PSA: check yoself - ticks suck

[ch33zw1z]

Seriously, here's a non-partisan PSA for all. Ticks pass along disease that can cause permanent health issues.

https://www.wired.com/story/we-have-no-idea-how-bad-the-us-tick-problem-is/amp

https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/index.html

There's information for staying safe and how to handle these little things.

I typically find deer ticks, and this time of year is nymph season.

IMXP, the nymphs are more dangerous because they're so small, smaller than even some freckles. You dont feel them bite, and very difficult to get out.

The adults brush your hairs while crawling around on you, so I usually find them, but one got me a couple years ago.

Stay safe out there! Knowledge is power.

 

[compuwiz1]

We took our dogs out on a trail a few weeks back. At home, we found around four ticks per dog. Seems as soon as they walk off the trail to urinate, that is where and when the ticks attach themselves to the dogs. Fortunately, only one of them had time to embed itself, the others were just in the fur.

 

[TheVrolok]

I'm actually terrible at checking for ticks, despite living in a Lyme endemic area and being an outdoorsman. For some reason, despite the years and years I've spent outside and in the woods with shorts and short sleeves I can count the number of ticks I've found on myself on one hand. (self fulfilling, perhaps)

I do find them on my dogs constantly, though.

 

[purbeast0]

I had lyme disease last summer. It's not fun. Not fun at all.

 

[ch33zw1z]

We took our dogs out on a trail a few weeks back. At home, we found around four ticks per dog. Seems as soon as they walk off the trail to urinate, that is where and when the ticks attach themselves to the dogs. Fortunately, only one of them had time to embed itself, the others were just in the fur.

Ticks like to hangout near edges of clearings and paths, expecting something to walk by that it can grab a hold of.

A buddy of mine had a dog that got Lyme disease. It was not fun, dog wasnt the same ever again, even after the months it took to remedy the infection.

 

[ch33zw1z]

I'm actually terrible at checking for ticks, despite living in a Lyme endemic area and being an outdoorsman. For some reason, despite the years and years I've spent outside and in the woods with shorts and short sleeves I can count the number of ticks I've found on myself on one hand. (self fulfilling, perhaps)

I do find them on my dogs constantly, though.

I've had a handful on me, one adult female deer tick bite in my life. I'm as adamant as can be, but admit sometimes I forget to check myself after working in the yard.

They seem to like my wife and kids more. Maybe I'm just naturally bitter

 

[TheVrolok]

I've had a handful on me, one adult female deer tick bite in my life. I'm as adamant as can be, but admit sometimes I forget to check myself after working in the yard.

They seem to like my wife and kids more. Maybe I'm just naturally bitter

It could certainly be my inherent saltiness.

 

[compuwiz1]

Ticks like to hangout near edges of clearings and paths, expecting something to walk by that it can grab a hold of.

A buddy of mine had a dog that got Lyme disease. It was not fun, dog wasnt the same ever again, even after the months it took to remedy the infection.

That sucks, for that dog and owner. We've been trying to stay in the local parks lately, but even that is dicey. Still come up with a tick or two, once in a while. That is an insect that has zero value, AFAIC.

 

[PottedMeat]

tick-control methods in their home territory of Dutchess County

ugh. soo many ticks everywhere there

i'd have no problem with 100% extermination of ticks and mosquitos

imagine becoming allergic to meat because of a tick: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha-gal_allergy

 

[ch33zw1z]

That sucks, for that dog and owner. We've been trying to stay in the local parks lately, but even that is dicey. Still come up with a tick or two, once in a while. That is an insect that has zero value, AFAIC.

While my gut wants to agree, my logic says they play some part in the food chain. I admit I don't know what lol...

https://youtu.be/FOCNixYPsf4

John Oliver also just did his main segment on genetic engineering and included this topic. The chaos theory applies, obviously, to even the smallest change made to the ecosystem. I dont want to include Oliver's segment in here, Google it if you like, the segment is very informative wrt genetic science in general.

 

[compuwiz1]

While my gut wants to agree, my logic says they play some part in the food chain. I admit I don't know what lol...

https://youtu.be/FOCNixYPsf4

John Oliver also just did his main segment on genetic engineering and included this topic. The chaos theory applies, obviously, to even the smallest change made to the ecosystem. I dont want to include Oliver's segment in here, Google it if you like, the segment is very informative wrt genetic science in general.

I'm sure every insect plays a part in the eco system, or food chain. That doesn't stop me from hating them biting me or my dogs. lol!

 

[TheVrolok]

ugh. soo many ticks everywhere there

i'd have no problem with 100% extermination of ticks and mosquitos

imagine becoming allergic to meat because of a tick: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha-gal_allergy

Ironically, would probably be the best thing for one's physical health.

 

[MomentsofSanity]

Found a deer tick on my dog the other day. Fortunately it wasn't embedded. Must have just came in with him just prior to seeing it. The joys of living in the country I suppose.

 

[rchunter]

My brittany spaniels used to constantly get ticks until I gave them Bravecto. Now they get none. They are outdoor dogs and we live near the woods, they are always out in the tall grass so real easy to pick them up. Anyway this bravecto I give them one pill per dog every 3 months. It's expensive but it works real good so it's worth it.

