Ticks and Lyme Disease
Berkeley Parents Network >
Advice >
Advice about Health >
Insect Bites > Ticks and Lyme Disease
Jan 2007
Has anyone (pet owners esp) noticed greater tick activity this
season? Our cat, who normally hardly even gets fleas, has been
bringing home the ticks lately. I am wondering if the unusually
warm weather is contributing to the problem. We started him on
Advantage but that is apparently only flea preventive -- though
it seems to have stopped ticks from attaching to him. Now they
just hop off and could attach to us, ICK :(
I'd prefer a product less toxic than the old school flea/tick
powder if there is a reliable one out there. Any ideas or proven
tips for preventing ticks for riding in on the cat (aside from
keeping him locked in, which makes him sort of unhappy and quite
vocal in his unhappiness) would be greatly appreciated...
Leah
I have noticed a very active tick population in our area this
year. Even on a leashed walk around a park, our dog is coming
home with ticks crawling on her fur looking for a way in.
Frontline Plus is just like Advantage but flea and tick. It works
great and as long as we keep on schedule the ticks don't latch
on. How to keep her from bringing them home on her fur is another
problem entirely!
anon
You should try Frontline or Advantix (not Advantage). When we
got our dog in October, we noticed one or two ticks on her
every day. We, too, were using Advantage. Our vet recommended
Frontline and we're mostly pleased. I still saw ticks several
times a week for a while but, knock wood, I haven't seen even
one in a little over a month now. Good luck.
Alicia
We used to live in Santa Cruz county near a state park and our
cats would get ticks. Advantage won't work against ticks but
Frontline will: http://www.arcatapet.com/item.cfm?cat=6826 .
It's exactly like advantage (once-a-month application) but works
on ticks too. Worked on our cats!
Andi
June 2004
For the first time in my life I've encountered a live tick. Icky!
I removed the tick from my daughter on Monday. Now I'm watching
her for any symtoms of Lyme disease. Has anyone in the Berkeley
area developed Lyme disease recently? Or does any one know
statistics on Lyme disease for East Bay?
w
Before you worry about Lyme Diesease, be sure the tick you
removed could be of the species that transmits it. Deer ticks
transmit Lyme, and they are so tiny that one rarely even finds
the offending tick. Here are some size descriptions from a
quick Google search:
''The wood tick (dog tick) is the size of a watermelon seed and
can sometimes transmit Rocky Mountain spotted fever and Colorado
tick fever.
The deer tick is between the size of a poppy seed (pin head) and
an apple seed, and can sometimes transmit Lyme disease.''
In other words, if the tick was large, you needn't worry. On
the other hand, if it was small, you should also know that the
medical literature says that Lyme Disease is grossly
underdiagnosed in California because of the widespread erroneous
belief among medical professionals that it is not endemic to the
area.
Anon
Jan. 2004
Does anyone know a good Lyme Disease specialist in the Bay Area (I
live in Berkeley, but would be willing to go into the city)? I
know this disorder is difficult to treat in the later stages and
would like to see someone who has a lot of experience in treatment
and diagnosis.
Seeking the Best Care
Dr. Raphael Stricker in San Francisco treats Lyme. He does lots of tests and
takes his time with patients. He is straightforward and realistic about the
various issues, both medical and political, surrounding this debilitating disease.
He sees evidence of potentially effective treatment with extended courses of
oral antibiotics. Worth a try... Good luck.
anon
Hi, I have a very dear friend who has been dealing with Lyme for
several years and has lots of information. She recommends you
vist www.lymenet.org if you haven't already. Here is her
rundown of the local doctors.
''Dr. Raphael Stricker in SF is the preeminent physician in the
Bay but new patients get put on a waiting list that will last
for next 6-12 months. Get your name on it anyway cuz he's the
best and meanwhile see someone else. 415-751-7997 or 415-399-
1035 (one of these numbers no longer works but don't know which)
Dr. Christine Greene in Palo Alto ...
I've heard a rumor there is somebody practicing in San Jose but
I don't know who or how good. There is definitely a practice in
Chico, and there is also a woman in Auburn that I don't know
much about.''
My friend would be happy to talk to you. Email me if you want
to connect with her. Good luck!!!
