# Tics and Lyme Disease Scare



## MCD (May 4, 2013)

OMG. I just had Dharma in for her annual heart worm testing on Wednesday morning. I got a phone call from the vet on Thursday morning saying that she has had exposure to lyme disease and tics and her blood test is positive. Have I seen any strange bumps or lumps or has she had any tics on her? Is she acting ok? Negative to all of the above and Dharma has not been anywhere where we might find tics anyway. This being said, due to not being able to use pesticide-there is a higher concentration of tics even in backyards etc.
To end on a good note....... I had to get a urine sample in( that was fun to try and get!) and redo the blood test. This morning we had all good news and a healthy Dharma. Needless to say now I am much more concerned about where we take Dharma and about checking her for tics.


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

So happy it was just a scare, but you had to have some stressful hours.
I'm a firm believer in the Preventic collar, and there is some places I won't run my dogs without one on.
Lavender oil mixed with water in a spray bottle is known to repel ticks. I just don't know how long it stays effective, or how well it holds up if a dog gets wet. I did a test run with it once, and the dogs had no ticks on them. But while doing the run, I noticed the smell was so strong they could not scent birds. That got me to thinking, if they couldn't scent birds, how well would they be able to scent snakes in order to avoid them.
I decided to go back to the preventic collar.


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## MCD (May 4, 2013)

That is just it.... we don't normally go where tics are or should be an issue. We stay in the city in local parks and basically our own property. I have never seen a tic let alone had to remove any. If I had to I would start using the Previntic collars. The vet says they work. We only use the Revolution flea tic and heartworm liquid. It is effective for our purposes.


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## CrazyCash (Jul 12, 2012)

I'm glad that she's ok!! So scary. I lost a dog to Lyme disease years ago and it was awful - poor baby was only two years old. . There is a Lyme disease vaccination - you could talk to your vet about it and see what they think. I live where there aren't many tics, but both of my dogs have the Lyme vaccination for when we go places with ticks. I'm just super paranoid about it now and will always have my dogs vaccinated against Lymes. That being said, I would definitely have a conversation with the vet before just giving them the vaccination to make sure it's the right thing for your dog.


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## R E McCraith (Nov 24, 2011)

nose 2 toes 2 tail tip pat down v4 we enter the house - double check the ears - dark & moist a tick heaven - PIKE's neighborhood has a lot deer & cattle - lucky 4 us have a large patch of tall johnson grass 2 run him through v4 we get home - also with a heavy dew - the johnson grass is where PIKE gets his bath !!!!!


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## Canadian Expy (Feb 27, 2013)

MCD - I am in Toronto and Ticks are now being found within our ravines and along our lakefront, when they have not been found in the past. In addition to the presence of ticks, they are also finding lyme positive ticks. Our areas does have a substantial deer population, and we are also a migratory bird stopover - both are carriers and can drop of a tick anywhere. It seems that these pests are spreading into new areas of our province, and I would certainly keep an eye on yourself and your family, as well as Dharma, especially after hikes and outdoor playtime. 

We frequent the Picton area, which is an extreme tick (and lyme) hotspot (we easily remove 10+ from the dogs and ourselves after spending a weekend running the farm). I always shower off after hiking, and I brush the dogs with a hound mitt, and also use a flea comb to try and find any before they become attached. If we find an attached tick we use a "tick key" for removal, and keep the tick in a Ziploc bag with the date of extraction so that if the dog displays any symptoms, I can take the tick in for testing. They are difficult to see when they attach, unless they have attached on the belly where there is little hair, or if they have been on for a few days they will engorge enough to show a lump on the dogs fur. 

So glad Dharma is okay. Ticks sure are nasty things.


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## Rbka (Apr 21, 2014)

Thanks for the info in this thread!! I have a huge fear of ticks and Lyme disease. I had heard that lyme positive ticks have started spreading into cities borne by birds in our area too (Ottawa). how awful!!


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