[NatureNS] Ticks, Lyme, etc...

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From: Bev Wigney <bkwigney@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 12 May 2015 00:02:36 -0300
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All,

A few weeks ago, there was a post asking what impact the severe winter might have on ticks.  I'm wondering how the tick population seems to be trending.  Here at my place at Round Hill, I wasn't seeing any until about 3 days ago.  I have since found a very small one on my head and another on one of my dogs this morning.  I don't really know how to ID most of the ticks except mature dog ticks.  I'm posting a photo of the tick removed from my dog this morning in case someone wants to ID it.  I've created a gallery on PBase and over the next while, will  post tick photos in it and caption them in hopes of making it easy for others to identify ticks.  Here's the URL to this morning's tick if someone want's to ID it.  I'm guessing it is a Deer tick.  I hope this link works.
http://www.pbase.com/crocodile/image/160037621
By the way, this tick is trapped in a folded piece of packaging tape.  That's what I do with them when I find them - fold the tape with the tick trapped in the center, then write the date on the tape edge with a marker pen and stick the tape to the wall in my office and keep them in case I want to submit them somewhere if I or the dogs ever seem to be coming down with something.   The ticks seem to remain alive, entombed in the tape, for a very long time.
Anyhow, this brings me to another question - probably best answered by Andrew Hebda.  Is anyone wanting ticks for testing this spring?  Do you just check the species, or are the ticks actually tested for the presence of Lyme?  
Today, I dropped by my vet's office here in Annapolis Royal and they mentioned that there have been three cases of Lyme in this area -- I think these were cases in dogs -- so they have been informing pet owners to be particularly vigilant. I do get my dogs vaccinated for Lyme each year, but it's not entirely protective.  A friend in Connecticut just had her black Lab come down with Lyme for the second time even though it has been vaccinated for several years.  

Bev Wigney
Round Hill, NS
 

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