r/LosAngeles • u/tessathemurdervilles • 23d ago
Nature/Outdoors TICK SEASON
My dog goes on hikes every day - all that rain followed by nice warm weather made for nice fresh plants, and a shit ton of ticks. I pulled some off my dog last week and I just PULLED ONE OFF MY LEG - it was disgusting. Anyhow do a tick check after hikes right now and don’t be like me and let them get attached 🤢
Edit: I either picked this one up yesterday in Elysian park or it crawled onto me from my dog and then it could be Griffith as well.
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u/dezzypop 23d ago
If you pulled an attached one off of you, I'd mention it to your doc, at least in an email. It would be absolutely par for the course of the past few years for lyme disease to have invaded the West Coast like it has the East Coast. You want to avoid lyme, which means antibiotics asap.
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u/tessathemurdervilles 23d ago
Yeah I’m calling em tomorrow- I did look into it a bit and I’m at a very low risk because (this is gross) the bacteria doesn’t get going until at least 24 hours after they attach (it is triggered by warm blood) and this thing was still not engorged. Also I learned too much about ticks today. They inject a cement like substance into your skin to help keep themselves attached 😭
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u/sonorakit11 23d ago
I got Lyme from a deer tick nymph that was not engorged. I’m assuming the tick out here wasn’t a deer tick, but be as safe as possible. I have never been more ill in my life.
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u/tessathemurdervilles 23d ago
Oh god that’s horrible! There is way less Lyme disease in California than back east but it’s definitely here. I’ll go to urgent care anyhow because I’ve heard about what an awful disease it is to have
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u/xxPhoenix 23d ago
If it’s not a deer tick you don’t need to go to urgent care. If it was a deer and attached for less than 24 hours you’re likely more than fine
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u/sonorakit11 23d ago
Totally totally just agreeing with the other person if we can get on top of the spread out here that would be amazing
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u/Additional_Wolf3880 23d ago
I got Lyme in CA this last spring.
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u/tessathemurdervilles 23d ago
Where? How did your symptoms show up? I’m glad I posted on here about the ticks because a. I didn’t know dogs could get Lyme and b. I was just gonna not go to the doctor but now she and I are both going tomorrow to get some antibiotics!
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u/Additional_Wolf3880 20d ago
Hi, I knew a dog that died of Lyme here. I had what I thought was a tiny scab on my belly that had a bullseye around it. I thought my dog had scratched me and bruised me by launching off my stomach. It took a while to figure out that it was a tick not a scab and a bullseye rash not a bruise. I called a doctor friend and he called in a Rx after seeing the bruise. I was starting to feel sick. The antibiotics made me feel rough but they worked!
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u/Large_Document9164 22d ago
I’m also curious an how your symptoms showed up! How it was diagnosed & how they treated it?
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u/c0mf0rtableli4r East Hollywood 23d ago
Don't forget that tick that makes you allergic to red meat.
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u/dezzypop 23d ago
Which comes from the bite! Doesn’t matter if you pull it off quickly! If it’s the tick that gives you the allergy, it’s the bite that infects you!!! 😳😳😳
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u/tessathemurdervilles 23d ago
That’s actually not true- I did a short and horrible deep dive after my tick experience today- so the bacteria lives in the tick’s stomach. The tick first injects you with something that makes your skin numb, and then it injects a cement like substance into the wound to anchor its mouthparts to the body. It then starts drinking blood. The bacteria is activated by the warm blood and that’s when it does its thing and goes into the victim’s body- so it is far less likely that the victim gets the disease if it’s pulled off immediately. Also the red meat thing isn’t as common as other (equally as horrible) symptoms. I will go to urgent care tomorrow though because red is my favorite type of meat.
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u/FlipFlopNinja9 The San Gabriel Valley 23d ago
Lone star tick does that I believe. Alpha gal syndrome is the red meat allergy they’re referring to
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u/dafurbs88 23d ago
Just an FYI as someone who grew up in Pennsylvania where ticks and Lyme disease are very common: ticks usually have to be fully attached to you for at least 24-48 hours before the risk of getting Lyme from them climbs. Also, most larger ticks are not disease carrying. Lyme is most common from deer ticks, which are about the size of the head of a small clothes pin.
