Duck Itch
 

Any incidents of duck itch on the lake?

Bad duck itch
 

Duck itch is alive and well in this part of the lake (Alton/Gilford line.) I have at least 30 of them right now and my husband has almost as many. Ditto with several neighbors. :eek:Lathering up with sunscreen before swimming really does help, but be sure to lather up everywhere, even under your bathing suit. Also, don't dry off in a wet bathing suit, but rather change right away. "After Bite" ammonia pen works pretty well once you're itching like crazy.

I can confirm it as well in Gilford. My daughter and I got it bad about 2 weeks ago. She looks like she is getting it again now. It lasts a week on the dot before it starts to go away.

Don't air dry. Rub vigorously with a dry towel.

I’m curious as to why and where this occurs. Is it that the areas you mention seem to have a high amount of duck activity or rather the lake seems to funnel the bacteria from other/all parts of the lake to those spots?

Seems like it is worse this year. Only way to avoid is to dry well with towel.

We have it in Moultonborough, just outside of Center Harbor, as well. Seems like we get it every year. The large populations of Geese are not helping the situation. All the suggestions on the forum are what we are doing, but young children on the lake for long periods of time near shore seem to set up a recipe for lots of "itch".

It happens in areas where the water does not get moved around a lot (like small coves).

There are a number of threads on this topic. This reference might help. Everyone seems to have his own home remedy or preventative. There is very little information that any of this stuff works.

http://www.nhstateparks.com/swimmersitch.html

Have never had it. Will ask some of my neighbors if they have had it. What are the symptoms besided an itch???

we were at long island br campground 3 weeks ago and were in the water 3 days straight and my youngest caught it. We talked to a life guard at the Moultonboro town beach (just over the bridge) who said it was bad there also. 4 kids in the water...the one who caught it spent long amounts of time moving very little in shallow water. Other kids did a lot more swimming and spent time deeper. No adults had it.

got it....
 

I got it yesterday (CTR Harbor/Merideth) area playing ball in shallow water. Forgot to put waterproof sunblock on first...my bad. Took a benedryl and itch went away in 1/2 hour

Dumb Question?
 

Might be a dumb question but can a dog get duck itch? My golden retriever has spent plenty of time in the water in the last couple weeks and is itching like crazy now. No sores that I can see. It's not hot spots. Not fleas. Just wondering?

This has certainly been a Tough Week for Geese and Ducks on the forum. ;) I read the article blaming the Ducks, but how can we be sure it isn't the FISH causing the itch..? :D NB

duck itch in Meredith
 

I got the itch bad this past (4th of July) week along with several members of my family.:( We were swimming all week in the channel between pine island and the mainland. The itching is really intense, but Benedryl (internally) and calamine lotion (on the sores) seemed to help.

I am not a vet but I do not see any reason a dog might not get it although fur may be some protection. As humans are not a natural host for the larvae, neither are dogs...but I am still not sure about the fur. On the other hand wearing a fur coat in the Lake might be a preventative for us, but not very practical:):)

NB, if it were caused by fish it would'nt be called Duck Itch. Unless, the fish have a good "spin doctor." H'mmmm, maybe you are onto something. It must be the Rock Bass.:laugh::laugh: ( I like the little smiley faces, at least someone thinks I am funny, even if it is a digitally produced entity.)

I can see your point. The thing that interests me is..Everyone wants to HUG a Duck....particularly a Duckling ....because they are so cuddly. :) People buy them for their children.

I have seen some people actually KISS a fish....On the Mouth...but no one seems to want to HUG a fish. I am just an observer here as I don't Fish ....or Hug Ducks...:D :D

I think a sense of humor really helps these days. :look: NB

If "duck itch" was caused by fish wouldn't we get scales?

meredith town beach area
 

we had some get it bad during the 4th of july weekend...i got it the weekend before the 4th...this year more adults than kids got it at our place...:(

sandy vs rocky
 

Does it make any difference whether the shore is sandy or rocky? I wonder which type of bottom the snails prefer to live in.

Me thinks....
 

....that, rather than sandy vs. rocky, it's more the depth of the water. My sister-in-law lives on Dockham Shore Road in Gilford where the water is fairly deep and seldom does anyone get duck itch. On the other hand, we are on a shallow cove where it seems everyone gets it.

