al

Grasshopper you are mighty lucky that Grandpa didn't pass wind while that match was lit to his butt or he could've burned the house down.

jason888

Scarlettquot; Time for a trip to Paris, I bet they don't have ticks! Unless they wear tiny berets and sip wine ~ "

Here in California, they put on wetsuits and go surfing. Sometimes they die their hair blond...

jason888

oops, sorry! That was "dye their hair"

Anonymous

Speaking of travel to NYC and risks to dogs . . . 3 weeks ago, while I was in Bryant Park, one of the falcons that's been hired to keep down the pigeon population made a grievous error of judgment and laid into somebody's chihuahua. The owner got furious, the bird got fired, and the local dry-cleaners rejoiced.

jersey

Here in Hunterdon County, ticks (and deer) are so populous, they are almost pets. YUCK! If you garden, the deer will come. And the ticks with them. I think damn near everyone has been treated for Lyme disease once. I guess you learn to deal with them. I'm hoping to retire in North Carolina, please tell me they don't have ticks there.

Scarlett

jersey,
I grew up in NC, they have ticks

Kasmir

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned using Frontline or Advantix. No more flea or tick worries. Advantix repels mosquitoes too. No worries about West Nile and a double safeguard against heartworms. Ask your vet, then get back to a fun routine!

DeeDee

The tick collar for dogs is called Preventic. It works!

jersey

I'm not so worried about my dogs and cats. Its me I'm worried about. I wonder if humans can wear these collars. Maybe we can start a new fashion. The deer ticks are the size of a freckle, and if you have as many freckles as me....well, you get the picture. Even with long pants and the like, its kind of creepy to know they could be on you and you'd never see one.

Austin

I think the new movie with Nick Cage is also about ticks. FYI.

Smokyboy

Ticks in Central Park, Oh My! Ticks here in the Smokies have always been around, but Central Park, who wudda thunk? Well they probably got there many years ago by a dog brought to park after somebody had just moved there and dog needed a run in "woods"! The rest is history. The bad news about ticks: They transmit the most disease of any blood sucker, they consume 100 times their body weight in blood, they can live for many years. Ticks love areas of high humidity and growth. Ticks hang on (questing) to the ends of blades of grass/leaf and when a host brushes by they "jump on"! Mowing helps, do they mow regulary at Central Park? My suggestions would be brush/comb your pet after walk. Ticks usually wait to find a good "spot" on their host. So brushing after walk their is a good chance tick will not be attached. Unlike fleas ticks will not infest your house. If you find tick use tweezers and SLOWLY pull tick off, dispose in alcohol. Alcohol will kill them. DO NOT flush down toilet. You can't drown them. They are a pain in the butt critter but you can do your part for your pet!

Scarlett

Wow, Smokeyboy, you know your ticks

OK, time to clarify-
Pup gets his Frontline and Advantix once a month. One keeps him from getting heartworm from mosquito bites. The other kills fleas and ticks. But they have to get on him and suck his blood first..then they will fall off.
Seems this little sucker hadn't had enough to kill him yet. Pain in the a** is that they can fall off IN the house!
On the bed, in Mama's lap..you get my drift.
End of story-I was overconfident in thinking that in the heart of all this cement and asphalt, there would not be a tick hardy enough to make it onto the back of my sweet Pup..
The Brushing after the Park idea is great, while I dread seeing something fall off, at least it won't require tweezers and a mask and a coat and double rubber gloves and goggles

Kal

Is it me or has this message board gone to the dogs?

Is it true that a male tick is called a "tock" so when you hear them coming you'd hear a bunch of....oh...nevermind....

Ticks I can handle. Poison oak/ivy is not my friend. Especially when the dog runs thru it then brushes up against me. "It's gonna take an ocean....of Calamine lotion...."

buckeyemom

Kal-You are just too darn happy. Better not let Nurse Ratchett hear you or she will cut you off. ;-)

Scarlett-Our 130 lb shephard got a tick and I had to muzzle AND tranqulize the big baby to get it. You could also take Pup to the Groomer and let them do the dirty deed.

Anonymous

"Mowing helps, do they mow regularly at Central Park? "

LOL, Central Park is over 800 acres, roughly 2.5 miles by .5 miles. A few areas are mowed, but others are shrubby or woodsy, or tall fields; the park deliberately has a bit of everything. The park has a zoo, a trout pond and several other bodies of water, and 4 miles of horseback trails, too, and is on a major bird migration flight path. Plenty of room and opportunities for a happy tick lifestyle.

pchsmiles

... and to make matters worse, it comes a creeping at night when you're sleeping. Where oh where are the great danceable tunes of yesterday? Ticks and poison ivy can generate interesting gyrations to go with great melodies.

Grasshopper

What a lot of tick info! We should compile it into one of those "Ticks for Dummies" books. Smokeyboy gets lead billing. ;-)

Smokyboy

Kal, use Calamine Spray by Band-Aid, it has alot more calamine and aint so messy. Down here in the hills we have used jewelweed, Watkins linament, rubbing alcohol, plantain weed, bleach, snuff juice, etc. Some people will even EAT the leaves of poison ivy to help!! My choice is take a cold hose bath (ALOT of water), within 15 min of exposure, (It only takes about that time for the oil of poison ivy to absorb skin; too late after that) apply rubbing alcohol by blotching and then calamine spray.

LN

Oh Kal, you make me remember when our sheltie ran into poison ivy or oak or something similar. His nose and eyes just swelled shut! We had a terrible time with the poor dog and the vet gave him a shot and then we had to put baking soda compresses on him face to help reduce the swelling. That poor doggie was so uncomfortable!! I hope I never get that terrible itch!!

Kal

Aloohaaaa, I do something mo' bettah.
I don't do outdoors!
I will take the suggestions along for our ride down the C&O Canal next year. Caught a BAD case of poison ivy during that ride about 9yrs. ago.
Thx
Kal