posted
Hi everyone..I have just started treatment for LD a few weeks ago..I see a LLMD in a week(I am counting the days) I have been seriously ill for the past 2 months(symptoms for nine months)..very scary..so here is what's happening ..I have two dogs..i love them very much.. i spend a lot of time with them indoors as well as outdoors. They also love to lay on me whenever I sit down or lay down and laying down is basically what i have been doing for the past month..I feel like I am getting overly paranoid with thinking that they can bring ticks into my house..I have been brushing them everytime I take them outside..even if they go out for a minute to pee I brush them(I live outside of PRinceton..and we have ticks)..and now I don't really want them laying on me..I feel so bad because they bring me such joy.. Maybe I am feeling like this right now because i am so sick? Does anybody who owns dogs have any suggestions for protecting my pets as well as my family? Any thoughts would be appreciated thanks.cathy
Posts: 44 | Registered: May 2004
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posted
Hi Cathy, I know exactly what you are going through... We have three indoor dogs and a cat and I was finding ticks everywhere last year.
We now treat our yard with sevin and never miss a dose of frontline. Frontline will kill the tick when it bites your dog/cat but unfortunately does not protect your pets from contracting Lyme disease. It basically protects you...
We have not found one tick since using sevin but make sure you read the label... You need to keep your pets off the treated area for a day or two. Treat the front yard and let the dogs out in the back yard then return them to the front and treat the back.
I hated having to use pesticides but we had no choice and I was told by many here that sevin is the least toxic.
We also had to break down and keep the cat inside because she does not stay on the property. God how I hate a litter box but I did find a decent litter that she does not drag all over the floor and works out very well.
Are your dogs fenced in? If not you really should fence them off. We keep ours confined to a large area with real livestock electric fence not the underground stuff and it works great. You cannot see it either unless you are right on top of it and it is very cheap/easy to install.
The nice thing about electric fence is it will keep other dogs out of your yard. We do not have problems where we live now so our fence is not even on and the dogs do not go near it.
Good luck and I hope you do not find any more ticks. Stacey
Posts: 240 | From Southern Maryland | Registered: Jun 2003
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troutscout
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 3121
posted
For the sake of legal issues...ixnay the electric fence.
We had 3 dogs, and 1 cat....because of allergies from this damned disease ....we are down to 2 dogs and 1 cat...and will be giving dog number 2 away soon.
You are lucky that you haven't developed the allergies that many of us have...or, maybe you have.
However, I believe that one should probably spray their yard twice a year front and back....we don't as I am HORRIBLY sensitive to them.
Trout
Posts: 5262 | From North East Iowa | Registered: Sep 2002
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troutscout
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 3121
posted
Also.....remember that you will HAVE to take off your shoes when coming from now on if you spray.
The stuff doesn't wash away.
Trout
Posts: 5262 | From North East Iowa | Registered: Sep 2002
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dontlikeliver
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 4749
posted
I used to have cats, and have also had dogs in the past.
I wouldn't take the risk now.
Does Frontline or any of those pesticides prevent pets bringing in ticks on their coats and dropping them in the house where they can crawl onto people? I don't think so - and that's why I personally wouldn't want any more furry pets.
It was not unusual for me to get up to 6 ticks in one brushing after my cats had been outside - and those were just the ones I caught with a brush. I'd be to worried that I might not have got them all and there may be one on the loose somewhere.
But, I also understand people's love for their pets. A hard choice.
We do have 3 rabbits now, but they live outside, and I refuse to handle them. Hubby's job - he doesn't care.
DLL
Posts: 2824 | From The Back of Beyond | Registered: Oct 2003
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posted
Thanks everybody for your input..giving my dogs away is not an option unless i want a divorce in the process as well..i am constantly asking my partner to brush the dogs off before bringing them in the house..and that is causing problems..i do frontline them so hopefully that helps a little..i am not even sure my LD was caused by owning dogs..a lot of my neighbors have dogs and no one has had any problems yet..and I know probably none of them are brushing their dogs before bring them back into their homes..I just know that 3 weeks ago, I had the worst time with pain and weakness..couldn't imagine going through it again!
Trout, what kind of allergies do ppl with LD seem to develop?
posted
For great protection, treat your clothes with .05% permethrin spray. You can get it premixed at a grain store, or you can buy it from Vally Vet and other catalog and online stores for horses. You can use it in place of Frontline, it works better so my friends say. Make sure its at that percent, and let your clothes dry for two hours. We just do jeans shoes outer wear, hats, not near the face. that in combo with DEET works well, the army tests show 99% effectiveness. IF you do happen to pick up a tick, they are stunned and crawl slowly, so that you can feel them if they get on your skin. Or spot them on your clothes. Normally they curl up their little legs and drop off. Of course I prefer to find them and burn them.. but with this protocol I don't get them on me funny thing is we gave our cat away as he was bringing in ticks, and now people bring in ticks. My nurse brought one in. Her dog was in her car that day... There are some reports that these chemicals can eventually cause problems, but the army tested for over 10 years. of course, they maynot have reported any problems. We have done this for a few years and all is ok. well, I guess its six of one...half dozen of the other.
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posted
thanks..i will look into that product..we have a horse supply store nearby..i just purchased off for the first time..i think i am just paranoid right now and a lot scared..thanks cathy
Posts: 44 | Registered: May 2004
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