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Ticks

Bill Kirby · · Keene New York · Joined Jul 2012 · Points: 480
powhound84 wrote:I'm personally against the use of preventative antibiotics. If you aren't very confident that you have a bacterial infection, you shouldn't be on antibiotics. The over prescription by doctors over the past couple decades is going to have a profound negative impact on the effectiveness of our antibiotics in the future. The use of preventative antibiotics in livestock is even worse but I won't go down that road right now. Just like being sue-happy, this country is way antibiotic-happy. Doctors give them out just to shut up their patients who think they need medicine to get better even when their doc knows they have a viral infection which just requires rest and hydration to recover from. Guess what antibiotics do for viral infections? NOTHING! Eventually this practice is going to screw us. Stand by for super bacteria that we can't kill. Obviously, antibiotics are necessary if you have a bacterial infection like Lyme but popping pills as a precaution is no more responsible than using them for viral infections. Stop the madness. Sorry to go off topic on a rant but people saying to go get antibiotics because you think you might have possibly caught something but aren't showing signs of sickness is just crazy.
We're all going die!!

Haha.. Seriously I would argue that patients not finishing their scripts of antibiotics is more of a contributing factor to all of the above than prescribing them in the first place. On the other hand big pharm does push doctors everyday to sell their products.
Mark R · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Feb 2014 · Points: 65

The deer population is out of control here in the mid-atlantic and so are the ticks.

What do most people do about dogs? Deer ticks are so small they are almost impossible to spot until they're engorged, especially in hair and/or on a dog.

Our dog runs through the woods then jumps into the bed so I need to figure out a strict screening system before the summer tick explosion.

My father picked up lyme just gardening in the yard.

WadeM · · Auburn, Ca · Joined Apr 2010 · Points: 481
aldf.com/lyme.shtml
This map does not represent Rocky Mtn Fever, but is a good overview
Lyme Risk
BigFeet · · Texas · Joined May 2014 · Points: 385

Found this article this morning... thought it fitting to post it.

newyork.cbslocal.com/2015/0…

john greer · · modesto · Joined Jun 2009 · Points: 110

good links. Thanks guys
also, check out the Tick key for easy removal.

tick key

Who Dat · · Spinning Rock, MW · Joined Dec 2014 · Points: 5
Mark Ra wrote:The deer population is out of control here in the mid-atlantic and so are the ticks. What do most people do about dogs? Deer ticks are so small they are almost impossible to spot until they're engorged, especially in hair and/or on a dog. Our dog runs through the woods then jumps into the bed so I need to figure out a strict screening system before the summer tick explosion. My father picked up lyme just gardening in the yard.
Does K9 Advantix not work on your dog?

Too bad it's not for people too. It works..
Chad Namolik · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jan 2010 · Points: 2,905
This
(Seresto Pet Collar) is a newer product on the market that seems to be getting good reviews

^^Wow the Powassan Virus is nuts! "if bitten by an infected tick you can get the virus within a matter of minutes, and while the symptoms are similar to Lyme disease, they are more severe"
"It doesn’t have a treatment or a cure"
Take extra care up in the NY/NE area.
Jaime M · · Chattanooga, TN · Joined Jan 2013 · Points: 85

That section of t-wall down by capitol assets was gross! I killed about 3 ticks crawling around on the ground in a 5 foot radius. I really am surprised that I didn't find any on myself and only one on Abby. All the ticks I saw were female lone star ticks (the ones with the white spot on its back)--they can cause some nasty infections, but lyme isn't one of them.

I'm also surprised I didn't get any at the bald. I put some frontline tritak on Abby before the trip and I haven't seen any on her either. But then you did all the bush whacking up to lake view!

Chad Namolik · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jan 2010 · Points: 2,905
Jaime M wrote: But then you did all the bush whacking up to lake view!
Yup, the dreaded bush whack! All for an ok looking slab that we didn't even get on. I was thinking about that too Jamie. Well I'm glad you and Abbey are both good. Still haven't burned all my gear though, Lol. But still considering it.

F*ck I'm not sure what to do. Keep taking the doxy? hold on to the script and see if symptoms worsen? I feel ya powhound about the antibiotics. I'd like to not take them but it'd suck if some disease kicks in. Or take em...but then maybe I don't need to?? They kinda give me piece of mind. I wish my doc was able to actually identify that tick and actually know something about it. There's got to be a few good docs/research scientists out there who actually know what's up.

I think I'll keep taking them :(
Elden Zen · · originally da Bayou, now in… · Joined Jun 2009 · Points: 389

If you plan to climb here in the Chattanooga area, be prepared to pull ticks off all summer long. It is rare that I ever come home without one. I remember pulling one off in January this year which is their dormant season, or so I thought.

Chad Namolik · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jan 2010 · Points: 2,905

No thanks Swamp Cookie, I'm High Sierra bound to deal with bears and the occasional lightning bolt or rattlesnake, but good point, I could see how climate change would affect their activity.

Bill Kirby · · Keene New York · Joined Jul 2012 · Points: 480

Take the drugs man!! You might get super strain Ebola or some shit if you take the drugs. You're 99% f--ked if you don't and get Lyme disease. Take the pills, take'em!

Chad Namolik · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jan 2010 · Points: 2,905
Bill Kirby wrote:Take the drugs man!! You might get super strain Ebola or some shit if you take the drugs. You're 99% f--ked if you don't and get Lyme disease. Take the pills, take'em!
OK dude, Im taking em, and thanks to you, I got something else to worry about…. The dang thought of you showing yer ding a ling to all yer buds. Remind me to keep looking up if we ever meet. LOL!
Bill Kirby · · Keene New York · Joined Jul 2012 · Points: 480
Chad Namolik wrote: OK dude, Im taking em, and thanks to you, I got something else to worry about…. The dang thought of you showing yer ding a ling to all yer buds. Remind me to keep looking up if we ever meet. LOL!
Haha.. You can blame me when you don't get Lyme but catch that nasty cold this fall.
tanner jones · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jan 2012 · Points: 1,003
Buff Johnson · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Dec 2005 · Points: 1,145

keep in mind there is a difference between mis/over-prescribing abx as to treating something empirically based upon a most-likely clinical presentation. Empiric uses evidence-based medicine to try and keep a person ahead of the eight ball in a given infectious disease process.

Jacob Koffler · · Las Vegas · Joined Jan 2014 · Points: 10

Damn! This is a scary thread lol, hooray for the desert!!

Jonny d · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jan 2011 · Points: 40

I've had Lyme before. No fun. I second the recommendation on the Tick Key; incredible device. Works on the smallest ticks.

Who Dat · · Spinning Rock, MW · Joined Dec 2014 · Points: 5
tanner jones wrote:http://www.uptodate.com/contents/what-to-do-after-a-tick-bite-to-prevent-lyme-disease-beyond-the-basics uptodate.com/contents/image…
Excellent source of info!

I didn't think it was available to folks without a subscription.
Who Dat · · Spinning Rock, MW · Joined Dec 2014 · Points: 5

" If the person cannot take doxycycline, the IDSA does not recommend preventive treatment with an alternate antibiotic for several reasons: there are no data to support a short course of another antibiotic, a longer course of antibiotics may have side effects, antibiotic treatment is highly effective if Lyme disease were to develop, and the risk of developing a serious complication of Lyme disease after a recognized bite is extremely low. "

Worth keeping in mind.

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Southern States
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