Ticks

aurora · Postby **aurora** » Wed Feb 16, 2005 2:14 pm

Good grief, it is only February and I have had to pull ticks off my new foal already. I've used a flea & tick collar made for dogs in the past but now there are new, better dog tick products out such as Top Spot. Are these ok to use on a horse or foal?

Karie · Postby **Karie** » Mon May 23, 2005 9:30 am

YIKES!! I just pulled one of my filly too!

I have never even seen one before! YUCK!

Any ideas on how to avoid this in the future?

madelyn · Postby **madelyn** » Mon May 23, 2005 10:38 am

Karie... never seen a TICK?? Dang, I pulled one off my husband the other day... :lol:

Ruffian · Postby **Ruffian** » Mon May 23, 2005 3:06 pm

<<<<CRINGE>>>> One thing I DON'T miss (as well as mosquitos!) are ticks ---- Ugh...

Karie · Postby **Karie** » Mon May 23, 2005 8:51 pm

Madelyn... Yep! It was my first Tick.. and I sort of freaked out.
I almost called the vet.. Luckily I didn't.

It was the size of a small grape!!!!!

Again... YUCK!

louis finochio · Postby **louis finochio** » Thu May 26, 2005 6:14 am

Put 1 scoop of Pennyroyal oil in your bath water, and sprinkle garlic powder on your straw, mosq. ticks, and flys hate the scent of both.

When you buy or have your feed delivered, inspect your feed for these critters.

Karie · Postby **Karie** » Thu May 26, 2005 9:38 am

Louis- I am sure my filly picked up the tick in KY... I am in Michigan and have NEVER seen a tick on any of my horses...
Hopefully I don't see another.
-Karie

madelyn · Postby **madelyn** » Thu May 26, 2005 1:48 pm

Karie, if you need ticks I'm sure I can send some up....

Karie · Postby **Karie** » Thu May 26, 2005 3:18 pm

Madelyn,
I think I will pass... ha ha Actually are there diseases that Ticks can give horses? and Is there anything that I should put on the area where it was found? I really wasn't sure if I needed to do anything to it...

How often do you see them on horses??? Its scary!! They are nasty!
I cant imagine pulling one off my husband.. that just freaks me out.

Just so you know I am also deathly scared of snakes.. :oops:

ha ha
I saw 2 in one day last year and Had to call someone else to go out and bring my horses in.. there was no way I was going to do it..!

louis finochio · Postby **louis finochio** » Fri May 27, 2005 6:30 am

In humans ticks can give lime virus that causes sickness.

Ask your vet about your TB.

Inyureye · Postby **Inyureye** » Mon Jun 06, 2005 9:10 am

Can give lyme disease to dogs and horses, too. Very serious. If you get bitten by a tick which produces anykind of local reddening or one of the classic "bulls eye" responses (a ring of red around the bite) get thee doxycycline into thyself within 24 hours if possible. Insist your dr. give you a full dose - at least 200 mg a day for at least 3 weeks, and that's only if you start it right away - right away means within 24 hours. If you start it after 24 hours after the bite you will need a longer course. It won't do you any good to have a shorter course, as it won't kill the vector, then you're in all kinds of trouble, as it has had weeks to take hold of your brain, peripheral nerves, spinal cord, without being killed off. If you can start it right away, you can ward off a whole nightmare of problems. Within the first 72 hours, great. After that, the course of the disease is harder. If you wait and don't start the Dox during the first week or so, this disease can be months or years of problems. Around here, there are all kinds of other diseases the ticks are transmitting, as well, some folks are being walloped with two or three different diseases from the same tick bite. Its a nightmare.

Use bug spray with Deet. Impregnate your outdoor work clothes if you live in a Lyme active region, and keep them impregnated with the deet (don't wash the clothes, either - hang them up and use them again, keep them for outdoor use). be sure to concentrate the deet on your exposed areas, neck, wrists and ankles. And don't buy into the argument "ooh, Deet is bad for you, I'm not going to put poison on my skin". You're choosing between living a neurologically normal life and any number of permanent, neurological cripplings - the deet potential for harm is minimal compared. Use it and don't skimp, don't try to find alternatives, don't risk yourself or you children's health.

As for horses and dogs, follow your vet's advice.

timex · Postby **timex** » Mon Jun 06, 2005 10:55 am

deer ticks (the itty bitty ones) can carry lyme's. ticks (not sure which kinds) can also carry erlichiosis (sp?). my older TB has had lyme's twice.

TBLADY · Postby **TBLADY** » Tue Jun 07, 2005 3:39 am

I have never had a tick on any of my horses...but then I keep my pastures mowed to about a few inches...ticks love tall grassy areas. They also love Pine trees and heavily wooded areas!