 

[kage69]

We do daily tick checks on our boys. Thankfully my method of ridding them from play areas outside still works. We saw a couple ticks a few weeks into spring. I waited until I had a few days of dry weather, then sprayed about 3 gal. of Mosquito Barrier solution (nuclear garlic extract) everywhere and we haven't seen a single tick since. Which is saying something as this is clearly a horrible year for them. The poor deer and moose out there, the pics I've seen of them just covered with jellybean sized ticks, ugh it's heartbreaking.

 

[dank69]

I've had a handful on me, one adult female deer tick bite in my life. I'm as adamant as can be, but admit sometimes I forget to check myself after working in the yard.

They seem to like my wife and kids more. Maybe I'm just naturally bitter

That's why I prefer to remain full of bile and venom. When we go outside my poor wife gets devoured. When she asks me if the bugs are bothering me too I'm always like "What bugs?"

 

[zinfamous]

ticks like to cling to the ends of tall grasses/shrubs/brush that edge up to smaller brush, grass, soil. Basically, exactly where a grazing or hiking mammal would most likely rub up against its perch. It's a good piece of advice to be wary of where you're walking and to best limit your most likely exposure vector: tall grasses or weeds on the sides of trails, or the edges of your lawn when mowing.

But if lyme's disease wasn't bad enough, some bastard tiny tick is now a vector for a bacteria or some evil shit that makes humans allergic to red meat and dairy. D:

https://www.npr.org/sections/thesal...llergies-caused-by-tick-bites-are-on-the-rise

 

[TheVrolok]

Just in case this gets achieved somewhere and someone stumbles upon it from the Google, chronic Lyme disease it's not a thing. "Lyme literate physicians" are charlatans ripping people off. As long as we're making PSAs.

 

[zinfamous]

Just in case this gets achieved somewhere and someone stumbles upon it from the Google, chronic Lyme disease it's not a thing. "Lyme literate physicians" are charlatans ripping people off. As long as we're making PSAs.

Good call. You just know we're going to get a new member here, within days, and certainly within years from now, posting some long-ass rant about their chronic addiction to pain and attention (really seems to be what it is) that they have convinced themselves is lyme.

I've seen this happen too, man, and it has wrecked some families. Mom went a bit nuts with it, roped her kid in with her as they were both infected at the same time, joined the co-dependent "support groups," trapped the both of them with those homeopathic charlatans and snake oil merchants, and after a few years of her torturing the kid and herself, I think the husband just had to leave. No idea what happened to the other, healthy, kid.

 

[TheVrolok]

Good call. You just know we're going to get a new member here, within days, and certainly within years from now, posting some long-ass rant about their chronic addiction to pain and attention (really seems to be what it is) that they have convinced themselves is lyme.

I've seen this happen too, man, and it has wrecked some families. Mom went a bit nuts with it, roped her kid in with her as they were both infected at the same time, joined the co-dependent "support groups," trapped the both of them with those homeopathic charlatans and snake oil merchants, and after a few years of her torturing the kid and herself, I think the husband just had to leave. No idea what happened to the other, healthy, kid.

I had, for a short time, care for a patient with ALS. He was managed evaluated by two of the best ALS specialists on the East Coast.

He and his wife decided they didn't want to leave any stone unturned (understandably so) so they found about these Lyme literate physicians online, and then found one locally.

The visits are obviously cash only paid up front. The first consultation was upwards of 2 grand. The first thing this "physician" (she, unfortunately remains a licensed and board certified internist) told them was that he "clearly" did not have ALS, but rather had "inappropriately treated chronic Lyme infection."

She then referred him to a "nutrition specialist" (not a nutritionist) who ordered 20-30 absurd lab tests that were cash pay only from a private lab and then sold him all the "necessary" supplements.

She also of course sent him to a private lab to confirm his chronic Lyme infection, which they obviously did with their own proprietary test (again, cash only).

She put him on multiple courses of iv antibiotics and antifungals which required a chest port to be surgically placed. Unfortunately the port got infected, twice, and it needed revision/replacement.

About a year and a half later, he died from his ALS. He never got any improvement from this woman's recommended treatment, but did spent upwards of 30 grand in treatments over that time.

The amount of disgust and anger I have toward these people is not quantifiable. I actually wrote a letter to the state board of medicine about her. Nothing ever came of it to my knowledge.

 

[Homerboy]

 

[Kobota]

I'm only worried about the tick bites that make you allergic to red meat.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news...ause-rare-meat-allergy-some-people/415809001/

 

[Jaskalas]

I found a tick attached near my ankle last week. !@#$ ticks.

 

[Starbuck1975]

Get clothes treated with permethrin. Non toxic to humans but kills ticks on contact. You can get pretreated socks, hats and even hiking pants at places like LL Bean or REI. You can also buy the spray itself and treat your clothes.

Unlike repellents, permethrin kills ticks on contact. Since they will most likely come in contact with your feet or legs first, that is your first line of defense.

The Army used to pretreat BDUs with permethrin. We used to do field maneuvers and sleep in heavy tick areas, and I know of no one in my unit that ever had to deal with a bite.

The sad thing is that there is a Lyme vaccine, but it was discovered just as the hysterical anti-vax movement started, and it wasn’t profitable to produce.

 

[Moonbeam]

I'm sure every insect plays a part in the eco system, or food chain. That doesn't stop me from hating them biting me or my dogs. lol!

Fucking bug hugging liberal. If I could I'd send ticks and mosquitoes to extinction and fuck whatever else goes that way too.