deer tick

[cvanderweyst]

I found a deer tick on me this weekend and am wondering what steps i should take as far as Lime disease is concerned.

[tweedlap]

Just keep an eye on that spot and see what happens. If it is red an swollen for a few days you are fine. If it appears to be getting larger or spreading out...then I would go in.

tweed

[DonBo]

A deer tick needs to be imbedded in you for a minimum of 24 hours before you can contract lymes. If you think it was in you for that long go see a doctor. He will give you a shot and you'll be good to go.

Usually a rash in a bullseye shape shows when you catch it, BUT NOT ALWAYS! Better safe than sorry.

[hartner62]

Like state above watch the spot and if you start to see the Bullseye where it bit go in. If you still have the tick put it in a ziplock bag and put it in the freezer so that it can be tested later by the doctor. This is what I was told when it happened to me.

[cvanderweyst]

thanks I do have it in a ziploc bag.

I found it on me late friday night (hunted thursday friday)

so it could have been 24 hours. It was also in an awkard place and i think the head might be stuck still and i cant get it out.

[lungdeflator]

yea watch out for those with the warmer weather. we found alot not just on ourselves but on our deer too so check after you skin em too

[Jmnhunter]

go get it checked out; i had one last year, rash around the bite, they gave me a precription of some type of pills

[titelines]

My wife found one on her head this past summer. She had a tender spot on her head that was hurting, and there it was. She took it out and tossed it in a Ziploc. When the spot didn't stop hurting, she went to the doctor. They looked at it and said it looked like a male tick, which don't spread anything (just the females do). She wasn't 100% convinced, so she asked them for the prescription. They gave her enough for a couple weeks and hasn't had any issues.

[Bear55]

A rash or bullseye will actually only show up 50% of the time. It is also not 100% accurate that it takes 24 hours to transmit the disease, the transmission can vary but most of the time it takes close to 24 hours. My wife got a tick disease while pregnant a while back so I spent some time on the phone with a tick specialist.

I would keep an eye on the bite area, but if you also start feeling ill or getting joint pain I would also go in right away. Also if they test you the tests are not accurate so they can and will give a false negative.

[tunrevir]

The afforementioned advice is good. The rash doesn't develope in all cases. if you have the tick save it and bring it with you to the MD. Just a word of caution to all of you that process your own deer. i have come across deer ticks and a couple seperate occassions on deer that i was processing this time of year. My only assumption is that they came from the carcasses as I was skinning them. I now make sure i have on long sleeves sprayed with insect repellant along with the rubber gloves i wear when processing them. I also wear knwee high rubber boots sprayed with repellant while processing these late season animals. The ticks i have come aross while skinning and cleaning are on deer that have hung and been in freezing temps for a couple days. This is just a FYI.

Tunrevir~

[Itsa Pole Bender]

My brother contracted Anaplasmosis http://www.aldf.com/Anaplasmosis.shtml this past 4th of July, near Cross Lake. He was in really bad shape. His temperature was at 104 several times and the Doctor gave him the impression that he was very lucky to have not come out of this worse if at all. In the summer people contract it from the nymph of a Deer Tick and in the fall from an adult. He never found the tick, no rashes, no bulls eye. Not trying to scare you. It's just I saw my older brother go through something that I was worried he wasn't going to recover from. Although he is still having Gastral Intestinal problems from it. It seems that he had a more severe case than most. Just keep an eye on yourself.

[ccarlson]

Bear55 is right with his info. There are a lot of Dr.'s that are using outdated misinformation about deer ticks.

Living up north, me and my family and dogs get them all the time. If I went to the Dr. every time I had one stuck on me, I'd be in all the time.

Just wait. If you feel any sort of symptoms like unusual soreness of the joints, aches and pains, fever etc. get in right away and tell them you had a bite from a deer tick and really push to get on Doxycycline. Don't take no for an answer. Then, when you are done with the medicine, if the symptoms persist, get back in and insist on a longer run of the same medication. Many doctors are not medicating long enough.

Most deer ticks are not a problem but when you do contract lymes, erlichiosis, anaplasmosis or babiosis from a deer tick, take it serious. But, until then, relax and forget about going to the dr. for every bite.

ccarlson

[YellowOtter1]

I've noticed that during the past fall during warmer days the ticks really come out in numbers. Many times my dogs are crawling with them and they are all very tiny, much smaller than summer ticks. Some are black and some are redish in color but both are super tiny. Are these both deer ticks or are some just newly hatched wood ticks? It appears that some of them were deer ticks cuz the dog tested pos for lymes, which ones though?

[NorthernOutdoors]

Yes, our dog has had quite a few as well. Is Lymes disease harmful to a dog? Do they need to be put on medication?

[Harmonica Bear]

My dog tested postive for lymes and anaplasmosis at the beginning of the hunting season, 28 days of doxycyclene and the dog is good to go. He was back hunting the following week, after being unable to walk prior. If caught/detected early there shouldn't be any long term affects. The key being early detection. I beleive as it advances or goes undiagnosed, there are or can be serious health issues.

[brittman]

A deer tick needs to be imbedded in you for a minimum of 24 hours before you can contract lymes. If you think it was in you for that long go see a doctor. He will give you a shot and you'll be good to go.

Usually a rash in a bullseye shape shows when you catch it, BUT NOT ALWAYS! Better safe than sorry.

24 hours is a guideline. What kind of shot?

As noted above Lyme is just one of many diseases the tick can push into your body.

Getting a doctor to recognize that you could have a tick borne illness is often a major endeavor in it self. I know several people that have suffered through lyme disease and no single shot was the answer. In every case the doctors wanted the diagnosis to be something else (lupus, auto-immune, flu) . Unfortunately treatment is not standard either.

Fever is a good indicator if you have been infected especially if you know you just had a tick attached to you. BUT it is not the only warning sign and may not occur either.

One of my dogs had anaplasmosis a couple years ago. It showed up in her spring heartworm blood test. She was treated and is fine. Interestingly it still shows up in her spring blood tests as a slight positive. Making treatment of future reinfections difficult at best.

The deer ticks are still out there. Best course of action is to spray dogs and clothing. Shower when you get home.