Kerie I HATE SNAKES, I MEAN DEEP HOT BURNING PASSIONATE HATE!!!!
We are talking hyper-venilate, blue faced, screaming like a child type of hate...get me the tranq...as a matter of fact make it Dermosidan with a Torb chaser!

when we moved here the last owners never really used the back yard...aka big black snake haven! There was a small pile of siding next to the house due to be hung. I came home from the grocery store one afternoon and found a H U G E black snake happily laying there sunning himself. Thinking to myself...EEEEEWWWWW (inhale exhale) I totally FREAKED. I had to call hubby at work and make him come get me out of the truck. By the time he got home I was a crying mess. Of course sitting in another part of the driveway. Another time i came home and that sucker was stretched out infront of my front door!!!! Boold little SOB too. The sound of my dually didn't phase him at all! Bill was out mowing one day and spotted him out in the grass. He darted in to a brush pile and then back out, then down the fence line, bill said he has the poor little lawn tractor TOPPED OUT chasing this snake. When the snake crossed back under the fence he had him! He parked the tires of the tractor on the snake and then noticed he stuck out a few feet on each side of the front tires...making him about 8 foot!!!! :!:

Then he let the mower deck pass over him and I remember the pitch of the tractor changing (CHOMP CHOMP) Bill was so proud of him self he came in and got my oldest son who was then 15. I was told there were 5-6 inch chuncks everywhere.

The last one we got with the bobcat! Bill found him while moving our manure pile. I notice the bobcat wasn't running outback...so I start to head out to look and Bill says "you don't want to go out there!" So I heeded the warning as he heads back out with a shovle. About 2 mins later he had chopped the head off of a black snake that was even larger then the one he got in the back yard.EEEEEEECKKKKK Except this sucker he had to pin with the bobcat bucket

My mother had a fit..."Those snakes aren't going to hurt you, thye kill mice and rats around the barn." I said ..."the hell they won't hurt me, I'm going to die from a god damn heartattack!" Besides thats what they make mice and rat poison for!!!!

TBLADY

CEO of the Horsewoman snake haters clique!

madelyn · Postby **madelyn** » Tue Jun 07, 2005 6:06 am

Hmph. I don't love snakes at all. Back in '81 I was living on my first boat, a big old cabin cruiser (just before the start of my sailing days) in a burnt out marina in Ft. Myers. I worked for IBM and had to get up too early in the morning... and the old marina had an unheated rough concrete block bath house with no hot water in the shower... aah the good old days.. but one morning I went in and turned on the bare overhead bulb and the snake that had curled around it dropped across my shoulders. It was November, the bulb was probably warm the night before when he curled around it, but couldn't take the HEAT once it was on.... Having dealt the previous week with half a dozen scorpions in the shower with me I picked the snake up and flung him out the door....these things are sent to try us...

These days, I much prefer a few garter snakes around the barn instead of the mice burrowing into things and chewing on tack. In fact I find the appearance of a few shed skins comforting. The good news is that those big black snakes are the good guys and keep the bad guys away... they eat rattlesnake young, among other things. And I much prefer them nesting under a stall than the danged gophers (I shot those suckers)...time to go borrow a coondog, the coons keep upsetting one of the feed barrels at night...or maybe it's time to get a nice rifle to keep my big shotgun company....

susanh · Postby **susanh** » Tue Jun 07, 2005 10:08 am

We are lucky enough to not have poisonous snakes here. Did have an experience with one first summer we moved to the country. Went to feed horses and as I was putting my hand down on the bale of hay to grab a few flakes for the girls, there was this snake curled up on the hay- hadn't been there a couple of hours before! I screamed and did all the requisite things like making my husband get rid if it, which he did with great gusto because despite being married for over 20 years, I did not know he really really hates snakes (something to do with a black mamba in Africa when he was a kid). Alas the poor snake's fate was sealed. My children, however, were extremely affronted by our efforts to dispose of the snake and validly I admit because I didn't even know what kind of snake it was. So I did some research. Turned out to be an eastern fox snake, a constrictor, quite rare and a protected species here (and I caused a full grown 3 footer to be offed!). I am become accustomed to them now, though I haven't seen a monster like that, only small ones (1ft). They eat mice so I guess they can visit. As long as they don't have a go at my barn kitty. I'm sure she'd make a delightful snack but we would like to keep her. We also get garter snakes. Usually a surprise but quite harmless. Mind you husband didn't take having a baby fox snake curled up underneath his gas fireplace this spring. Little thing got away down a hole too. Husband sleeps with eyes open, I think. Mind you, I feel exactly that way about bats. :lol: