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Anyone know anything about ticks?
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Member Since:
14 February 2016
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26 May 2017 - 7:58 pm
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This has nothing to do with tripawds or cancer, but I know how smart this group is. . .

We just found a tick on one of our indoor cats.  I haven't seen or dealt with ticks for over 35 years when we lived in a different part of the country.  I was able to remove it intact, but am wondering what, if anything, else I should do.  I am washing my daughter's sheets in hot water (cat sleeps with her) and we vacuumed her carpet.  Gator is on SImparica for fleas and ticks, and we didn't find anything on any of the other cats.  Any suggestions?  I am trying to avoid the natural cancer dog mom instinct to immediately run to the E-vet.  😀 

Otis - 106 pound lab/Dane mix, lost his right front leg to osteosarcoma on Febuary 9, 2016.  Four rounds of carboplatin completed in April, 2016.  Lung mets August 25, 2016.  Said goodbye too soon on September 4, 2016.   Lost his adopted sister, Tess, suddenly on October 9, 2016. likely due to hemangiosarcoma.  

Wherever they are, they are together.

Virginia







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26 May 2017 - 8:49 pm
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It's a way kf life in the summer here in Virginia. So, from my perspective, it's nothi g to worry about. You got it off her intzct, you checked her over, and you would have spotted them if there were more.

Others can chime in, but itsw not a biggie and would not warrant a trip to the ER!!

We haven't seen a picture of that Big Gator for awhile....hint...hint!!

Happy Hannah had a glorious additional bonus time of over one yr & two months after amp for osteo! She made me laugh everyday! Joined April's Angels after send off meal of steak, ice cream, M&Ms & deer poop!

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26 May 2017 - 9:24 pm
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Okay, sooooooo...not to scare you but...we are hoping and praying that you live nowhere near a "bobcat fever" zone. We live in the 7th circle of hell zone for ticks and a few years ago it became endemic ( and an epidemic) and we lost 13 cats to it ( we had volunteered to take in a relocated " feral" colony at the time that otherwise was set to be trapped and poisoned...)

Now, at DaBear HQ we learned lots and lots about cytauxzoonosis which is truly, truly just unimaginable. As it turns out, there is no treatment...having said that, we have lived in the area for DECADES and had NEVER encountered anything like it. So....the odds are very much in your favor that there is nothing, nothing to worry about.

Ticks just have terrible diseases that they carry and removing the tick does not necessarily mean the disease has not been passed along once the animal has been bitten. We also learned that just removing the tick makes them regurgitate the nasty stuff into the host animal. So...if possible, the best course of action is to try to use not only a flea and topical but a repellent as well. And since those treatments can be slightly toxic as well ( depending on the animal and their health), pawrents are then caught between a rock and a hard place.

I would at least place a call to your regular vet and see what they have to say. If they have NEVER seen a case of cytauxzoonosis, then you really may have nothing to worry about. And we at DaBear HQ rarely share this story because it was deeply scarring for us but others do need to know-likely due to global warming- the ticks are proliferating, carrying worse diseases, and much more active for longer periods of time. Again, this was, hoping and praying, a once in a lifetime event but those nasty little buggers are just allllllllllll over here...please let us know what your regular vet says:)

Sending best wishes, huge hugs, and PyrPaws all around!

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27 May 2017 - 12:08 am
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Thanks.  What do you use on your cats for ticks?  Mine are all indoor cats, but I suspect this hitchhiked in on Gator, who is continually under bushes in his quest for critters.  

I'll watch her for symptoms, but it was not a lone star tick, which seems to be the carrier, and I couldn't find any reports of it closer than St. Louis.

Otis - 106 pound lab/Dane mix, lost his right front leg to osteosarcoma on Febuary 9, 2016.  Four rounds of carboplatin completed in April, 2016.  Lung mets August 25, 2016.  Said goodbye too soon on September 4, 2016.   Lost his adopted sister, Tess, suddenly on October 9, 2016. likely due to hemangiosarcoma.  

Wherever they are, they are together.

Member Since:
2 December 2016
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27 May 2017 - 4:40 am
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The very best method of prevention is what you are already doing which is keeping your cat indoors:):):) And living in an area where it is not endemic! (And maybe check the big fella Gator for ticks coming in the door?) 

Depending on our cats' needs, we use monthly topicals ranging from Revolution to Advantage, etc. If a cat is healthy and youngish, we use the ones that cover the most issues such as worms, fleas, ticks, mosquitos. For awhile we also sprayed with a repellent in addition to the topicals. Some people also just use diatomaceous earth and rub it in the coat but since cats groom all of the time that seemed a bit problematic.We ended up enclosing and double screening all of our porches and bringing as many as we could inside. Basically we went full force DefCon but also know despite everything we have done, it could recur at any time and there is nothing that can be done: do NOT believe the sites claiming a cure or effective treatments.

This disease is like the plague ,and, yes, maybe one in a zillion survive but it is a horrendous and by the time clinically presented almost always fatal within days. We took the first few to the Vet School ( where even they were confused about what to do as they see few cases according to one and to others tried to experimentally treat and to others said take home and euthanize and do not come back or bring any more in as it is futile and cruel) spoke with researchers, discussed in depth what the Vet School treatment protocol was with our regular vet, etc. (even he said he was not comfortable due to the cruel nature of it). There is another Vet School in a close by state that was ,for awhile, claiming a new treatment protocol that worked: it did not and was, in my mind, a cruel experiment which then led to false hopes. Now, I am not saying don't try for any parent and cat that finds themselves in this circumstance. I am just saying after extensive experience and research, be aware. And there may be new and viable treatments on the horizon but...not in our neck of the woods yet:(  Also, many types of ticks- and their baby seed ticks-carry the disease and there are many subsets of the disease which is another reason it is difficult to find an effective treatment.

Please know that I am NOT trying to scare anyone or normalize our experience or dissuade anyone from ever trying a treatment. It is just when I hear tick on a cat, I want others to know and be prepared on the very, very slim chance that it could be bobcat fever. Getting off soapbox now;) And, honestly, if you live in an area where there has never been a case, you have nothing to worry about:):):) YEA!!!!!

Michigan


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27 May 2017 - 7:25 am
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Christine that is crazy! How did you see it on your cat? Was it engorged?  Mark found a American dog tick not attached to his shoulder last night! He felt something crawling on him.

No bite mark that we can see, I checked  both the cats with a flea comb and checked them all over, no tick to be found. Mark brought it in from outside I'm sure. We are surrounded by woods and wildlife! This is the first time in 20 years one has got in the house! 

All ticks can carry all sorts of wicked diseases. If you can identify which one it was that might be helpful god forbid they get sick!

I would just watch you cats for any symptoms! We put the tick in a little vial alive just in case we need more info! 

We are going to ask our Holistic Vet (was a traditional vet) about what is safe to use! If he has a solution I will surely let you know & post here.

As  Charliebear(Ame) has said there are a lot of spot on treatments to use, all of which of course CAN not always have side effects.

Just because our cats our indoors does not mean they can't catch or get these things! Since Gator goes outside the cats are at risk.

WE have to weigh out the pros and cons I guess and as always on this journey cancer or no cancer we have to take chances or gamble which sucks! 

I would check Gator before coming in and check yourself, take your shoes off outside and leave them outside.

We work outside in the spring /summer,fall  we take our shoes off at the door leave them outside and take the clothes directly to the wash and get in the shower! Yesterday Mark went outside to fill a bird feeder and came in and did not do our normal protocol!

It appears this year is a bad year for ticks! 

We are hoping and praying kitty is ok and it was just a scare! As if we need more of those ! NOT!

Hugs Holly & Purrkins

Ame I am so sorry you lost 13 cats OMC that is beyond AWFUL. I can't even imagine! It just takes one time! Thanks for sharing as hard as that is we can all learn from these things 😔

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27 May 2017 - 8:34 am
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Pretty sure it is a brown dog tick.  It is swimming around in an empty, sealed water bottle now, just in case Princess does get sick.  Apparently, this is a particularly bad year for fleas and ticks, such that the normal preventatives are not enough.  We are now using cedar oil to spray the bedrooms, mattresses, animal bedding and I put a tniy little bit on Gator to see if he tolerates it.

Otis - 106 pound lab/Dane mix, lost his right front leg to osteosarcoma on Febuary 9, 2016.  Four rounds of carboplatin completed in April, 2016.  Lung mets August 25, 2016.  Said goodbye too soon on September 4, 2016.   Lost his adopted sister, Tess, suddenly on October 9, 2016. likely due to hemangiosarcoma.  

Wherever they are, they are together.

Michigan


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27 May 2017 - 8:43 am
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Put a little damp paper towel or piece of grass in the water bottle thats what we read to do! Just in case you need it. We hope not!

How long it will live no clue! American dog tick can carry Rocky Mountain spotted fever and tularemia. Rare but possible.

On The Road


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27 May 2017 - 10:12 am
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Oh gosh, I think you're doing what needs to be done, your cat will probably be just fine. 

Wyatt Ray never had a drop of flea and tick preventive on him until this year. Last summer we had such a bad tick problem in the Rockies that I felt this season we needed to be extra careful. We pushed our luck with Wyatt, he never got sick, but I'm done taking that gamble. Here's a blog post I wrote about current flea and tick predictions:

What to Expect with Fleas, Ticks and Climate Change

Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet



Member Since:
27 July 2014
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27 May 2017 - 10:16 am
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I suggest a call to your vet. In my community the vets seem to be in contact with each other to identify patterns. For example, this year the vet put out a warning of an increase of cats suffering from rat poison. 

I no longer worry about the effects of the flea/tick medication because I'd rather use something that can hopefully keep my cats safe, protected and comfortable although it may take a few years of their life. I only use it a couple months of the year based on the vets suggested timing.

Great idea to keep the tick. I wouldn't have thought of that and would have pulverized it with a hammer.

Wishing everyone an itch free summer. My time is spent digging through Mona's fur to remove slugs. She's obviously not moving very fast. big-grin

Kerren and Tripawd Kitty Mona

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2 June 2017 - 4:51 pm
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Anyone know how long I should keep the tick?  Princess is doing fine, and sleeping with my daughter again after I did a very thorough and obvious tick check.  I was cleaning the bathroom, however, and there sits the plastic water bottle with a now dead tick.  So. . .any ideas?

Otis - 106 pound lab/Dane mix, lost his right front leg to osteosarcoma on Febuary 9, 2016.  Four rounds of carboplatin completed in April, 2016.  Lung mets August 25, 2016.  Said goodbye too soon on September 4, 2016.   Lost his adopted sister, Tess, suddenly on October 9, 2016. likely due to hemangiosarcoma.  

Wherever they are, they are together.

Michigan


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2 June 2017 - 5:46 pm
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I was thinking of Princess today and was going to ask if all was ok.
Glad to hear she is fine!

Good question?
We have a print out on this it doesn't say how long to keep it. The printout is to send the tick in for testing. Alive you add the grass , dead preserve in alcohol .
Rocky Mountain spotted fever shows up 2-14 days
Tullaremia shows up on average 3-5 days can go to 21 days
The symptoms of Lyme disease show up 3-30 days

If you want to save it put rubbing alcohol in the bottle that will preserve the tick.
Hopefully someone else will have a definitive answer. 

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2 June 2017 - 5:56 pm
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Sounds like 30 days is pretty safe.  I have kept worse things around my house for much longer. . .

The one positive about all this is that I took a very careful look at my landscaping.  I have a lot of trees, shrubs, ivy, lilies, etc.  All good places for ticks, and Gator's critters, to hide.  Spent the weekend weeding,  trimming hedges, cutting back a lot of the ivy from around doors and windows, etc.  The yard looks great, but obviously, Gator still needs to crawl under every bush in the backyard every time he goes out to check for critters.  And he has made a den under a big lilac bush - no idea why, but he seems to go there if he is scared or anxious.  Probably tick central under there.  

Otis - 106 pound lab/Dane mix, lost his right front leg to osteosarcoma on Febuary 9, 2016.  Four rounds of carboplatin completed in April, 2016.  Lung mets August 25, 2016.  Said goodbye too soon on September 4, 2016.   Lost his adopted sister, Tess, suddenly on October 9, 2016. likely due to hemangiosarcoma.  

Wherever they are, they are together.

Schofield, WI
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13 August 2015
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2 June 2017 - 6:13 pm
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Christine here in central wi the wood ticks are horrendous this year.  In my neck of the woods which is fairly close to you it seems we mostly need to worry about Lymes and Erlichsomething.  Both are spread by the teeney tiny deer tick not your common wood tick.  From what I've read if your dog or cat has a healthy immune system it should fight either off.  I've found probably 30 wood ticks on me and the dogs since early April so ticks are abundant this year.  I know ticks in a lot of the warmer climates really carry some nasty stuff but I do think our common wood tick that we find in these parts is just more of a nuisance than anything.  

Michigan


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3 June 2017 - 6:26 am
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That is what I was thinking preserve for 30 days;) Then toss it.

Gator is probably cool under the lilac bush and a safe place to hunt from, sounds like a picture is order;)

Did I miss a picture of the new fence?

I think with Gator going in and out and just being Gator you would still have to check him, I think this year is just bad news for ticks period! Not sure it will get better either!

And OMC 30 ticks GAADS I would lose it! Creepy blood suckers! I poison myself with deet. So far I have been spared!

This is the paper we have if your interested very informative in general 

https://www.mic.....7382_7.pdf

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