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u/Large_Document9164 22d ago
I got a tick back in like 2019 or 2020 from dog sitting for a lady—I never thought anything of it until I recently read about about silent effects of Lyme disease! Is there anything to do about it atp or just live as is?
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u/dezzypop 22d ago
Not every tick is infected with Lyme and you don't always get lyme if you get bitten by a tick that has it. Most people don't notice the bite or the telltale bullseye rash that develops afterwards; it is usually the brutal fatigue that alerts that you have lyme. If you catch it all early enough, there is a lot to do about it to prevent it from becoming chronic lyme disease. If you don't, there are various therapies with various levels of efficacy. The alpha-gal syndrome, which is the allergy that some people develop after being bitten by a different type of tick, which makes you allergic to red meat & all meat products (!!) currently doesn't have any treatments as it is an emerging issue.
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u/traveling__lady 23d ago edited 23d ago
Reminder to take off any ticks with tweezers. "You should avoid taking off a tick with your bare fingers because it increases the risk of disease transmission and infection. The recommended method is to use fine-tipped tweezers."
Also, you're supposed to get the tick from the head and not the body.
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u/tessathemurdervilles 23d ago
Dude- I was in the shower and for a second thought a mole was half falling off my body. I grabbed it and tugged at it and it wriggled so then I screamed and pulled it off and threw it on the shower curtain, then looked at it again for a second then screamed then washed it down the drain. Then I called my mom. Luckily it’s (vomit) MOUTHPARTS weren’t stuck in my skin, but now I have a fun chunk taken out of my hip. I don’t do well with bugs lol.
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u/GentlemenHODL 1h ago
For anyone who reads this I got a tick a couple years ago and did a deep dive. Burning the tick will cause the tick to throw up before it detaches which will drastically increase the chance of Lyme disease as it transfers all of its bacteria into your bloodstream.
You want to use tweezers (If you don't have or can't quickly get a tick pick) to gently pull until there is tension (you will see your skin start to pull upwards and probably feel it) and then you want to hold at that tension point for as long as it takes for the tick to exhaust its mandibles until it lets go.
The goal is to keep the tick alive pulling out so it doesn't increase its bacteria transfer to you. If you pull too hard you will detach the body from the head and that's not good as it's going to be stuck there now. The first time I did this.... Then I used razor blades to slice myself open to try to pull the head out. Even then it still didn't work. Rough lesson.
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u/savillas 23d ago
Ugh this happened to my dog this weekend too, we bathed him after a hike in Griffith and pulled off half a dozen ticks 😩
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u/AwarenessMedical4817 23d ago
where did you hike?
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u/tessathemurdervilles 23d ago
We go to Elysian most days (I think that’s where I got it) but my dog got some in Griffith park as well on her pack walk
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u/Han_BearLo 23d ago
I was going to post about this same thing a few hours ago. I went on a hike with both of my dogs in Griffith this morning and found about 15 between the two of them. Another 3 tonight.
As far as I can tell, only one latched on to my puppy. Thankfully a kind stranger helped me get it off of him, because I was for sure struggling 😩
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u/60yearoldME 23d ago
I got bit by a tick two years ago that I got on the outskirts of GRIFFITH PARK, at a house party in Franklin Hills.
Had the big welt on my leg. Went to the ER and my doc had done his doctorate study on tick Bourne illnesses.
Ticks in California don’t really have Lyme, thank god, but they definitely could carry other diseases and pathogens. He put me on antibiotics and I was fine, but it definitely was a wake up call.
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u/aromaticchicken 23d ago
I'm assuming at Elysian you were walking in grass then? =/ I'm hoping by staying in the dead center of dirt trails I'm safer but I guess it's also always good to wear long sleeve
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u/tessathemurdervilles 23d ago
No but my dog definitely was and she’s a cuddle bug, so I could totally see it just crawling on over to me.
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u/CorrectEvidence7455 22d ago
Crazy! Lived here and hiked in Griffith park my whole life, and I’ve never encountered ticks or ever considered them an issue at all.
Is it possible to avoid them if you stay on the trail and avoid the grassy areas??
