Can we talk about ticks?

[walktrot]

I took a tiny tick off my horses eyelid last fall. I almost missed it, just saw a tiny bubble. Fortunately it was easy to remove. I bought a “Tickease Tick Removal” tool last year from the vet. It is stainless, with a tiny fork on one end and forceps at the other. Really good tool, especially for those of us who can’t or won’t pull them off with fingernails.

My gelding had Lyme a number of years ago, and it was the BO who spotted the almost imperceptible lameness That was showing up in the pasture. (He’s on pasture board.) She had the vet pull a blood test while he was there one afternoon. I have no idea where the tick was and don’t remember pulling one off him. Fortunately he had 6 weeks of doxy, which cured it, and he has been fine ever since.

Disgusting little things!

[Nezzy]

ULTRASHIELD in the black bottle. Spray on all year long, to prevent and kill ticks.

[Simkie]

Aaaaaaannnnnddddd I pulled a tick off of Pigs today :dead:

Also pretty sure Dove has something. She’s off her feed and feeling puny. :sigh:

Vet rescheduled for Thursday so will discuss next steps then. Boo.

[ISR]

Also, for those suspecting lyme (again, the symptoms can be VERY vague, or even not present at all!), it’s best to pull actual titres, not the “snap test”. Also worth exploring other antibiotics that permeate the blood brain barrier, like minocycline (not doxy).

[Simkie]

Vet today for rabies and teeth. Chose not to vax Dove, as she’s still kinda off, so we pulled a boatload of bloodwork (including lyme titer to send to Cornell) and will address her later.

Gave everyone a very thorough grooming and trimmed hairy parts and am getting reasonably decent at pulling ticks off :dead: Hopefully will get a bit of a reprieve here while we have a foot plus of snow on the ground???

[luvmyhackney]

Has anyone used the Lyme vaccine? Thinking about getting it for the pony since he is in NoVa area now. Ticks were not a big deal in NC. Following this post closely, since my first year with ticks and they are disgusting creatures.

[tazycat]

@Simkie

Vet today for rabies and teeth. Chose not to vax Dove, as she’s still kinda off, so we pulled a boatload of bloodwork (including lyme titer to send to Cornell) and will address her later.

Gave everyone a very thorough grooming and trimmed hairy parts and am getting reasonably decent at pulling ticks off :dead: Hopefully will get a bit of a reprieve here while we have a foot plus of snow on the ground???

Can’t bet there won’t be ticks just because there’s snow cover. I’ve found ticks with snow cover and temps in mid 30s. So don’t let your gaurd down keep checking horses.

Vets up here use the dog lyme vaccines for horses, apparently it works. But I’ve heard if horse has had lyme disease and not totally clear. Dont want to vaccinate…can cause serious problems.

[merrygoround]

Cornell has a vaccination protocol they have been looking at for Lyme disease. Everyone at my barn was vaccinated last year. No one showed Lyme, however anaplasmosis did get two. So we still flyspray. I think everyone uses Black Absorbine. The BO is pretty good about keeping the pastures mowed,

[roseymare]

As someone has mentioned be sure to check the dock and around the anus as well as the udders and sheaths.

Frontline is off label but technical services can provide some info if your veterinarian calls them.

They say oppossums eat them…EPM VS Lyme…um tough call…

[Dutchmare433]

@roseymare

As someone has mentioned be sure to check the dock and around the anus as well as the udders and sheaths.

Frontline is off label but technical services can provide some info if your veterinarian calls them.

They say oppossums eat them…EPM VS Lyme…um tough call…

I kid you not, they are working on creating what are essentially knock-out opossums, which are unable to carry EPM. That’d be a nifty little solution, though it would require tons of fancy opossums to be released into the wild.

[Simkie]

@roseymare

As someone has mentioned be sure to check the dock and around the anus as well as the udders and sheaths.

Frontline is off label but technical services can provide some info if your veterinarian calls them.

They say oppossums eat them…EPM VS Lyme…um tough call…

I’ve seen zero evidence of possums but LOTS of evidence of deer and deer mice. EPM freaks me out more than lyme, I think.

So far most popular place I’ve found ticks is the inner thigh, but am certainly checking everywhere, including the places you note. Super fun on the horses who are like “that is MY TAIL and you are NOT LOOKING underneath it!!!” Ah well, I’m sure it will be old hat by the end of the summer, huh?

No results yet on Dove’s bloodwork, guess we are in line for early next week. She is still feeling off but not as bad as before. Poor mare

[roseymare]

My horses are old and surely have been exposed to S. Neuroni so I leave the double toothed dead playing varmints alone.

[Simkie]

@roseymare

My horses are old and surely have been exposed to S. Neuroni so I leave the double toothed dead playing varmints alone.

Mine are all naive, yay!

(Except for Blush. She came from this area.)

[walkinthewalk]

@merrygoround

. The BO is pretty good about keeping the pastures mowed,

^^^^^This. Keep those pastures mowed.

The farm neighbors joke with us that our pastures look like a golf course and I say no because we leave the grass too tall, lollol

by keeping the pastures and yards mowed, we slow the ticks down, my horses never have burrs or dreadlocks in their manes, and the snakes stay over at the neighbor’s pond:)

[Larbear]

@Dutchmare433

I kid you not, they are working on creating what are essentially knock-out opossums, which are unable to carry EPM. That’d be a nifty little solution, though it would require tons of fancy opossums to be released into the wild.

Opossums are the definitive host for S. neurona which causes EPM. Another cause for EPM is from the parasite N. hughesi. The definitive host for this (not opossums) has not been identified yet.

[tbchick84]

It’s very caustic stuff, but if you horses can tolerate it, use Equispot. Apply it as directed every 3 weeks or so depending on how wet it’s been and how often your horses are on grass versus a dirt paddock. Some horses have localized skin reactions. Luckily mine does not. I can honestly say, I have never found a tick on my horse when I’ve used Equispot. Twice I tried to stretch the time between applications and found ticks. I’m not a fan of putting a chemical on my horse, but a $5 tube of prevention is far preferable to me over the expense of treating with Doxycyline and the misery my horse goes through when he gets a 104 fever and tree stump size legs. Lyme disease carrying ticks are everywhere in Connecticut, so it’s a when, not an if your horse gets it.

[Simkie]

AAAANNNND Dove has anaplasmosis. Welcome to Connecticut!

Haven’t found any ticks these last several days with the snow on the ground, but it’s melting. Once I have the blankets off the horses for a day, I’ll get the Freedom 45 going.

Also trimmed up all the fetlocks and jaw hairs, and am working on washing tails, so I can bang them about halfway between the fetlock and hock. And pulling/shortening manes, for less hairy spots for ticks to hide. The horses look great! :lol:

Srsly, why don’t we have something like a Seresto collar for our ponies??? Dumb. Boo.

[Mary_McBride]

Are you getting updates on the Cornell vaccinations? I live in Westchester County NY and the ticks are the worst ever. Horses getting sick since early spring.