Guys, just wanted to give you all a heads up. I'm sitting here sick as a dog. I'll be able to answer a few emails and then will have to go back to bed, with terrible body aches and alternating fever and chills. My doctor thinks I have erlichiosis, a tick borne bacterial disease. I'm on doxicyclene to kick it.
In Kansas, it's been a bountiful year for ticks. They are everywhere and in the tall grass is the worst. Two weeks ago, i came home from a training ride. I'd found about 50 ticks on my horse. I lifted up my shirt and asked my husband to check me over. he found nearly a dozen ticks on me.. my back, underarms, belly and hips, all embedded. Erlichiosis affects horses, dogs and people. If your pets have an unexplained illness you might have them tested for it. And if you feel like a strange case of the flu just broadsides you, better get yourself tested. It truly does feel like getting hit by a truck. Every bone and muscle hurts.
The doc told me that in Kansas, Lyme disease is pretty rare, but erlichiosis is more prevalent than people think, and we also have Rocky mountain tick fevers here too.
It really sucks. I've always been lax about putting insect repellant on myself. I usually spray the horses well, but neglect myself. I won't be neglecting myself anymore. You don't want to get this.
Oh, and it doesn't matter how long the tick has been on you. some people think it has to be attached for 24 hours to do any harm. Not so.It just has to be on long enough to regurgitate it's body fluids into the bite area, not long at all.
It takes almost a week to get the test results back, so we dont' know for sure if that's what I've got, but the doc is treating it anyway based on the symptoms.
Anyway, in training or competition, please take care of yourselves and your horses. They get awfully sick with this too.
