I'm sorry to hear about your Lyme disease, Penny. I have so many
ticks where I live, that they are not combatable. They never
disappeared completlely during the winter, and they are here full
force now. I pick about 10 a day off my dog, and maybe 5 off me. My
dog and I walk in the woods every day (which is where we live... no
escape, but it is worth it to live here).
Every year we get the tick identity thread here. I was under the
impression that the three we see most prevalently were all the same
tick, just at different stages. It is the Lone Star tick that is
attaching to both my dog and me (as is easily seen by that white
spot). Then there are the smaller ones which some define as deer
ticks or seed ticks, but I understand are the adolescents. They are
about the size of the head of a straight pin.
And then, the true scourge, the hordes of the infants that swarm up
your leg by the hundreds in late summer. You almost need a magnifying
glass to see them. You need to get your masking tape out fast, and
blot them all up.
I react to tick bites, so they ALL look like Lyme disease on me. When
I get 30 or so bites, I just sit there in misery from the itching.
Benedryl helps. I keep attention to any additional rash or signs of
fever. Hope my luck holds.
My dog seems to have mini-seizures when I put Frontline on him, so I
put it off as long as possible and just check him out thoroughly
daily.
Kira