enkelt skapninger Posted April 15, 2011 Report Share Posted April 15, 2011 Lyme disease uncommon in Shetland, but on the increase generally in Scotland. If you do get bitten by a tick, the chances of Lyme disease is much much reduced if the tick is attached for less than 24 hours. The main UK tick implicated in Lyme infection is Ixodes ricinus, and I'm not sure how common that is this far up North (though climate change means that it is increasing it's range further North year on year). Ixodes uriae and Ixodes caledonicus are seabird (mainly puffin) ticks and have been found in Shetland. They can carry Borrelia garinii, which is related to the bug that causes Lyme disease. I'd be very interested to know how much Ixodes ricinus there is in Shetland. Is there any louping ill in Shetland's sheep? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skyumpi Posted April 15, 2011 Report Share Posted April 15, 2011 Oh no! I too always thought that there were no ticks in Shetland. I know they're a big problem in some parts of the highlands but had never heard of them here before I expect that waders are a pretty effective prophylactic barrier when wandering through the hills - but I'll have to be more careful when catching 40 winks in a heathery broo by the side of a loch in future! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trout Posted April 17, 2011 Report Share Posted April 17, 2011 Does anyone here have some 'real' info on this in Shetland? Areas perhaps etc. if anything? Been wandering in the hills since I was young / 'fencing when a sproot' - have heard of no historic precedent in regards - and have never been aware of anyone recently having anything more serious as spraining their ankle or rather being that daft that they couldn't even find their way off a Shetland 'peerie mootie hill'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Njugglebreck Posted April 17, 2011 Report Share Posted April 17, 2011 There's certainly been an increase in the number of ticks seen on cats & dogs in the last few years. I'm not aware of any cases of tick-bourne diseases in animals though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulb Posted May 14, 2011 Report Share Posted May 14, 2011 just as an update. we have a caddy from northmavine. it had a tick that has caused TICK PYAEMIA a staf infection that causes lots of health problems. I thought lice were disgusting but my ticks are way worse.so even if there is no fever they can still cause problems so treat any bites and watch for signs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynnR Posted May 28, 2012 Report Share Posted May 28, 2012 I had a caddy lambin 2009 who had all sorts of problems. After several doses of penacilin and worm drench, all to no avail, I found a tick on her leg. Was tick pyaemia she had. I ordered one of those tick removal tools which was ideal.This year my cat came home from his usual hunting spree, tick on his face. I couldn't find my tick tool so had to remove it with out. If you rub the ticks back in a circle, tick has to move a bit, then it comes loose itself. Needless to say I put a pair of Marigolds on to do that job. hahaA friend found a tick on one of her foals noses the other day and used this same trick to remove it. Norrie lice are ticks. I'm sure there are various different kinds in Shetland. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shetlandvet Posted May 28, 2012 Report Share Posted May 28, 2012 Ticks in dogs/cats are still relatively uncommon in Shetland and while there is a small chance to catch them anywhere, it seems to be mainly the Vidlin area where dogs/cats can catch ticks - don't ask me why.I have been working as a vet here in Shetland since 2004 (until 2010) and we haven't seen any tick-born dieseases in dogs/cats here in that time as far as I'm aware which still doesn't mean though that the ticks don't carry any diseases. So removal within less than 24 hours is still the best. The saliva the ticks inject into the dog or cat seems to be clear of disease initially but the risk it is infected increases after 24 hours.Best practice to remove is to use a pair of tweezers or tick removers, to grab the tick as close to the dog's/cat's skin as possible and then gently twist and pull at same time (and it does NOT matter if you twist clock or anti-clockwise). To apply anything like oil or chilli sauce will cause a shock to the tick and will make the tick injecting more saliva into the dog/cat with the increased risk of passing on disease - so this should be better avoided.If at all unsure how to do this or unsure if you are dealing with a tick at all - see your vet and they will be happy and able to quickly indentify and remove the tick.Hope that helps... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynnR Posted May 28, 2012 Report Share Posted May 28, 2012 I tried the tweezer method on the tick I found on the caddy lamb. I ended up breaking the body off and leaving the head so would say that it wasn't the most reliable method. This way works 100% of the time, on animals and people. And can be done anywhere, anytime.http://​www.instructables.com/id/​How-to-remove-a-tick/ As for preventing them biting, no idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shetlandvet Posted May 28, 2012 Report Share Posted May 28, 2012 Hadn't heard about this method before...see, you never stop learning...If it reliably works - absolutely brilliant! And you are not even having to rely on the right equipment at hand...Will certainly give this method a go... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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