Thu Feb 11, 2016 12:20 pm
Christmas 2014 we lost our 5 1/2 year old lab to lyme's or one of the other forms of tick born diseases . He got it up by Meadowlands. Never seen or had a deer tick in the area till the fall of 2014. He got it in early October and had to put him down the week before Christmas. He probably had one of the 2 newer forms of tick born diseases. It hit him hard and fast. He was a healthy, strong, fit and trim dog. He went from 85lbs to 58lbs. We caught it right away and they thought they could possibly catch it at first. It was so fast and brutal on him it was redonkulous. He wouldn't have lasted as long as he did if he was older or had any our other issues. He was a huge part of family and hunting tribe. Tough on the whole family to do Christmas that year without him.
No amount of vaccines, spraying, tucking pants into socks, collars, frontline is fool proof. Yep it all helps, but the pure volume of ticks in certain areas is immense.
My brother almost died from Lyme's he contracted turkey hunting in Iowa and has had it more than once. His sister-in-law had it before it was well known about and really suffers from the side affects. I've had it, plus an unknown bacterial infection that really screwed with my neurological system from possibly a tick turkey hunting in Missouri . It ain't no fun.
Our vet clinic is AWESOME. One of the vets is a horse gal. She won't even put her horses out to pasture at certain times of year she's so worried about tick diseases. The 2 newer forms have the vets seeing a lot of tragic cases hitting dogs brutally fast. The people that cared for our dog where amazing. He was in a lot, in a short period of time and even they got attached to his infectious personality. The day we put him down the whole staff was in tears. He was so bad the last time my daughter and I took him in, we had to do it without the rest of the family getting to say goodbye, b r u t a l! Especially with the whole staff in tears as we left. Sad to see such a great dog, with a great personality lost so young.
Keep your dogs vaccinated, spray the piss out of them, use front line and hope for the best. If they seem off, get them in right away.
I truly hope no one ever has to go through what we went through right before Christmas or anytime of year.
DENNIS ANDERSON, Then, about five years ago, in 2020, there were no more ducks in the state,