Danger of ticks

[MarkB]

My aunt Jackie's lovely cat Mr Kahn was paralyzed and died on Monday morning. Hard to believe a tick could do this. I don't know if they have different ones in Australia

She was away visiting her daughter (my cousin) at the time and returned home yesterday to the news

RIP Mr Khan

[Crewella]

That's awful, and scary. We do get the odd tick here, usually on Daz after a hunting expedition, as there are sheep and cattle in the adjoining fields.

Beautiful cat, RIP Mr Khan. xx

[Marla]

I'm so sorry Mark. How sad for your aunt.

Ticks are becoming a problem here in the UK too. I read that a woman in Guildford and a dog in Fleet contracted Lyme Disease. They're in London parks and the New Forest too.

Apologies for linking to the DM, but this was the best article I could find:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/artic ... e-you.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[greenkitty]

I'm in Fleet and this year for the first time ever I've found two ticks on Noodle, vet said they're prolific this year but there's not much you can do but check over and remove. Disgusting things.

RIP Mr Kahn, he was a beautiful boy x

[bobbys girl]

That's very sad to hear about Mr Khan.

Ticks, (the little blood sucking bxxxxxds) are a bigger problem here than fleas. I have a 'nit' comb in the kitchen window and use it every time Bob comes in from the fields. Even though he is regularly 'Frontlined' they still hitch a lift and they can be TINY - very hard to see on a black cat.

I missed one recently and it is attatched to his eye near the tear duct. I can't remove it from where it is without distressing him and probably doing more damage.

OH had a tick last year, followed by a rash. The trouble is Lyme Disease is difficult to detect by blood test alone and even more difficult to treat. It hids so deep in your body it takes several courses of different AB's to get it out of your system - not good.

I hate them with a passion.

[Lilith]

Aww poor Mr Khan! Very sorry to hear.

I've seen ticks now and again, once on my terrier Lizzie and a couple of times on hedgehogs - one hedgehog I met while out walking and all I had was a badge with a sharp pin...I punctured the tick and it withdrew its mouthparts (important to get these out of the animal otherwise they can cause infection) and fell off. Lizzie's tick pounced on her while she was chasing rabbits and made her quite poorly until I saw it on her leg (at that time I'd never seen a tick before and hadn't realised.)

I also wonder if some animals are more susceptible/allergic to the (only word I can think of is venom) that ticks and other insects inject into their prey. Once I was walking Lizzie and she just faltered and keeled over in a semi faint. She was a robust dog who never reacted to the heat and could walk for miles and it was evening anyway. She half rolled over and I saw a couple of ants in her belly fur. They must have stung her. I picked them off and sat with her and cuddled her and in a few moments she was fine and never did it again.

So much for the systemic remedies claiming to zap ticks eh? They really are obscene...ugh!

Again very sorry to hear about Mr Khan.