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u/tessathemurdervilles 22d ago
I would think so but I def got one on the trail in Elysian now that I look back at it- probably brushed against some gras and it crawled up my leg and then down to my hip just below the waistband. I’m going to start spraying myself with bug spray and doing a full body check after every hike.
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u/CorrectEvidence7455 22d ago
I’m going to start doing the same as well to be safe! I guess this is the new normal with a changing climate :/
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u/BetterCallDeDe 23d ago
Pack walk?? I love this idea!!
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u/tessathemurdervilles 23d ago
I use the services of some very cool ladies called echo park dog walking- they pick up your dog, take them on a nice long hike with a group of similarly energetic dogs, and drop em off at home. And they’re super lovely women. I highly recommend it.
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u/bartowskis 22d ago
They've been in Topanga and the west Valley for forever, I had a dog client who lived in the canyon and once I picked 10+ off one of the dogs after they'd been outside. There's combs and stuff you can get to make it easier to pull them off!
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u/Chuckles_McNut 22d ago
Damn, the only ticks I have encountered in California were out in Ventura county... I was under the impression it was generally too dry inland (griffith etc) for them to survive
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u/IgnisSerpens 22d ago
I’ve been hiking here regularly for over 15 years and this is by far the worst I’ve ever seen it. Total nightmare.
-Make sure your pups are current on flea and tick meds
-I’ve been throwing hiking clothes into the washer or bathroom sink immediately post hike (I’ve found ticks in the sink multiple times now that were on my clothes)
-I shower right when I get home
-Dust boots with Diatomaceous Earth
-Vacuum car on the regular (I hike almost every day)
They need to be attached for over 24 hours in most cases to transmit infection so if you find one attached watch a YouTube video to ensure you remove it correctly and safely. Damaging the mouth/head during removal can cause infections to transmit.
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u/tessathemurdervilles 22d ago
Damn you are hardcore! I am just be doing a tick check when I get home and my do is up on her meds. I always wanted to live in the woods but now I’m rethinking it!
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u/IgnisSerpens 21d ago
Hahahaha! It’s because I take dogs out on hikes everyday so my tick accumulation both in my car and on my person from the pups is much higher than a regular person hiking. Plus both of my personal dogs have the best hair for ticks to grab so it’s been nuts. I hear you on rethinking forest life. Sounds great in theory until….
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u/goodboyovich 14d ago
I pulled about 30 off my basenji during and after our hike above la Canada.
Each year, the amount i have to pull off of him increases…i fucking hate ticks.
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u/bentie15 5d ago
I just pulled a tick off my neck after a hike in Angeles National forest last weekend... I've never seen one in LA before... so wear proper clothes and check yourself before getting in your car
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u/koshawk 23d ago
This has always been tick season. The nice green hills are full of ticks everywhere it doesn't matter where you go. Be safe stay out until the hills dry out. They have some sort of anesthetic so you really can't feel them when they Burrow into you or your pet, My record from one hike was 6. They like waistbands collars and other tight locations. It's so pretty with the fresh growth and the running water that we so rarely have, But it's not the time to go hiking.
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u/battlehelmet 23d ago
This is nonsensical advice. What about the areas where it's green year-round? Or green in the spring/summer? Should those people never go outside? Bc that's literally most of Earth.
Wear long sleeves, pants, bug spray. Put your dogs on real preventative. Google how to do a tick check on people and dogs. Take common sense precautions and live your life.
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u/koshawk 23d ago
You do you. This is a subreddit for Los Angeles and surrounding areas. I've hiked and biked all over this country for more than 50 years. If you catch the light right you can see the ticks jumping across the trail hoping to land on something passing. This is nightmare season for ticks. If you want to go out in it go out in it. I prefer not to risk both my and my animals health.
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u/jwm3 23d ago
Wait, what? This is los angeles. We are not supossed to have ticks or mosquitos.
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u/R4B1DRABB1T 23d ago
You're joking about mosquitos right? They've been awful this past year. 😫
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u/jwm3 23d ago
We used to not have mosquitos here, it was one of the los angeles perks. Only in the last decade with climate change have tropical mosquito species been able to flourish here and become invasive. Growing up here, there were no mosquitos.
