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Originally Posted by dogboy
Twice in last few weeks I've seen deer while hiking on south end of Bear. While it's always a treat, it's also a warning as they carry ticks and ticks carry Lyme Disease --- something we should all watch out for. My suggestion is that if you find a tick on you, get tested for Lyme - if positive test, then you get antibiotics. All it takes 1 one tick to get Lyme. We wear hats and use plenty of bug spray. We also give each other 'head checks' after our hikes.
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Deer are not the only carriers and not every deer tick carries Lyme disease. White footed deer mice are a big innocent culprit from the ticks especially in stages 1 & 2. Check out:
http://www.aldf.com/DeerTickEcology.asp
My husband and I participated many many years ago in a Deer tick study by Cambridge hospital on outdoor workers/vs indoor office workers when the tick was first discovered in MA. Since then we've developed more of a sense of the disease since my mom came down with it five years ago.
One big problem about getting tested is that even today with the crippling effects of Lyme disease there are many doctors who still do not diagnose the disease or fluff it off. My mom had the best telltale sign ever. A huge bullseye on the back of her calf, we insisted that she had lyme disease, stupid dr told her no, we told her to go back, it was 6 weeks from the time we saw the mark and she was getting sicker and more tired every day. Finally we went with her and insisted she be tested and it was a nurse practitioner who eventually advocated for her. She ended up at Lahey with an infectious disease specialist treating her.
So whether you spot deer or not a person has to be ever vigilant checking their person for ticks, all sizes in all of their cycles.