Dana
Aug. 2001
My 21-month-old daughter was bit by a tick that tested positive for Lyme
Disease. We think the tick was in her for less than a day. I would
appreciate any advice on specialists or treatment for this disease. My
daughter has had a fever, complained a little about joint pain, but never
developed the "bulls-eye" rash that is commonly found with this. My
daughter is a fighter when it comes to taking medicine. Any suggestions
around that would be helpful too.
Jennifer
Regarding Lyme's disease: without hesitation, get your daughter
to her pediatrician and request that she be put on the 10-day
antibiotic treatment as-soon-as-possible. I am just completing the
treatment and also never developed the bull's eye rash, but
developed the flu-like symptoms. If Lyme's disease is not treated
in its early stages and the spyrochete passes into the brain, it
becomes untreatable and can lead to heart problems, arthritis,
seizures, and other problems throughout one's lifetime. Better to
treat it now, with or without rash, than have a lifelong malady. We
are Kaiser members and I saw my general practitioner, so I am
sorry I can't recommend a specialist. However, your daughter's
pediatrician should be able to recommend treatment or a
specialist. If the tick tested positive, I would think treatment is
definitely in order.
Kim
Having just returned home from a hike in the Marin Headlands only to find
a tick hitching a ride on our daughter, I called the Marin County Public
Health Office at 415 499-7805. They were very helpful in providing
information on lyme disease in general and the incidence of ticks in their
area. I would recommend calling the county health office in any particular
county for further information on the tick in that particular region or area.
Based on this recent experience, I just picked up "Lyme Disease: How to
avoid, detect and treat this dangerous tick-borne plague" by Ronald
Hoffman, MD, at Whole Foods. In the section When is Treatment
Recommended?, the author states, "If you have a clear diagnosis of Lyme
disease, based on a bite from a tick known to be infected, on the typical rash,
on a positive blood test, and on typical symptoms, antibiotic treatment
should begin without further delay." Additionally, for any one else in this
predicament, we sent our tick (in a little plastic baggie) to the Marin County
Public Health Lab, 920 Grand Avenue, San Rafael, CA 94901, for analysis.
The cost was $18.00 and fortunately, the tick tested negative, but it was
money well spent for the reassurance.
Deborah
Just reread your post -- the tick tested positive, but not the child (yet?). You
know the most important thing which is not to treat this lightly. You will
presumably watch your daughter and have her tested again in a couple of
weeks? Treatment for my family members who have had Lyme disease was
VERY strong antibiotics. Side effects are uncomfortable but better than
continuing to have the disease. We have an uncle who actually died from a
condition that was significantly and negatively impacted by Lyme Disease
left undiagnosed for too long (he lived in Florida, so doctor did think to test
for it...he had been visiting up north and was infected there). Please take
this seriously, and good luck.
Heather
I would definitely treat your daughter with the full dose of antibiotics, I
believe 21 days is normal for adults. I too had lymes years ago after being
bitten by a tick, with fevers, joint pain, the rash, the whole nine yards.
Don't underestimate the seriousness of this disease. I'm not a doctor but it
sounds to me like she has the disease whether or not you saw a rash because
she's got the symptoms. I don't like using antibiotics unless absolutely
necessary, but in this case I wouldn't hesistate or delay. You can email me
for more of my story, since I was successfully treated after almost 9 months
of being given inadequate doses of antibiotics. Lyme is gone now from my
body thank god. Good luck. Candace Byers was my angel during that time,
she's a P.A. (Physiciian's Assistant ) who worked with Dr. David Teegarten
at Berkeley Holistic Health Center. I don't know if she's stilla round. There
is an organization dedicated to Lyme Disease prevention and treatment,
you can find them online or elsewhere I'm sure with a little research. If
your pediatrician doesn't take it seriously, I'd find someone who does. I had
to go thru several docs myself until I was treated with the right and current
"protocol".
Miriam
Home |
Reviews |
Advice |
Members |
Post a Message
Join BPN |
Help |
What's New |
Search |
Contact Us
Last updated: Jul 10, 2007
Copyright © 1996-2008 Berkeley Parents Network
The opinions and statements expressed on this website
are those of parents who subscribe to the
Berkeley Parents Network. Please see
Disclaimer & Usage for
information about using content on this website.