Tick bite

When I lived in the Far East as a young 20 year old I used to detick the dog every night with a bowl of water to drown them in I never knew the relevance of tick bites in those days so was never concerned, I don’t think I ever got bitten though
I think if there’s no red rash you should be ok

Good news MayBee the antibiotics don’t stop you eating chocolate! Now try and stop being a worry wart and torturing yourself. (I know cos I’m good at that too!) Keep an eye on it and ring GP on Monday for reassurance.

I know I am ' going on' about this and I apologize for that - it stems from concern. It really is best to be cautious. Can't tell you how ill my son was , not hospitalized but very poorly indeed. He thought a tick bite was nothing to be concerned about and did not feel ill immediately. His blood test was sent to a school of tropical medicine, just a pity the GP
Initially dismissed my son's fears - he was right and the GP was wrong. Antibiotics were prescribed thank goodness , allbeit far too late. He was very fortunate indeed. Lyme Disease had devastating and life long consequences. Be very cautious please !

I rarely drink and avoid the sun so I’d be ok. One good thing is that I have misery levels that affect my appetite. A bit of misery makes me gorge on chocolate but the next level up is losing my appetite and that’s where I am now, so it’s good for the diet. I’m afraid that I’m a real wimp and terribly good at feeling sorry for myself!

I had no problems with the 3 week course of antibiotics apart from not being able to drink alcohol which was probably good for me, and not being able to go out in the sun. If it was raining it soon stopped when I set foot outside which pleased everyone else!!

The bite doesn’t itch which is a good sign I think. It’s just me thinking of creepy crawlies that makes me itch. I used to have nightmares about squidgy insects as a child that I can still remember! I had some stinky stuff flea and tick shampoo with me as well but it was too chilly to bath her. I’ve always used flea treatment but because this particular dog gets bathed a lot I didn’t think she’d pick anything up. Lesson learned anyway. I’ve walked the dunes for years without picking up a tick. I wonder if this is a particularly bad year.

I had a dreadful time with my surgery over potential Lymes and was poorly, but the ABs did the trick! Just keep an eye on it as you say - fingers crossed it comes to nothing! X

Pleased you're thinking of having your dog treated. My dog has her treatment from the vet every three months. I tried the ones over the counter (spot treatment) which are no where as good as the tablet/chew from the vet. Mya, my dog, gets a lot as I do. We have deer on our land and I walk through the wood with her daily and she loves to play on the meadow. Within 24 hrs the tick drops off her.

I wear long sleeves and trousers and spray myself as we have horseflies as well. Nothing keeps ticks off you. Twisting them out is the best and surest way of removing the whole tick. It will continue to itch but Anthisan is brilliant. Sorry, mentioned this in my previous post. Never had to go to the doctors.

I know there’s a risk, but I’ve removed two embedded ticks from my legs over the years and have had no repercussions. I don’t think you need to panic.

I give my dog Bravecto, a tablet which protects against fles & ticks for 3 months, and no sign of ticks since I started using it.

MayBee70

I did the 111 symptom checker last night which said to just look out for fever, redness etc.

My understanding is that they prefer not to treat unless there are symptoms and the three week course of antibiotics can be a bit unpleasant.

I did the 111 symptom checker last night which said to just look out for fever, redness etc.

I was thinking of 111. They were a lot more helpful when I was so unwell in December. They at least arranged for me to speak to a nurse practitioner on a couple of occasions rather than being stopped in my tracks by clerical staff.

you could ring 111 for advice.
maybe ! no pun intended, being in a different area, you might get a better service ?
having seen several cases of severe, life-threatening soft tissue infection close up, i too am very cautious about any bites, red marks, swellings etc.
better safe than sorry.

We’ve all been so health conscious over the past 18 months as well. We wrap the dog up in cotton wool these days.but within a framework of giving her lots of exercise.

Sorry to hear that, MayBee70. I hope your DH and wee dog are on the mend soon.

Put plenty TCP on it!

