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Thread: Ticks

  1. #1
    Senior Dog coopersmom's Avatar
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    Ticks

    I found two engorged ticks on Cooper at the end of May. I managed to remove both ticks intact, he had some swelling after the removal for a week or two at the bite sites. (I feel so bad that I hadn't found them sooner, I had even brushed him the day before we found them and never noticed them, even though they must have been attached at that time due to the size when I removed them). Cooper had his Heartworm/Lyme4Dx test May 26th (two days before discovering the ticks) and it was negative. He doesn't start his Tick/Heartwom until June 1, so he was unprotected at the time The ticks I removed were Deer Ticks (as far as I can tell from research online and from how I described the tick to the Vet)
    Cooper had his annual check-up yesterday and we discussed the tick bites and my concerns about Lyme disease. It appears that we have two options....to wait and see if he shows signs of illness and investigate and treat at that time OR to re-test using the Lyme 4Dx Test and if it is positive to send blood out to get his levels. Cooper is our first dog and this has been our first experience ever with ticks....and naturally I am concerned (the vet said 1 in 5 deer ticks are now carrying Lyme in our region). I am leaning on having him re-tested at the six week mark from finding the ticks...but am second guessing myself. Just curious what others would do, any one with similar experiences?? Thanks

    PS He was using Revolution, but have now switched him to Advantix and Interceptor - we had been using Revolution because we had Bella (cat) in the house and would have had to separate the dog and cat for 24 hours due to toxicity to the cat and at the time that wasn't a risk we were willing to take...

  2. #2
    Senior Dog Tanya's Avatar
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    I think I would re-test in 6 weeks (maybe more for peace of mind, it's $80-100 for bloodwork plus 4dx around here, maybe $120 with tax and stuff). I haven't used tick stuff (for a variety of reasons but looks like I will seriously hvae to consider it with my next dog; at 13 with health issues Rocky isn't really walking much or outside enough for me to use it at this point). I found 1-2 ticks on each dog over the years (one per year); they were removed engorged and we just re-tested in the fall to be safe (er).

    Edited: actually I may not test right at 6 weeks, but test in the fall after tick season.
    Last edited by Tanya; 06-23-2017 at 10:40 AM.

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    coopersmom (06-23-2017)

  4. #3
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    Not every tick is diseased.

    Not lately, but I've found engorged ticks on mine...never had a disease issue. Most of mine swelled up horribly at the site of a bite...not just the engorged tick bites, but every bite. (my two yellows were the worst for this) Don't beat yourself up.

  5. #4
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    Honestly, I would just wait and see if he shows symptoms. Mine have been bitten by many ticks over the years and not gotten sick - we do the 4D test in the winter though, so after they’ve gone through the whole tick season.

    We actually started using the Seresto collars a few weeks ago and haven’t seen a single tick since. Prior to that we were finding 3-4 a week or more (most which we got before they were attached long at all).
    Annette

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    coopersmom (06-24-2017)

  7. #5
    Senior Dog labsnewfy's Avatar
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    I would wait 6-8 weeks and retest. If he is positive then I would treat with the doxy until you get a negative results. Personally I wouldn't waste my money on a test to find out numbers, what are they doing with the numbers? if it is low they will not treat? I would treat with doxy for 4-6 weeks wait a couple weeks then test again, if it comes up positive treat again then test again. After consulting with our rescue we adopted Colman from, we treated until we got a negative.

    We almost lost Coleman to lyme disease. Before we left VA he tested positive for lyme they only gave us a 10 days supply of doxy and sent us on our way. I didnt' realize what it was at the time, I should have treated him until we got a negative. With in that same year he went to his new vet here in WV for his annual/meet and greet visit he came up positive again for lyme. For what ever reason the lab told our vet his blood work came back that he had been vaccinated for lyme diease so our vet wouldn't treat him with the doxy. I explained to her he had already been treated but she said it was not related. In the mean time he was gaining weight because his joints were painful, but they were just chalking that up to his HD and bad knees. He was drinking tons of water and still all the blood work and urine tests were coming back ok. In those two months before switching vets Coleman was diagnosed with lupus, which we started treating but he still had all the other things going on. After several months of wait and see we went to another vet who put him on the doxy that day. Within a week you could see the difference in my son, he was drinking less, able to get up and run around again playing with us and his siblings.
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    coopersmom (06-24-2017)

 



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