Even dogs who are given flea and tick preventives can still carry a tick into the house. I was bitten again while taking care of a pooch whose owners were out of town for a week. This was an inside pet, only went out to do his business and go for exercise walk.
Didn't see the tick until I scratched a bump on the side of my neck and blood appeared, then a small black object. Yikes. After being so careful for years.
Retiring from dog sitting for friends and relatives.
Posted by lpkayak (Member # 5230) on :
yeah...im pretty sure i read about ticks being there a long time ago in cure unknown
someone saw a tick in the plant in a pot at the door to her building...nothing but concrete everywhere
also birds carry them and land on roofs and window sills
also...less well known and i cant give you the ref now but Bb is often in rodent urine and if dogs lick or dig with their nose down by dirt or clean their feet that run thru rodent urine...i mean ...it wouldnt surprise me if dogs could get it that way
just because a study doesnt show it yet doesnt mean it isnt happening...remember "theres no ticks or lyme or babs here..."
Posted by Ellen101 (Member # 35432) on :
I can't imagine living my life without my dogs due to the possibility of them bringing in ticks..
Posted by beaches (Member # 38251) on :
Ellen, I have the exact opposite thought. I can fully imagine my life w/o our dog. Problem is I don't know if the rest of the family can.
I am so done with the whole pet thing. I just don't need any more risks entering my home. I'd give up the dog in a heartbeat and be happy that we have one less risk factor.
Only thing holding me back is that I don't want to break my kids' hearts. I'd gladly look for a new home for the dog and make sure she would be loved and cherished by another family who isn't dealing with chronic illness!
Having sick kids is getting old. And the thought that they could just be getting re-exposed/re-infected by a pet is literally sickening to me.
How much hell/expense should families have to go through before we say "enough is enough?"
I say we need to find new homes for our pets.
Posted by Robin123 (Member # 9197) on :
I have heard that Orange Guard, or the concentrate form, TKO Orange, can be lightly misted/rubbed on pet fur to keep ticks away.
Posted by beaches (Member # 38251) on :
I've heard that giving your pet away can keep ticks away.
Sorry Robin, couldn't resist. I'm just so tired of it all.
Posted by Ellen101 (Member # 35432) on :
I just feel you still have to live your life. My children were brought up with dogs and it teaches them so much about compassion, responsibility. My dogs are treated with tick prevention as is our yard. What happens when your kids go out to play or over to a friends house?
In my darkest times with lyme, when I was stuck in bed in tears it was my dogs laying there beside me. If I got it from the tick they brought in then so be it as I got way more than just Lyme from them all these years.
Posted by Dogsandcats (Member # 28544) on :
There are people I would keep out of my house rather than getting rid of my dog.
She has been my best friend during this horrid mess. During my worst times my constant companion is here.
I understand the need to be careful, but then we need to stay away from others homes, or going outside.
Caution, yes. I give my dog tick prevention, which probably hurts her and is probably not a guarantee, but I do my best.
But then, I won't visit relatives in the Midwest because they talk about pulling ticks off while mowing the lawn.
I have my issues and opinions; however, I do respect others. We all need to be informed and make the decisions best for ourselves.
Posted by skies (Member # 28064) on :
I agree with dogsandcats and Ellen. I can't imagine my life without my dogs.. My best friends, there for me every day good or miserable. They're like my kids.
I understand and respect the choices of others, but I am too much of an animal lover to be without them. I treat them for ticks, but I'm sure it's not 100%.
Posted by desertwind (Member # 25256) on :
I would never give up having dogs in my life. A source of healing on so many levels.
My dog had chronic Lyme and it is a journey we are on together, There are so many things that I would give up before giving up that sacred relationship.
Posted by lpkayak (Member # 5230) on :
yeah-i need my dogs. the schnauzers had ticks alot-but most of their life they were in a more ticky place.
ms etta has only had one tick on her...i know the yard she got it in and i know i forgot to spray her
i havent found any in my new house and i have done a lot of gardening. it is very sandy and grass is thin...so not a ticks favorite place. but there are many chipmunks and moles that i am trying to get rid of so i am very aware and careful
i need her. live alone now. kids so far away and rarely visit. friends close-but not here 24/7 like she is. i cry...she licks my pain away. probably gives me parasites ... but i need her.
if there would be a reason to give her away it would be the cost of grooming and vet.
but i need her. i've lost a lot to lyme. full barn of horses. surfing. skiing. i need her.
she's 2 1/2 now. the first 6 months were a bit ruff. had to be creative. now with flat fenced yard and house without carpet (better for her-better for wc) she gets plenty of exercise.
kris (my schnauzer) used to cuddle to the part of my back that hurt. every night . he seemed to know where the pain was and put his body heat there. she has been licking the most arthritic parts-esp my wrists-from the beginning and just recently has left her sleeping place by my feet to the pain in my back. it has been much worse in the last 6 months.
i think it is true that somehow they sense where the pain is.
i need her. its a pretty deep need.
often the docs say i am depressed and want to push anti-depressants. i tell them its situational depression and if i got rid of the pain and fatigue i wouldnt be depressed. i tell them i want to cure the pain not cover it up.
if i lost her...i would really be depressed.
