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Use flea and tick shampoo for dogs as your bath soap. Just a few drops on a bandana or sponge will work as good as any soap and kill the critters that are looking for a meal. A thorough wash down knocks them off before they can do their worst. It doesn't hurt the dog and our skin is tougher.
eyahiker
05-11-2004, 09:11
Heading up to MA this summer for a 10 day or so hike, hear the ticks are bad there.......... truth?
Hammock Hanger
05-11-2004, 09:59
The ticks are bad there.
I'm not too sure of using a Flea & Tick soap... there are chemicals that our bodies can take that animals cannot, there are chemicals an animal can handle that we can not. I wold check that with a vet or doctor first. But hay if you do it and you are here to tell the story then I guess it can't be too bad. (I may have been called a dog a time or two but not sure I am ready to prove them right! :) ) Sue/HH
orangebug
05-11-2004, 12:11
I'm not too sure of using a Flea & Tick soap... there are chemicals that our bodies can take that animals cannot, there are chemicals an animal can handle that we can not. I wold check that with a vet or doctor first. But hay if you do it and you are here to tell the story then I guess it can't be too bad. (I may have been called a dog a time or two but not sure I am ready to prove them right! :) ) Sue/HH
The problem with flea and tick soap for humans is the lack of long term benefit. Permethrin is metabolizd by enzymes in our skin and sweat, which our dogs don't share. This is why Permethrin is sprayed on the outside of clothing to make them an effective barrier.
DEET works and is very safe, also. Many will worry about it, but the are far more people dealing with Lyme Disease, West Nile disease and other insect vectored diseases than the total world history of DEET illnesses (exactly zero).
Bathing with a bandana every two days is still a good idea for Lyme prevention. It appears that the tick needs about 48 hours attachment to transmit the spirochete. A sponge/bandana bath can dislodge the tick and prevent the disease, whether or not you use soap or pet shampoo.
Bill...
Hammock Hanger
05-11-2004, 12:36
DEET works and is very safe, also. Many will worry about it, but the are far more people dealing with Lyme Disease, West Nile disease and other insect vectored diseases than the total world history of DEET illnesses (exactly zero).
Bill...[/QUOTE]
That would be me!!! In the hospital with West Nile, sick as sick can be. (bloodwork in the hospital also found I had Lyme.) :cool:
I carried Deet but was not faithful about using it... Take care folks, cuz some of the complications of Lyme never really go away, as I am finding out!!
Sue/HH
Has anyone used the vaccine for Lyme disease? I have heard some good things & some bad things about it. Can’t find it here in Cincinnati, anywhere, and I have connections in the medical field. Personally I would prefer to have the vaccine, no matter how limited it’s effectiveness, just can’t find anyone who administers it, sigh.
I think the thing that scares me about Lyme disease is the size of the tic that carries it. I have freckles larger than they are, so how do you find them?
Doctari.
orangebug
05-11-2004, 13:36
Has anyone used the vaccine for Lyme disease? I have heard some good things & some bad things about it. Can’t find it here in Cincinnati, anywhere, and I have connections in the medical field. Personally I would prefer to have the vaccine, no matter how limited it’s effectiveness, just can’t find anyone who administers it, sigh.
You will not find Lyme vaccine (Lymerix?) anymore. The were few sales, incomplete evidence of real world benefit and more adverse events from the vaccine than prevention of disease.
The tick is quite small, about the size of and "M" on a dime. You will not find it on tick checks (aka Red Neck Foreplay). That is the reason to wash more frequently as a means to dislodge the tick.
Bill....