Tick Time :-(

Last week I pulled two ticks off of Kona. Although ticks can carry a number of different diseases (one of my cats died from a tick borne parasite) one of the most common diseases ticks can transmit is Lyme disease. Kona had Lyme disease about two years ago so I always get a little paranoid during tick season.

To read a very interesting article that was in Yankee Magazine about Lyme disease and how it may have actually been engineered by our government (yes, it's true!)click here.

Many of my clients struggle with tick prevention strategies. Frontline and other mainstream products are filled with toxins. People often wonder about the effectiveness of more natural approaches. Many struggle with how to resolve this dilemma. I think one of the most effective and natural tick prevention strategies is doing tick checks during outside adventures with your furry friend.

My dog Kona is a black lab and finding tiny black deer ticks on him is challenging to begin with. When I'm out on a hike with him I periodically check him for ticks. My theory is that it will be easier to spot ticks while they are still on the surface of his coat and have not started burrowing into his coat to attach to his flesh. It can also be easier to spot them using the light from the bright sun versus indoor lighting. So I check him outside and then when we get home I do a more thorough inspection with a flashlight and comb look and feel for ticks (they are good at hiding!!) Supposedly it takes 24 hours for a tick to transmit an illness. Doing daily tick checks hopefully removes ticks before they become an issue.

A note on removing ticks...I have found the best way is to use tweezers. Do not squeeze the body of the tick while removing it. That will just squeeze the contents of the tick into you or your pet which you do not want to do. Secure the tweezers onto the head and gently pull until the tick is removed.

It's also helpful to know what type of environment ticks like and don't like. They cannot tolerate extreme dry heat so they tend to be more abundant in areas with some water near by. To learn more about the environment ticks prefer and everything under the sun about ticks click on The Tick Management Handbook.

If you do decide to use a product with toxins such as Frontline or Advantage know that this is not a guarantee that your pet will not get ticks and will not get Lyme. It does decrease the chance but I do know plenty of dogs who have been on these products and still get Lyme. The same is true for the Lyme vaccine. I know dogs who have had the vaccine AND have been on Frontline and still get Lyme. If you are still going to go forward with a product such as this, consider doing it less frequently than the company recommends. I know these companies promote year round usage of their products. Consider using them only during the height of flea & tick season. And even better...instead of doing them every 4 weeks try doing every 6 or even 8 weeks. And better than that is finding a solution that doesn't poison your pet.

Lyme is a nasty disease. I have met many people and many dogs who have or have had it. So of course it is also important to do tick checks on yourself.

To read more about Lyme disease and herbal approaches to be used in conjunction with antibiotics check out Stephen Harrod Buhner's book Healing Lyme .

Have a safe, happy, tick free summer!