Advice here from someone with chronic Lyme disease and every other tick borne infection on this earth that could possibly be obtained. :roll:
See a doctor asap. They might test for Lyme, but here in the Northeast, they do test , but also take a defensive stance and dispense antibiotics, usually doxycycline. Some for 14 days, others for 30 days. Most doctors use their standard Labs for testing, not ones that specialize in Lyme panels, and the results are not always accurate. The tests have gotten better over the years, but they do not rely on them completely here and use a clinical approach. You'll hear that there are more false positives than negatives, which is a crock. You may hear there is no Lyme in the Panhandle, which is also a crock. They found many Lyme ticks at Fort Eglin AFB. Although antibiotics should be dispensed with care, the potential risk outweights that, IMHO. You could also watch for signs and symptoms, like a rash, flu like illness, headaches, anything out of the ordinary, before taking antibiotics, but get that knot checked out and treated.
BR- Antibiotics are supposed to be used judiciously. I am not a fan of pets that go outdoors, sleeping in beds we inhabit, mainly due to the Lyme issue.... Frontline or not. If your dog picks up a hitchhiker, you still run a risk. It's the ticks you
don't see or feel that one should be worried about. Fleas also transmit disease and coupled with Lyme could be devastating. Just saying.
, I was a tick magnet. I'd find a tick embedded on me about twice a month from March through late summer. My doctor always kept refills available for me for antibiotics. Thanks to Frontline, I (knock on wood) haven't had any ticks on me since standard poodle Pepper joined the family.
