I live in New Jersey. We have a booming tick population. This is not a glamorous topic.
Last year, several horses on the property contracted Lyme disease and were treated. Thankfully, Harley and his paddock mate dodged the bullet that time, but obviously this is an on-going problem if you live in the northeastern part of the United States. I tested positive for Lyme's several years ago (before this blog) and was suffering from relentless headaches. It was scary. Ticks can carry infective bacteria which cause diseases like Lyme disease and Ehrlichiosis.
The tick population is difficult (impossible?) to control. Deer, small mammals, and birds all shuttle this little pest around our farm. Preventative spraying in early June is an option as this is supposed to target the nymph stage of the life cycle, which is most notorious for carrying bacteria and infecting people and pets. I have reservations about the health risks and effectiveness of pesticide use, but I also do not want to make life easy for the ticks. The biologist in me says that the vacancies left in the environment will quickly be filled in leaving us with an illusion of safety.
My tick prevention plan thus far has been to avoid trail riding in the spring and summer (insert sad face), use "green" fly spray, and to feed Harley garlic flakes (vampires also stay away). I wash his legs carefully after riding in nature and check him meticulously for ticks during the spring and summer.
Are ticks a problem in your area? What methods do you employ to project yourself and your pets?
We have terrible ticks here. Our horses are out on grass pasture, so they pick up ticks there. I check them every day carefully. Pie did come down with Lyme and was successfully treated. So far no other cases - there have been others in my barn - but I keep a close eye out for symptoms - Pie's primary symptom was extreme soreness to touch and reluctance to move forward under saddle.
ReplyDeleteTicks are awful where I live (california) but I don't think the ticks here are as likely to carry Lyme, we don't have many horses contract Lyme even though they are covered in ticks during the summer. The best option is pymethrin. You can mix it with water and put it in a spray bottle and apply it like fly spray and its very effective at getting rid of the ticks. Its a strong chemical so I avoid Ponys lady parts and only need to apply it once a week or so
ReplyDeleteTicks are a big problem here as well -- Flash recently spent a week at UC Davis being treated for anaplasma which is endemic in the northern Calfornia Sierra Nevada mountains. The ticks are in the pastures even though the grass is chomped low. We regularly check the horses for ticks -- run our hands over them daily.
ReplyDeleteTicks will always be annoying, but it is rare in Australia for horses to contract diseases/infections/bacteria from ticks. Even in seriously infested areas. Lyme hardly exists here.
ReplyDeleteNevertheless, there are about 10 million horse-biting bugs (including ticks) that I spray for weekly. Sweet itch runs pretty rampant from the midges/mosquitoes (and bacteria carrying mosquitoes can be dangerous- ross river fever and the like) and tick bites do cause some skin irritation. March flies are just horrible, horrible biting things. Don't get me started on bot flies!
I use 'Brute' which is a weekly application you apply with a mitt all over their body. It's expensive, but works extremely well and I've never had a horse had a bad reaction to it.
I'm on the east coast like you and the ticks here are plentiful. All of our horses and my daughter have had Lyme more than once and been treated.
ReplyDeleteWe originally used the horse equivalent of Frontline but that didn't work and caused skin irritations, and probably isn't very safe long term. None of the fly sprays seem to work either. Even if you could effectively do their legs and tails, they just crawl up their faces while they graze. And attach under the jaw.
The only natural tick repellent I've come across that works is neem oil. It works great on some skin diseases as well, and can be used full strength in likely areas or diluted w solvent and sprayed. I'm going to try this again this year.
But the best defense against Lyme and other tick borne disease are vaccines. They are available for dogs and work well in horses. We've been using them for a few years and so far no new cases...
I read a little bit about the vaccine after you left this comment. Thank you.
DeleteYeah we have horrible tick problems here too. Ehrlichia and Rocky Mountain Spotted tick fever are more common here than Lyme I think. They are no fun either though. I spray my horse with chemical fly spray like Endure once a week for ticks. It doesn't work great on flies, but it keeps the ticks away so I use it, even though I wish I didn't. I'm pretty sure the daily neem oil I use for the sweet itch helps too with ticks. :) I avoid the woods and tall grass for myself. I don't typically use bug sprays. I just check carefully and shower after I come indoors every day. So far so good.
ReplyDeleteI got guineas. They are loud and obnoxious but they eat all the darn ticks! On my property anyway...
ReplyDeleteOh yes, Guinea hens. There used to be a flock roaming my in-laws' neighborhood. They really are loud, but if it works it is worth it!
DeleteOne time we took our dog for a walk through the Metropark and we found ticks ALL over him -- it was disgusting. We picked more than 20 ticks off my 13 pound dog.
ReplyDeleteThankfully my hens have decimated the ticks around here. That alone justifies having them on the farmette, and then there's the eggs!
ReplyDelete