Posted by faithful777 (Member # 22872) on :
Ticks can come in on your dogs but you should be doing something for ticks/fleas for them (some kind of topical) and also do tick checks when they come in.
The first LLMD I saw told me to get my dogs out of my bed and I said that would be giving up my life. My dogs give me so much comfort and love. What would I do without them.
I just check them every time they come in from outside. We make a game out of it and play. Posted by Ellen101 (Member # 35432) on :
quote:Originally posted by faithful777: Ticks can come in on your dogs but you should be doing something for ticks/fleas for them (some kind of topical) and also do tick checks when they come in.
The first LLMD I saw told me to get my dogs out of my bed and I said that would be giving up my life. My dogs give me so much comfort and love. What would I do without them.
I just check them every time they come in from outside. We make a game out of it and play.
Both my dogs sleep in my bed as well:)
Posted by randibear (Member # 11290) on :
i could not have made it through some of these years without my randi.
she would lay down beside me when i felt so bad. she followed me everywhere.
she was my everything. more human than most people i know.
Posted by Razzle (Member # 30398) on :
Another reason for caution - pets can be a source of parasites...
Posted by faithful777 (Member # 22872) on :
Most times the pets are better to you than the humans are. I agree with randibear, they give us way more than we could ever give them.
They know when you fell like hell and they snuggle up to you and love all over you. People don't do that when we are sick.
Posted by Dogsandcats (Member # 28544) on :
Our dog sleeps with us....the cat (RIP) used to. Actually the indoor cat bothered me more than the dog-don't know why.
We found a pet friendly house to stay in on our vacation. I can sleep under the covered patio and the dog will be right there beside me.
To each his own.
Posted by beaches (Member # 38251) on :
Yes, Razzle, parasites transmitted from pets have also been a huge concern for me as well.
My #1 priority is the health of my kids. And the dog, to me, just presents more risk factors which my family does not need.
And honestly, I regard the dog as yet another "being" that I have to take care of who's had her own health issues.
I do more than enough caregiving as it is. I don't need to do anymore. But I do it anyway, b/c the kids love the dog.
PS--Ellen, My kids no longer go "out to play" or go to friends' houses. They're too sick. If they could, I'd spray them up and down and every which way to prevent a bite.
Posted by fieldbredESS (Member # 39186) on :
Dogs are my world. I have a strict regiment, every time we go out to parks, untreated areas, everyone gets sprayed prior, bathed afterwards & checked at the same time. I check them for parasites just as I check them for grass awns or wounds. They're my exercise partners. We train to compete & that gives me goals to work towards. They help me with tasks around the house (i.e. service dog type stuff).
Homes with pets are typically homes of healthier folks. A dog is the only relative you get to choose.
Posted by Razzle (Member # 30398) on :
Parasite testing for animals is as bad as it is for people...
I've heard stories of dogs that were very sick, vets ran tons of tests & couldn't find anything wrong. Someone then put the dog on an anti-parasite treatment program and the parasites poured out of the animal.
Posted by Ellen101 (Member # 35432) on :
There's a reason why there is pet therapy. When that horrible shooting took place at Sandy Hook the therapy dogs were brought over from far away. Those same dogs traveled to Boston after the bombings. Yes, dogs can give you ticks and parasites but they can also give you so much more. To miss out on the opportunity to know that out of fear is sad.
Posted by Bitten in Bergen (Member # 34067) on :
We used topical tick products, but wound up adding a tick collar called Scalibor - using both products, we never saw a tick on our dogs.
I have allergies, so even though I've been tempted to have my dogs sleep in my bed, I will never do it.
I do worry about getting sick from the dogs, but we are very careful and check ourselves a lot.
Now that I know better, I keep my dogs out of leaf litter and other tick habitats when we're out for a walk.
Unfortunately, one of my dogs did pick up lyme disease during one of his unauthorized "excursions." At least we caught it early with him.
Wish I had been so lucky with my lyme diagnosis...
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