I spoke to the pharmacist at Boots and he just referred to the NHS website which I’d already read. We’ve already had several weeks of DH being sent away from walk in centres, A&E and our own doctors with pain relief and antibiotics with what turned out to be a blood clot so sometimes it’s good to get advice from other people! My poor dog has a nasty lump on her head so she’s fared worse than me. She’ll be spot one’d in future so that will be one less way for ticks to get near me. I really wanted to use as few flea/tick treatments on her having had my last two dogs suffer from various cancers but chemicals seem to be the lesser of two evils in this case. I wish there was a spot on for humans because I’m struggling with the thought of doing my little wildlife walks in future. I really hate creepy crawlies when they invade my territory. I did see the stag though: he was baying (or braying?) at me. He was probably saying ‘get the hell out of here, there are bloomin’ ticks everywhere’…

Hi, MayBee 70, I hope you are ok, sounds like you got it all out.

I got a bad bite recently in local woodland, didn't notice it until next morning when it was itchy and infected, a red circle around the raised bite, but not a bullseye.

I got great treatment from my local Boots pharmacy, they offer a service called Pharmacy First, I think it replaced Minor Ailments.
The pharmacist examined the bite in a private consulting room, and prescribed strong antibiotics for 5 days.

He suspected a clegg bite, rather than a tick, so that was reassuring. He said that a record of my treatment would be sent to my G.P.

I was very impressed with this service, MayBee 70, could you get yourself to a local Boots this afternoon ?

Baggs

Thanks, henetha, and phew! There are lots of places in the UK where it's almost impossible not to experience tick bites (and cleg bites and midge bites; a Scottish froend who recently visited the Lake District said there were midges there, which I don't remember from my Lake District ramblings). If we were all as worried as the OP and some other commenters we'd be in a contstant state of utter panic and dread – NOT good for one's health.

That said, people who are worried should assuredly see someone about their bites if only to be reassured professionally.

With respect Baggs I was just trying to garner as much information as possible about something that had happened to me and is a potential health risk. I think if someone’s son had been as ill from a tick bite as Shelflifes they’d be as concerned too and I’m grateful for that concern. Lyme disease is like Weiles (sp) disease; something people aren’t aware enough of. I’ll just keep an eye on it for now but, if I see any redness developing I’m straight off to A&E. As a tick virgin prior to yesterday a trip to A&E will be an new experience for me. Sometimes it’s best to be cautious.

The thing is my dog has been walked straight to the beach each day and yet she has one, too. It’s only me that was stupid enough to go traipsing across an overgrown area on a last minute whim.

We have warned people with dogs and children not to stray from the paths because of the risk of ticks but have noticed that most disregard our advice, with dogs especially. In chatting with a ranger he said it is no longer just the deer that are spreading it. The main culprit is dogs.

GP not Go

Usually it’s only if the tick has been attached for 24 hours that you have any risk of Lyme’s disease. There will also be a bulls eye rash. Otherwise you need not worry. Put some antiseptic cream on. If still worried ring your GP.

I got bitten on Madeira last day of holiday. Waited till I got home 30 hours later when it was really irritating. Went to A&E at 1am. Got chucked out cos major accident. Told I could remove it with dog tweezers which I did and see GP next day. Go took no chances as it was red although no bullseye and gave me antibiotic. No alcohol and no sun for 3 weeks!

You're right Baggs. I've been almost munched to madness by Scottish midges, and also by mosqitos in various parts of Europe. Little pesky creatures are everywhere.
I certainly agree that if anyone is worried they should ask their doctor. One problem here is that the chance of actually seeing a doctor is very low indeed. A phone call might happen is one is lucky!

Thanks, henetha, and phew! There are lots of places in the UK where it's almost impossible not to experience tick bites (and cleg bites and midge bites; a Scottish froend who recently visited the Lake District said there were midges there, which I don't remember from my Lake District ramblings). If we were all as worried as the OP and some other commenters we'd be in a contstant state of utter panic and dread – NOT good for one's health.

That said, people who are worried should assuredly see someone about their bites if only to be reassured professionally.

I understand how you feel, but try not to worry. I live near Dartmoor and have had numerous ticks over the years.
On one occasion, after a picnic, I had 5 in one arm. I use eyebrow tweezers to carefully remove them, and then use Antisan or even Germolene will do, to stop the itching which usually soon follows a tick bite.
I hae never, to my knowledge, caught Lyme's disease.