Before I move on to May 1st I'll share some dog days of our little Gigi. Just before Easter, we discovered ticks on her. We were pulling them off as we found them. I guess her
FRONTLINE had worn off. So, between the time that we applied her next dose of tick/flea repellent and the time that it actually started to work we were battling 20-30 ticks a day...seriously. We tried to keep her in, but when she would go outside to do her business she was just inundated by them. I'd never seen a tick in my life before this. So I spent about an hour the Wednesday before Easter pulling ticks off with tweezers and Kosta spent another hour the next day doing the same. He'd never seen a tick in his life before this either. We saved our Gigi and now although she's been treated we still have to check her several times a day. She was tick-free and clean as can be for the Easter weekend as I gave her a bath at about 11:30pm the Friday night before we left for Kozani
.(she also got a break from them spending time in the city!) I felt so bad for her because we couldn't really hug her until we were positive that she was clean. I can't believe how fast ticks find my dog! Oh, and we found two on Alexandra that, luckily, we were able to remove before they bit her. Crazy. We find them on our stairs daily and burn them...the kids are on tick alert! We're learning a lot about living out of the city, it's hard work.
The photo above was taken the day after Easter. She was tagged by Alexandra's orange marker. Poor puppy!
And finally, this photo is what happens when you leave your dog home in the confines of a hallway with a new, unopened roll of paper towel. We were shopping for May 1st and wanted to keep her inside...away from the ticks...and she got bored and had a party. Looks like she had fun doing it.
LOL - Geena loves to tear up paper, too. She finds any tissue that falls on the floor and shreds it. The way she acts, it's her job. She's so serious about tearing up that paper! I doubt she'd open a package to do it, but I've never tested the theory.
ReplyDeleteTicks crawl to the highest point they can find (usually a tall piece of grass) and wait for anything to come past. They literally stand with their forearms extended so that they can grab hold quickly. If you ever see them lying in wait, you'll know why she can collect so many so quickly. You live in the country - get some guinea fowl. Not only will you have some eggs, you'll have a lot less problem with ticks.
Hope you're having fun!
Syd
Thanks Syd! I know, the paper & dogs, it's funny.
ReplyDeleteAbout the ticks-boy they're nasty little buggers. We talked to a local pet shop owner and he said that if we think the ticks are bad then we're in for a surprise because there's worse to come! What? I guess we'll just have to wait and learn.
It's funny that you mentioned the guinea fowl because we were doing research and laughed because that's when we found out about the symbiotic relationship between ticks and some fowl. So far we've resisted having any birds around here but it's something to consider. Aye!
LOL. I love that picture of the "tp incident". It makes me glad that Adam is allergic to dogs! Haha. Although I have to say that my kids have done things very similar to that picture. I just never thought to take a picture of it at the time because I was usually too mad or trying not to laugh. LOL You know how it is.
ReplyDeleteNice to see you here Christie! I know, kids have done a lot worse! I'll have to post Alexandra's leg painting pictures soon. Have a great weekend!!
ReplyDeleteever seen what a cat can do if you leave the door open to the bathroom? very similar. my ex-cat figured out how to open the bathroom door, open the cabinet door and shredded 12 rolls of toilet paper. door got locked and cabinet was kiddie latched after that.
ReplyDeleteas for ticks. bleck. the only time i've had a tick bite me is in GR, and i don't go near fields, i live in the city and i'm nowhere near anywhere i believe they life. BUT lived in CA, hiked in the woods, cleared brush and volunteered in fields, never got a tick in any of the 35 other countries i've traveled. just here. go figure.
poor gigi, poor kids, poor you!!!
Kat, yes I have...several times. Cats can do a lot of damage! Remember, I was a total cat person until Gigi. My favorite incident was the time my Amalia got into an open sugar bowl...that was a total mess! Sugar all over the place and paw prints linking her to the scene of the crime.
ReplyDeleteAnd ticks...what a pain in the butt. It's insane. I'm so worried about them all of the time. I'm constantly checking the kids and they're sick of me doing it...but I have no choice when they play outside all day.
I wonder why Greece has so many ticks. It's bad. We kill at least 10 a day...on our steps. And there's nothing I can really do except get birds that eat them...I really don't want birds:(
I've lived in NY, PA, OH, WV, and NC (and AZ, IL, and OR, but for this convo, disregard those) and we've always had ticks - bad. I was going to suggest it might be the milder weather but all the states (except NC) in which I've met the bastards get harsh winters.
ReplyDeleteSomeone in Crete told me it's the gazillions of sheep and goats. There's more tick food, closer to your yard. I don't know if it's true where you are, but we had flocks passing within yards of our front door morning and night, dropping well fed and fertile parasites all along the way.
Hey Syd, I know, ticks are everywhere but I've never been the outdoors type. I'm a newcomer in the tick world. I've always heard of the "tick" story each year when someone went camping or hiking and came across one, but never so many.Wisconsin has a lot of ticks too. Again, this is my first experience with the buggers and my Greek husband's. He's never experienced them either and he was raised here. His Grandparents had a house in a village with a farm and he never encountered one.
ReplyDeleteI started to blame the guy across the road, he as about 50 birds including poultry, turkeys, geese...etc and that poor, poor dog that is chained up all of the time. I can't even begin to imagine how many ticks that poor girl has. BUT, as I was discussing it with a friend she just laughed and said, "Cheryl, you live in the sticks...it's not the dog or the birds." (I still think that they have a lot to do with the quantity of ticks) As far as sheep, there are 2 local sheep herders but no goats. They don't actually come down our road because it's a dead end that goes straight into a wheat field. As for now, it is what it is and we are just taking more precautions. We're still on the fence about guinea fowl...we're so resistant to anything outside of Gigi running around here. Oh, btw, I did notice a tick waiting for a ride...since you mentioned it. It's creepy how they sit with their 2 forearms extended. I've also seen one jump. The good thing is that the kids now understand how important it is to keep away from them. I hope you have a great weekend!
Poor Gigi! And she's so cute!
ReplyDeleteThanks Lulu...I know, poor Gigi. She is cute.
ReplyDelete