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  • I have just caught up on the talk of Ticks ...

    I'm taking family inc dog to Mull in a few weeks. Will study the links people have posted, but if anyone has good advice of how to avoid, please offer it! Will use long tousers, check dog (perhaps cut her rather long tangly hair, which I'd been considering anyway) before we go ... take a remover and do lots of checking ...

  • Obviously prevention = better than cure so I'd start with this:

    https://lymediseaseuk.com/2016/02/10/tick-bite-prevention-and-removal/

    Deet around your trousers and ankles is supposed to be effective-doesn't have to be on the skin. Dogs are obviously vulnerable and will crash about through long grass so they can bring them into the house-checking them as well as possible is all you can do, I think you can get vaccines for doggy lyme though, the lucky sods.

    If you do get a tick bite and remove it etc then don't freak out but be vigilant-doctors etc will still tell you that if you don't get a rash you're ok but only 2/3 people get them, or old wives tales like they have to be attached for 72 hrs to transmit-so what's important is to be aware of any flu like symptoms even a month after you get back and go to your GP pronto shouting about NICE guidelines and demanding they read them, as most don't and give arbitrary 1 week, 2 week prescriptions instead of the 30 days, which some say is still too conservative.

    If in doubt I'd go to the doc and get the 30 days of antibiotics anyway and insist, it's easy to treat early but a total fucker if you don't. You can also buy Doxycycline online as an antimalarial but obviously I'm not endorsing self-treatment or bypassing the wonderfully inattentive NHS... ahem.

    Anyway. I'll get back to yet another alcohol free, sugar free, carb free weekend as I try to shift this fucking illness whilst looking forward to an appointment with Neurology on Tuesday and a possible lumbar puncture/MRI combo. Sweet!

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