My vet said that cats have a natural immunity to ticks and that there are very few cases of cats getting lyme disease.

Anybody out there have a cat with lyme? Just wondering as I worry about my cat.

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Originally posted by Beverly:
Hi njwoman,
I want to get guinea hens too. Only problem I have is I would have to ask my neighbors permission because they are so loud and will not stay just on your own property.
It is a interesting question about cats. I really don't know for sure but my sister has cats outside all the time{they eat all her mice!} many have been bitten by ticks but so far none of her cats are sick! Personally I keep my cat indoors.

[This message has been edited by Beverly (edited 16 July 2001).]

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But it has developed into an interesting thread.

[This message has been edited by Beverly (edited 17 July 2001).]

and here is an article on guinea fowl and ticks.
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Meadows/9463/Ticks.html

I wonder about the neighbors too. I live on 2 1/4 very secluded acres. I was going to claim the 5th if anyone complained and just say "someone must have dropped them off and I don't mind having them around because they eat ticks". Then if the neighbors really hate them, they can get rid of them. We also have foxes and coyotes but, I'd rather have them go for the birds than my cat who I adore. I can't keep the cat in though, he would just go nuts. The site where I linked to also talks about them and says you need to get them when they are very young or they just take off. Bet the cat would like guinea chicks, so that could be a problem.

The chickens are injected with your blood a few times and once they lay an egg, it has the exact colostrum that you need for your body. Colostrum is what comes out the first few weeks in baby's milk. It gives you a chance to fight diseases and is responsible for building your immune system.

I was not breastfed. So, I'm seriously thinking of doing it. I'm not sure if it will work. I can get in touch with a couple farmers who send a month's worth of eggs. They charge you for the service, of course. You need to get a doctor to take blood and send it the farmer a couple times. I'm afraid of the farmer screwing up and injecting someone elses blood into my chicken. I don't think it's fool proof unless you do it yourself. I don't know anything about raising chickens and how to inject them. So, I don't know if I'll do it.

But, it sounds like it would help a lot.

All the fowl I mewntioned before swallows ticks and then GRINDS them up in the very hard stomach as well as acidify them and then out they go. Maybe if they had bleeding ulcers they might get sick. But I am sure eating a tick is not the same as getting bitten by one. It mixes with all sorts of chemicals in the stomach of fowl. Maybe we wouldn't get sick either if we ate them. It might even be that eating them works like a dead vaccine.
I have heard of cats with lyme and I have a German Shepherd with lyme. Him and me, we got it together the same month. That's when I brought in the chickens, guineas and turkeys. All of the fowl eat ticks and I haven't seen one in a long time. Birds eat them too and putting up a bird feeder and waterer will be helpful. The birds will still be looking for protein supplements.(ticks)

Turkeys are a good choice as long as you stay away from the white ones and the bronze - they have been bred for food production and do not function properly anymore, and almost always die because their hips give out. But the Bourbons are great for this, they stay home and they are wonderful scavengers and the eggs are wonderful (lay only in the spring though).

Maddog- Thanks for letting me know about the temperature of chickens.

Annette- If I have any questions about animals I'll know who to ask. It was interesting about how they actually chewed up the ticks!

I don't know much about chickens, but it occured to me that not ALL chickens are on antibiotics - organically farmed ones aren't. So, I wonder if they are better or worse.

Talkin' chickens tonight huh???

We had at one time around 70 chickens, turkeys and guinies. I have never heard of a chicken contracting LD from eating ticks. But not certain of this.

Guinies are great to have around of course until they become lunch for the foxes and coyote.

Cats on the other hand can contract LD. My cat has LD, he was bit a few years ago by a deer tick. he became very aggressive, cranky, never purred, you couldn't touch him without him screeching. When I started to treat him for Lyme, he got alot better. And he does herx from the ax. I give him about 15mg of amox a week. He is doing so much better now, he stared purring again, he's just a different cat altogether.

If cats can get LD I'am sure dogs can too. My vet does treat both cats and dogs for LD not sure about any co-infections.

Lisi

[This message has been edited by Lisianthus (edited 28 December 2004).]

This is a really old post..from way back when..LOL
I hope Sugar is feeling better.

Beef might be more riskyu.