Ticks and dogs and kids in Rye Neck area (Yorktown: school, college)

[move2ny]

Hi All,

thanks much for info provided on previous threads -- We finally found a place in Rye Neck and are looking forward to moving there before school starts.

However I've been told to watch out for ticks, especially with dogs and kids. How bad is it really on the ground? Apart from daily checks and tick medication on your dog what else can you do. I've been told that some days the ticks are so bad that people dont go out for walks...(hard to believe..)

Sorry for sounding so naive but I've lived on west coast (SF and Oregon) where this is really a non-issue.

Is there tremendous overhead in guarding against ticks with a dog..? Right now I dont think twice about letting the dog out into the backyard or going to the park, hike, etc..


What do you do to prevent or minimize tick bites on kids? Spray deet on them all the time and check everytime they come back indoors..?

thanks in advance

[YorktownGal]

Obviously, I live in Yorktown - north of Rye Neck. I see deer on a regular basis.

Once in a dozen years, my son had a tick. I garden every day - usually kneeing on the ground - and I never had a tick. I wear jeans or yoga pants to cover my legs. My dogs get ticks but they have a flea/tick collars which kills them.

Oddly enough, my daughter attended college in New Jersey where she got Lyme disease. She never saw a tick bite or the red bullet. She was so ill, she dropped out of college for a semester. She is the least outdoorsy person so go figure.

Whatcha going to do? Wear pants and socks and check the kids every so often. You could spray their sneakers and socks with deet. Frankly, I would be more worried about chemicals in deet on their skin than ticks.

Westchester moms tend to be overprotective. It is far healthier to run and play outside then stay indoors.

Rye has a beach next to Playland. If you are worried about ticks, beaches are usually tick free. I've never been to Rye beach, but it might be a good place to run around.

[move2ny]

thanks YorktownGal. I agree with your sentiments!

[roskybosky]

FYI-they have a Lyme disease vaccine in the works, and it is in the early testing stages. It's been given a 'Fast Track' by the FDA in order to get it out there quickly. However, it should be 3-5 years before anyone can actually get the vaccine.