Tick prevalence in the UK

[martinb]

Our dogs certainly seem to pick up lots of the little blighters when we're up in the Lake District; a tick remover gets lots of action. I've noticed they've become much more prevalent here in the gentler countryside of Suffolk, I had to extract one for our labrador's ear yesterday. She's very prone to pick them up but strangely our border terrier seldom gets them, despite being closer to the ground. I always wear long trousers and socks when walking the Cumbrian Fells these days.

Strangely enough, my 2 short haired minature dachshunds seem more susceptable to ticks than the long haired dachshund. And they seem to pick them up from our garden more than when out for walks. I've removed one each from the 2 short haired in the last week.

[mrodoc]

This seems like a good place to mention that after getting a bullseye rash from a tick bite (in Leeds!) I found out the hard way that tetracycline antibiotics, such as doxycycline, really can make you super sensitive to the sun. My GP played down the side effects ("You might find you're a bit more sensitive to the sun") and I read the information sheet and promptly ignored what it said. I then went on a two day walk on a warm, bright weekend. Half way into the first day I asked my companions if anyone else was feeling strangely wind-burned, and they all said no and looked bemused. I ended up feeling like I was getting sunburned from the inside out (which, effectively, I was), especially under my fingernails. It felt like I had hit my thumbs with a hammer.

I think different people react differently, but it's worth bearing in mind. I don't mean to patronise, and probably other people pay more attention to side effects leaflet, but I really wouldn't want it to happen to anyone else, and if I had that antibiotic again I would wear lots of suncream :D

Yup it's a problem that doesn't usually arise in the UK and varies considerably between individuals. I was treating one fair skinned lady for psittacosis (got it off her neighbours owl I think) and you have to stay on Rx for 6 weeks. She went on holiday to Spain and came back very pissed off after getting severe sunburn. Strangely though nobody had problems in Meghalaya where we were taking it for malarial prophylaxis. Needless to say after that one episode I warned patients every time!

[Duncan Price]

I had an unfortunate experience with a tick which attached itself to an intimate part my anatomy... (see Chapter 12 in Underwater Potholer) ...I still have the photos of the "incident" which ended up being used by a mate of mine who is a lecturer in GU medicine in Leicester.

[Judi Durber]

[aardgoose]

Poor dog.  How did you go about removing that!?

[Judi Durber]

Not my dog, thank goodness, so sorry don't know.

Interesting comment

Unlike Deet based repellents, which ticks happily crawl over

  It is part of a list of a list of things to use I have been given. 

So are there any good repellents?

[Speleotron]

I use a permethrin spray like this one: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lifesystems-Anti-Mosquito-Clothing-Spray/dp/B00CX4HITC

If you soak your clothes in it then it apparently kills ticks if they crawl on your clothes. I've worn it in some bad places for ticks and not been bitten but I don't know if that counts as proof. It's very toxic to the aquatic environment, kills fish at very low dilutions so don't walk through any water if you're wearing it. Kills cats as well supposedly.

[Kenilworth]

Not my dog, thank goodness, so sorry don't know.

Interesting comment

Unlike Deet based repellents, which ticks happily crawl over

  It is part of a list of a list of things to use I have been given. 

So are there any good repellents?

Deet may do something, but it doesn't keep ticks away. As said above Permethrin works very well but is toxic and needs to be used carefully. I have not found a repellent that is both effective and worry-free so have stopped using any and simply pull the ticks off, hopefully before they get a good bellyfull.

Larval ticks are not dangerous since they have not yet eaten and so haven't got any disease to pass on. They are hard to see and many will get attached since it is common to get into clusters of hundreds at a time. They leave little itcy weeping sores. Ticks have only three proper meals in life, molting after the first two, mating after the last, then dying. So individuals are not highly efficient transporters of disease.

[tim.rose2]

We reckon smidge (https://www.smidgeup.com/) works pretty well for both ticks and midges.