Tick Season Precautions
Spring is here and Summer is around the corner. While you are getting ready for more time outdoors, disease-bearing ticks are getting ready to feast, and they are keeping it local. Even though Winter lingered on Delmarva, ticks are active whenever the temperature tops 28 degrees. The illness of primary concern is Lyme Disease, a bacterial infection spread by deer ticks.
The Center for Disease Control has stated that there are 300,000 new cases of Lyme each year.
There are 12 states that make 98% of the number of Lyme Disease cases. Included are Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia.
Marilyn Williams, who is the Executive Director of The Lyme Disease Association of the Eastern Shore stated, “These Ticks here on the Delmarva Peninsula and around the Mid Atlantic region are really giving us so many more organisms then just Lyme Disease. So it’s important that your doctor check you for many of the common tick born diseases such as: Lyme disease, Bartonella , Babesiosis, Ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Anaplasmosis.”
Marilyn also explained that recent studies show it only takes 15 minutes for an attached tick to spread disease, especially if it had fed on other host. This is significantly faster than the 24 to 48 hours previously thought.
“Some of the common symptoms are going to be fatigue, neurological problems, arthritis type problems, joint pain, muscle pains, headaches. It can range from anything from hearing loss to eye problems to stomach issues. It really effects every system in the body” according to Marilyn.
How soon those symptoms show up, depends on each person’s individual genetics. Often, the first warning sign of Lyme Disease is a “bulls eye” rash of where the tick was located on your body. As for your pets, it can take up to 6 months for symptoms to show.
47 ABC spoke with Registered Veterinary Technician, Courtney Privett who said that some symptoms to look out for in dogs include: lameness -rotating from leg to leg, fevers, loss of appetite, and weight loss.
After a dog is diagnosed with Lyme Disease, it will stay in their system for the rest of their lives and they will experience a flare up of symptoms throughout their doggy years. There is a vaccination for dogs, but there is no vaccination available for cats.
Stephanie Bystrak, who is also a Veterinary Technician said, “The vaccine is about 70% effective at preventing Lyme Disease in dogs. It’s not a guaranteed preventative measure. We also carry oral and topical products that you can use on your dogs to help repel ticks or keep ticks off of your pet.”
The Owner of a Mineuture Australian Shepherd and a handsome Bull Dog knows how important it is to check for ticks and keep up with their pets shots. Christine Niblett told us “If you want your dogs to be around for a long time, definitely [use] tick prevention.”
Once in the body, whether canine or human, Lyme Disease never leaves. It can be managed with antibiotics and treatment. The real key to staying tick-free, is prevention.
Marilyn tells ABC-47 about a controlled study that notes: if we treat just our shoes and our socks , with Permethrin spray, it will reduce our chances of getting a tick bite by over 73%.
Remember to always check yourself and your dogs whenever you come back from being outdoors!