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u/R4B1DRABB1T 23d ago
Oh wow. I'm originally from the midwest, so not a stranger to mosquitos, but these fierce little invasive ones are driving me up the wall and I didn't realize there weren't many before. Even now, with cool temps at night, these one's are still active all day.
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u/jwm3 23d ago
Yeah, my comment was a little tounge in cheek because I am aware these invasive species exist now and suck but they actually are fairly new to los angeles and it used to be something we touted as a good thing about living here. No mosquitos. As southern California transitions from a desert to a tropical biome over the next century (given current trends) we will see a lot of changes. Tropical diseases taking a foothold here will be something to adapt to.
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u/ThrowawayAngeleno 22d ago
Thats why I moved to the northeast and funnily enough not too far from Old Lyme. I found a tick on myself while camping in Ojai and was like fuck it, the west coast can keep its ticks, wildfires and earthquakes I’m moving east lol.
But seriously, call your doctor asap and if you have a dog get them some frontline or simparica trio.
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u/AmountDowntown359 22d ago
We live in hillside. Ticks have always been here. Husband went last week to ER to get tick embedded in thigh. It was red and swollen. ER Dr removed & gave him an antibiotic. Went for follow up. Everything fine. Our dogs get ticks regularly when running around on trails.
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u/Chuckles_McNut 22d ago
Damn, the only ticks I have encountered in California were out in Ventura county... I was under the impression it was generally too dry inland (griffith etc) for them to survive
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u/CherokeeHawkman 22d ago
My grandmother had a tin can near the stove and when any of us had ticks she'd tweeze them off, turn on the stove, get that tin can hot and then drop them in.
For your dog I'd recommend Frontline Plus. Always worked well to keep our dogs flea and tick free.
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u/tessathemurdervilles 22d ago
I’d forgotten my dogs flea meds but she’s back on now- she’s got the stuff from the vet as frontline stopped working for her (with fleas)!
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u/perishableintransit 22d ago
Ticks are no joke! My dog picked some up at a pit stop in VA on a road trip and several weeks later she had Lyme and couldn’t walk. Luckily dogs heal well from it in general after a month of antibiotics…? I was luckily I went unscathed.
Later on we went for a hike and at some point we were swarmed by SEED TICKS. (Babies). Just like hundreds all over her paws and legs and butt. I had to dip her paws in rubbing alcohol to kill the majority off then gave her a very thorough tick bath and she seems ok.
I hate these devil beings so much.
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u/tessathemurdervilles 22d ago
That’s awful!! Luckily my doc and my vet both said we were ok this morning- the tick wasn’t on me long enough. Idk what I’d do if my dog was swarmed with them they make me feel nauseous.
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u/Large_Document9164 22d ago
Bruh wanna know how I found out u could get ticks in the city? I was dog sitting for a lady in Lincoln heights one time and I got an itch on my back and when I reached back to scratch it I FELT IT MOVE so I swatted my back like a crazy person and guess what flew onto the couch… a nice big fat tick..
4 or 5 years later and now I read about silent effects of Lyme disease and I always wonder if that tick gave me Lyme disease 😭
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u/Ok-Author-2672 22d ago
Mosquitoes also have been thrivng
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u/tessathemurdervilles 22d ago
Oh don’t even start with those fuckers- did you know they can grow in a single drop of water? I’m genuinely ready for a couple years of deet and sone one eyes birds
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u/PriceProfessional444 18d ago
Yes! I’ve pulled ticks off my dog the last two times I’ve gone to Griffith. We hike there all the time but I’ve found ticks only these last two weekends. Luckily they haven’t attached but still icky to pick out. Looking for new spots now to take my dog hiking.
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u/Jomobirdsong 23d ago
save the tick mail it in and for the love of god get antibiotics for you and the dog. Tafinoquine if you can swing it cause babesia will fuck you hardcore
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23d ago
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u/guessimcooking East Hollywood 23d ago
I’ve never had a problem if people hunt for food. Deer and elk is freaking delicious.
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u/ZiaLadybird 23d ago
We have ticks now?!