Hi all,

 I started the post bad year for ticks, and it got me thinking. I've always lived locally ( N.H., ME. ) and I'm soon to be 64. When I was a kid I was always out in the fields, woods and never got a tick. Never even heard of them, except they were a southern thing. Now their  everywhere , same with possums, I see dead ones on the road from time to time. It must be a migration north. What else are you seeing out and about that you never used to see?

Times are a changing JB ~ 

First 10 years here in the north woods of MI - Never a tick - not one.

This summer - it's been one after another.

All kinds of fun with a kennel full of heavy, double coated dogs . . .

A-Jay

Fairly "bad" here in VA this season. 2 dogs, 2 cats. Yet so far

only the lab and only one cat have had several ticks, the 

other two, none. Encountered ticks aplenty in the 90s when

we had 2 labs and lived in Western NY. Though moreso here

in VA.

 

Where we walk, we are constantly having to check for ticks,

quite often deer ticks and seed ticks will hop aboard our legs

from the unavoidable tall grass growing in the fire roads.

 

In our yard, our two free ranging hens help keep things in a

modicum of a "check". More hens the better, but we only have

two, Harriet and Mildred. The more hens, the fewer the ticks.

10 hours ago, A-Jay said:

Times are a changing JB ~ 

First 10 years here in the north woods of MI - Never a tick - not one.

This summer - it's been one after another.

All kinds of fun with a kennel full of heavy, double coated dogs . . .

A-Jay

My GP and I go for a walk every night and he goes in the tall grass all the time. As you know he has a double coat. So how do you guys check your pups for ticks? Obviously I check him as soon as he comes out, and I'd think they'd be pretty easy to spot with his bright white coat but I still check of course, but his coat is so dang thick! 

Yes I hear you about never having to worry about ticks here in the northeast as a kid. 

and to make things worse, I believe ticks are becoming immune to preventives as well.

Frontline is useless now. I use soresto collars, advantix, and a bandana treated with permathrin, and still 2 of my three rescues have lyme. I hike a lot, and in less than a half mile on the AT, I can pull off many ticks off my dogs. 

12poundbass. checking for ticks takes time, a good light, glasses if needed. look in the ears, under the tail, in between the toes, etc. they are the worlds smallest terrorists, they hide themselves very well.

on the original question. seeing mountain lions, coyowolf/dog whatever (50-60lbs) lots of new kinds of weeds.

more scavenger type birds than before. less bluebirds, less pickerel, and yellow perch

2 hours ago, 12poundbass said:

My GP and I go for a walk every night and he goes in the tall grass all the time. As you know he has a double coat. So how do you guys check your pups for ticks? Obviously I check him as soon as he comes out, and I'd think they'd be pretty easy to spot with his bright white coat but I still check of course, but his coat is so dang thick! 

First off they're all on the flea & tick preventative year round (NexGard) - that helps.

Second, there is no secret or magic to it for us - always involves a ton of 'hands-on' work.

When the meds are working right, a good percentage of the ones me miss initially are found dead on the dog on the next pass.

btw - our white shepherd seems to be a tick magnet - but they're ridiculously easy to see.

Looks like black pepper in the snow.

A-Jay

 

my dogs are on year round also. My shepherd also seems to be more of a tick magnet than the others