TICK TALK

We discovered that we brought back an extra something from our trip to Maine and New Hampshire...a tick on little Abby. We arrived home on a Sunday and a few days later we found a full tick connected to Abby. Of course we really were not sure what it was at first because in all the years of dog ownership we have never had a tick experience. We accessed the Internet to find out more and after reading several credible sites, we removed the tick (all in tact). The following morning we took the tick to the Vet and the Vet office forwarded it to the Provincial Lab for testing. This all happened about three weeks ago. When we arrived home from our weekend in Ottawa this past Monday, we had a message from the Vet office noting the report was back and it was a black legged tick (formally referred to as a deer tick), a main vector for lyme disease. This tick is very common in the northeast US, not so much here as our region tends to have dog ticks....oh yes we have become tick hunting experts. The Provincial Lab is going to send the tick to Winnipeg, Manitoba for further testing. We do not know if this tick was actually carrying lyme disease or if it was, if Abby was infected. The site where the tick was attached to her is still slightly raised but not red or in anyway infected. The Vet Technician said not to panic, ticks are quite common and to just keep an eye on her for any changes....no changes noted to date. Of course what else are they going to say?....start to panic your dog probably has lyme disease!! After talking it over, we have decided to call the Vet office to make an appointment to discuss further. We want to ensure we are doing everything we can and would like the Doctor's expert advice. We will wait for the results of the tick analysis in Winnipeg and what our Vet suggests, if anything. Until next time......