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TOPICAL TICK TIPS

Judith Pyle knew she was in trouble when a tiny insect bite on her left arm became very swollen and grew to the size of her palm overnight.

Judith was alert to the danger of Lyme disease spread by ticks. She found them often enough on her vizsla, Fudge, after walks in the Forest around her home at Sway.

Without delay, she went to the local medical centre and was immediately prescribed antibiotics to counter the threat of Lyme disease. A blood test confirmed that she had indeed contracted the disease and she was given a second course of antibiotics.

“I was one of the lucky ones,” said Judith. “I felt a bit tired for a week or two but I suffered no other symptoms.

“A nurse at the health centre later told me that she had once tested positive for the disease. She said she had never felt so ill in her life.”

Ticks attach themselves to humans, dogs and many other animals to feed on their blood. May to October is the most dangerous time. In mild weather, ticks can be active throughout the year.

Ticks are especially prevalent in areas like the New Forest where there is a big deer population. Many deer are infested with dozens of ticks.

New Forest District Council and the Forestry Commission have issued advice to everyone using the Forest about how to deal with attached ticks.

OUT go some of the old suggestions, such as burning the ticks with a lighted cigarette, or covering them with petroleum jelly or alcohol. This is because that may cause them to regurgitate saliva into the bite wound.

IN come the following guidelines:
• Remove the tick as soon as possible since it is very unlikely to transmit an infection in the first few hours of its feed
• Grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible, using fine tweezers or finger nails and pull firmly and steadily without jerking or twisting
• Specially designed tick hooks, readily and cheaply available from veterinary surgeons and pet shops, may help you remove them
• Try not to squeeze or crush the tick’s body
• Apply a skin disinfectant after removal
• If you are concerned in any way or feeling unwell with ‘flu-like symptoms, see your doctor straight away
• Use veterinary tick and flea repellents, or a tick collar, on your dog.

The Council’s advice leaflet stresses that the best form of defence against ticks is preventing them attaching in the first place. When in grassy, brushy or woodland areas, people are advised to keep skin covered as much as possible, wearing trousers rather than shorts or skirt. Tuck trouser bottoms into socks and wear shoes or boots, not sandals. Wear a long-sleeved shirt with cuffs fastened, and consider using appropriate insect repellent. Examine yourself, your children and your dog after a walk.

Judith Pyle, who is one of the founding members of NFDOG, worries that visitors to the Forest may not be as aware as local residents are of the danger. “I fear that they will assume it is just an ordinary insect bite and not bother to get medical help. That could cause serious damage to their health.”

She has now fully recovered and is enjoying walking her new dog, a smooth collie called Shula, in the Forest, but keeps a wary eye out for ticks at all times.

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