Tick Bite Information - 72hr Window Lyme antibiotics

[Moosehead]

Hey all
Some important information for anyone who finds a black-legged (deer) tick that has bitten them.
Just the other day, we pulled a tick off one of my family members. I went to our Public Health Unit website and found a link where you can send a picture of the tick for positive identification. They sent me a response within 24hrs.
Here is the link: https://www.etick.ca/

We got confirmation it was a black-legged tick that could possibly carry Lyme disease. It was difficult to find any information on our local health unit site other than "go see your doctor". I did some more digging and found a form you need to fill out for your doctor to submit the tick for analysis. (DONT throw the tick out! Keep it frozen in a ziplock bag.)
Here is the form: https://www.publichealthontario.ca/-...tion.pdf?la=en

***IMPORTANT*** In a random conversation with a buddy of mine, I found out that they have antibiotics that significantly improve your protection against Lyme Disease if you go to the hospital within 3 days of a suspected bite. We went to the hospital and the doctor confirmed this and we got these antibiotics. NOWHERE on our public health website is this information found - nor could I find it online. (Maybe it's a new thing?)

Anyways - I wanted to share this with the forum as hunters we are outdoors a lot in woods where these ticks are found. If this helps someone else - great. At the very least, there is now a website that can help you identify the tick within 24hrs and you have the submission form to save you time at the doctor's office. The nurse was surprised we came in with "everything already done". They treated this pretty seriously and said we were wise to come to the emergency dept to get the antibiotics. The doctor said it takes a month to get results to see if the tick has Lyme, so it's better to deal with it fast, rather than to wait to see if you have symptoms.

Stay safe outdoors everyone and good hunting.

[Ahuntr300]

Good info, but please know that the so called prophylactic dose of doxycycline they give is not a magic bullet. They reduce the risk of contracting Lyme disease, but they do not eliminate it. Also, there is some controversy that the use of these strong antibiotics at the start may not be good as they might mask the symptoms, like the tell tale bullseye rash you get if you are infected and give you an initial impression you are ok.

Bring the tick to your doctor who will determine the risk by asking you where you got bitten and how long you have had the tick on you. There are some areas that Lyme is more established and they know this. Also the longer the tick was attached the worse - generally 24 hours or more is not good. If you are determined to be high risk, then they prescribe the antibiotics and send the tick to be tested. You should still continue to monitor for symptoms like a rash of flu like symptoms up to a month after the bite.

Of course, the best medicine is not to get bitten in the first place and to make sure you check every inch of your body after you come home from where ticks are as you will not feel the bite.

[Moosehead]

Good point - however, the other alternative seemed worse to us. Wait a month to see if the tick has Lyme and hope for the best...
We are in an area that has Lyme, so better safe than sorry.

[impact]

Good info and thanks for sharing.
I'm in an area that a recent survey showed 50% of the ticks carry Lyme disease.
I have submitted ticks in the past and thankfully they came back negative after taking a ride on my body.
My wife had one on her neck a few weeks ago but I pulled it out right away.
She was simply gardening at the time.

My nieces husband who lives nearby got terribly ill a few years ago after being bit. He was off of work for a while, almost a year.
Seems like if its not one thing its another.

[warpipe]

Thanks Moosehead, very informative. Little buggers are everywhere now.

[tom gobble]

Thanks for the info guys

[Cameracutter]

To bad the vaccine wasn’t embraced.

https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/prev/vaccine.html

[Sam Menard]

To bad the vaccine wasn’t embraced.

https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/prev/vaccine.html

Apparently there is another vaccine that is going through the approval process .

[longpointer]

Good to know and thanks for sharing ! I live in Norfolk County which is basically Ground Zero for Lyme Disease and have been bitten many times but always pulled them out within 24 hours. It's a nasty process to remove them and it leaves a hole in you that takes a long time to heal but a dab of Polysporin and a band-aid is how I treat it.

[MikePal]

I'm in an area that a recent survey showed 50% of the ticks carry Lyme disease.

The default at the Local Hospital (Kemptville): they no longer collect the tic for testing. They treat you as if it was positive and give you the doxycycline if you know you were bit in the last 72 hrs.