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| Lymes Disease |
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Used
to be when I had an itch somewhere, I would scratch and forget
it. Now I always check my itchy spots because I know I might
see a tick. I am astounded by the number of ticks this year.
They are on me, my dog Brook, and on the horses we see every
day. When my wife Bonnie comes in from her gardening, she
always transports a few into the house. They tell me the
invasion is because of our recent mild winter. Whatever the
cause, there are more of them. Lots more of them. |
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By
far, most ticks are just an annoyance. The common dog and wood
ticks are larger than the Ixodes or Deer tick. It's this smaller
tick that carries the bacteria which is the actual cause of
Lymes. This tick lives about 2 years, and goes through life
stages. Each stage requires a blood meal. In the early stages
the blood meals come from small mice. In the change from nymph
to adult, the blood meal is from large mammals which include
the horse and you and me. As the ticks draw blood for their
needs, the bacteria they carry goes into the host. The deer
tick has to be on a horse (or person) for 24 hours in order
for the bacteria it carries to be passed on. |
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Common
symptoms in horses are a lameness that may jump from leg to
leg, extreme skin sensitivity, and personality changes. Sometimes
it is the easy going horse who becomes crabby. |
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A
couple of years ago one of our clients told me that she has
never had ticks on her place, When I asked why, she just pointed
to her several free range hens that were in the yard, heads
down pecking in the dirt. Ticks are a real treat for poultry.
I now often suggest a few hens on farms where tick numbers
are high. That wouldn't be much help when you leave the farm
on a trail ride, but it's a good idea to check your horses
for ticks after a ride through the woods anyway. Don't miss
the tail. Ticks seem drawn to horse tails. |
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Our
ability to treat Lymes is actually better than our ability
to diagnose it. Antibiotics for a few to several weeks are
effective if done early on. There is a good blood test for
the disease. It is relatively expensive, and it often takes
a week to get results back from the lab. We are now using the “snap
test” that gives us an answer right at the side of the horse
in about 10 minutes for 1/3 the price. |
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| David A. Jefferson, D.V.M. 2006 |
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New
Gloucester, Maine 04260