself, I'd probably exercise caution. I've never had one get attached in all my years, thankfully. Nothing more disgusting than touching a swollen up tick. Seen horses thick with them, pictures of moose so infested they numbered in the thousands.. Gross.

[LynnF]

I can't believe that, in all the time I've spent outdoors, I have never had or even seen one - or had a dog with one. How do you know if you've got one? I better go google this.

[jksnijders]

I can't believe that, in all the time I've spent outdoors, I have never had or even seen one - or had a dog with one. How do you know if you've got one? I better go google this.

 

 

Initially, they're small and slow moving. As they feed, they swell many times their initial body size, almost unbelievably so actually. Feels like a smooth, Corn Nuts shaped thing on the dog. Can't miss them.

[cdock]

I can't believe that, in all the time I've spent outdoors, I have never had or even seen one - or had a dog with one. How do you know if you've got one? I better go google this.

 

Yeah I've seen them too. Never in Alberta though. In Saskatchewan is where I have seen them. I once had one on the back of my neck. I didn't know what it was until I pulled it out. Luckily head and all came out and I had no issues. I saw a dog with one the size of a large corky indicator. The owner ripped it off and it exploded. Totally gross.

[Harps]

Very common to get them in the Crowsnest area and in Waterton Park. Had 3 last week in the Pass... none in the skin yet this year.

 

Only a couple in the skin... vaseline (or other oil) works well and a match worked on the one in my arm.

 

Scared me to have 2 last month while I was in Virginia... better chance of getting Lyme.

Also gotta be carefull of Rocky Mountain Spotted fever.... I can't remember if one is spread only through wood ticks or both wood and deer?

 

I always get them off trail while following an animal track.

Just check after a day on the trails and you should be fine...

 

 

 

 

Not a tick to spread vaseline on...

 

 

[seanbritt]

Thanks for the heads up! Just checked the deep woods off to make sure it helps with ticks, and it claims so. Had a friend who got Lyme Disease 2x in one year doing archaeological fieldwork in NE United States....not fun at all.

[Jeffro]

On a dog, minor. Myself, I'd probably exercise caution. I've never had one get attached in all my years, thankfully. Nothing more disgusting than touching a swollen up tick. Seen horses thick with them, pictures of moose so infested they numbered in the thousands.. Gross.

 

 

I whole heartedly agree that the dog doesn't get the same treatment as I give myself and that ticks are one of the most disgusting and unnecessary creatures on this planet. Working trails in Waterton they were a regular occurence and only ever had them initially bite into me, never gave them a chance to swell up to a quarter. My skin is already crawling thinking about them lol.

 

Best story I have is a friend who had one latch into a naturally occuring crevass seperating his thighs. He even had the nerve to ask his roommate who he'd only known for a very short while to remove it for him.....naturally he said no.....

 

I always do a tick check after being in areas with ungulates or the like. There all over the mountains and all over the prairie....nowhere is safe from them.

 

Hope no-one here ever has to go through getting lyme disease. the few people I do know who have it have had to go to extreme lengths to diagnose it and their quality of life has drastically reduced with one person almost a vegetable unable to get out of bed.

[jksnijders]

Best story I have is a friend who had one latch into a naturally occuring crevass seperating his thighs. He even had the nerve to ask his roommate who he'd only known for a very short while to remove it for him.....naturally he said no.....

 

 

Nothing like "Could you please remove this tick from my gooch" to break the ice with a roommate I guess.. Lol.

[fishophile]

Never had issues with ticks personally while living in the south... Just moved to Saskatoon last month and the Ticks here are insane! Anytime the gf and I walk the dog near the river we find at LEAST 3-4 on her. Good idea to pre-treat your dog with pyrethrin 33% (get it from the Vet, same stuff as in lice treatments) if you are in a heavily tick'd area. As far as humans, DEET is supposed to help repel them and prevent biting - most natural bug repellants however, do not carry similar efficacy against ticks. Worst thing here is that you will randomly find them crawling around the house after they fall off the dog... talk about the heeby-jeebies! During my last trip to edmonton I found one stuck on my back side when I stopped to use the facilities in North Battleford - hopefully I didnt contract anything!

 

Best bet is to cover up with clothing as best is possible....

 

 

Make sure you check yourself when you get off of the water!

 

Cheers

Matt