From the NH Department of Environmental Services
 

How can I avoid swimmers (Duck) itch?
If the organism is already present in your lake, the following steps can be taken to reduce the chances of encounter.

• Avoid swimming in the area of reported encounters. The cercariae are weak swimmers and generally remain in the area of infected snails, although the wind may distribute them around smaller lakes.
  
• Swim in deeper water. The cercariae are usually found in shallow waters and most easily attach to relatively inactive bodies. Babies sitting along the shore are most vulnerable.
  
• Vigorously towel your entire body immediately upon leaving the water. This will brush off any cercariae that may be on the skin and which frequently don't attempt to penetrate the skin until they begin to dry out. If available, taking a quick shower will accomplish the same thing.
  
• Use a waterproof sunscreen. This forms a chemical barrier that may discourage the cercariae.

*From the NH Department of Environmental Services

If you are in a cove.....or even on a straight beach with a dock. Just start your boat, put it in gear while still tied to the dock and run it a little over idle speed with the wash going from deeper water towards the shore. This will start a current that will replace all the water in shallow areas with clean water. If you have an outboard, you can run it for quite a while, but inboards don't have as effective of a cooling system so you don't want to run it for more than 10 or 15 minutes or at least watch your temp gauge.

Sun-Blocking the Cercariae...
 

I've been using a CVS sun-blocker of spf-45. 'Goes on clear, disappears, and gives sun protection all day—and even the next day!

All of my previous objections to sun lotions in general (oily, smelly, clings to the hands, stains clothing, etc) have been omitted with this zinc-rich product. It's good for 80 hours of watery exposure. Its sun-blocking is so good, you could make a temporary tattoo with some creative fingerpainting. ;)

But most importantly, this product could be the answer to blocking the cercariae:

The list of contents includes beeswax! :eek2:

What's it called APS? Just CVS sunblock spf45?

Duck Itch
 

I was up at the lake 4th of July week. I had some red, very itchy pumps on my legs, which I thought could be mosquito bites. Do you get red pumps with duck itch ? - I don't see anyone here complaining about red pumps. I'm just not familier with duck itch.

This sounds nasty. No wonder people do ocean.
:eek:

Yes,it can appear as red bumps. By the way, in the ocean you can get a similar rash except that the itchy red bumps occur in covered areas ( UNDER the bathing suit). Take your choice.

Where do you shop?? I have bought several pairs of red pumps and NEVER has the store given me free duck itch!! Sorry I had to :laugh:

:laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh: That's the best laugh I have had all day.

More on Duck Itch...
 

Last year's fairly comprehensive thread on Duck Itch is found here:
http://www.winnipesaukee.com/forums/...ead.php?t=7985

That would be "Sea Lice".

(The "Lake Lice" topic would be found in the Boating Forum). ;)

I had some difficulty finding it this year, but the North Conway CVS had plenty in stock. Their tube reads "sunscreen", but I think it's the same stuff as pictured here:
http://www.cvs.com/CVSApp/images/fs/...5042807106.jpg

Directions say to apply "generously", but I've found that a very "little" will go a long way.

Disclaimers:
1) Although sun lotions are deemed effective against getting Duck Itch, I don't know that beeswax is a more effective agent. (But you'd think so).
2) I don't have any connection with CVS, but keep in mind that this particular product is made in the USA. :patriot:

APS,
I was telling RG about your sunscreen and turns out it is also her favorite. She is allergic to just about everything and has no problem with this formula. Thanks for your post.

A bit anxious about the recent talk about sunscreen not being enough protection for skin cancer though. RG has been religious about sun screen for the last 25 years after seeing the damage to her sun loving aunt's skin. If lack of skin damage is an indicator of risk of skin cancer, I still think the sunblock is a better option.

Keeping the duck itch at bay (pun intended) is just an extra benefit.

I am more and more convinced that a lot of the "duck" itch problems are coming from the huge increase in geese populations. We got duck itch across the family in early summer when the geese were around. Now that they have moved on to other areas and not visible in our cove of late, we are itch free. I have been trying all sorts of methods to keep them off my property....so far, a long line strung about 8 inches off the ground across the waterfront with a few colored streamers has eliminated ALL visits. If we could get everyone to try this,maybe the geese will move on to greener pastures....and we can all stop scratching as much. :laugh: