Friends Upset Over Tick Situation – Are we really in the wrong?

[Dogowne91]

Hi everyone,
Would really appreciate some honest opinions on something that’s left us a bit stunned.
We just got back from a 2-week holiday and had left our dog with close friends who kindly offered to look after him. They also have two dogs, and they spent loads of time together — running around the house and their big garden, playing, sleeping near each other, out on plenty of walks, the usual.
When we picked up our dog, they told us they’d found 8 ticks in a matter of days — some on our dog and some around the house (sofa, bed, floor) which explained why they had asked if our dog was on tick prevention whilst we were away. We were honest from the beginning: he wasn’t and hasn't been for at least a couple of years. Totally our fault, just hadn’t gotten around to it. We also discovered they have treated him straight away once they discovered he wasn't up to date with it (they spoke with a vet first).
They’re clearly really upset and, honestly, we’re a bit taken aback. We obviously didn’t mean to put anyone at risk and feel bad — but also, we live in the Devon countryside where dogs are running through fields and long grass all the time and if we find ticks, we normally simply remove them from him. Ticks are kind of unavoidable here and the likelihood of Lyme disease is not that bad.
We’re now wondering… did we seriously mess up? Should we have flagged this before leaving him with them? We never thought it would cause this kind of fallout.
Would really appreciate some honest thoughts. Is this as big a deal as they are making it seem?

This thread is a perfect MN example of an OP being corrected, once, twice, three times, and then all subsequent posters feeling they have to scale up the outrage until we're at the 'you should pay for your friend to have her house razed to the ground, cleansed by fire, then rebuilt, and after that you should send yourself to prison' level.

I think she gets the point.

Was just coming to say this! Of course, the OP wanted cheap/free dog care. I think she's going to have to look at the cost of kennels or a sitter in future...

Ticks won't just fall off on the 10 minute walk home, so they were wrong about that. They jump on burrow into the fur and latch on, they will fall off only when they are full up this can be in the house or garden later on in the day even days later and then they can jump onto your dog again and even onto humans too!
My dog is tick protected but in May & June we still find ticks on him as where we walk there are deer roaming the paths,the grass and ferns are tall and this is where ticks are lurking, ready to jump. The difference with having tick protection is that ticks will die very quickly when they get on your dog, whereas if not protected they will start filling up with you pets (or your) blood. Then once full they will hide somewhere ready to strike again, females maybe even laying eggs around your home.

To an extent. She's tried to imply that the kind friends were at fault for not asking if the dog was treated, though.

Do you care about other people, especially young children, who could be blinded if they have contact with the worms in untreated dog shit? A family member lost their eye sight in one eye that way.

Eight isn’t a couple. You are deliberately playing down the situation.

Why?

I think that’s very irresponsible. Pets need these to stay healthy

We've stopped too. We use natural repellents and have worm counts done quarterly.

Our previous dog died of cancer relatively young and we're not using any unnecessary chemicals on our current dog.

Same with vaccinations. He's had his puppy ones and I'll be doing titre testing before any subsequent ones.

Lymphoma is now the biggest killer of dogs and our vet doesn't agree with overuse of chemicals.

When you say they had found ticks around their house were they ticks that had filled up and then dropped off or the minuscule tiny still crawling sort that hadn’t attached yet.
a good go round with a vacuum would pick up filled ticks although unpleasant they are harmless once filled and if the tiny crawling sort they could and would have come from any of the dogs treated or untreated or dropped off of human clothing.
I do treat my dogs but I would have just remove the ticks from your dog.
I’m also in Devon.

No, she doesn't. A house does not need the kind of over the top cleaning these people chose to do. OP owes them nothing more than an apology and a thank you gift. £20 /hour is hilarious.

MN’etters love a witch hunt/pile on.

Looks like you are one of “those” dog owners. Poorly behaved dog; no treatment and non chalant about that. Can you not understand that level of cleaning they had to do - I would be very pissed off if I had to do all that as a result of a favour: and you don’t even think it’s a big deal? I would be sending them massive and expensive gift hamper along with profuse apologies given that you can’t pay for deep clean since they did it all themselves already, and reimburse the vet / med costs

For goodness' sake! You put your friends through all that and now you're using that as an excuse not to do the decent thing? Are you for real?

Of course, since you've failed to give your dog the usual preventative treatments, then I think that I'm right in assuming that you cut back on the basics as a matter of course.

Putting it as nicely as possible: you've goofed in a big way. Offering to pay for a deep clean is the least that you can do.

I am not really seeing where OP gets the point.

You didn't think about it?

This really doesn't seem feasible.

They put themselves through it. None of that is needed for ticks.

I wouldn’t speak to you again

I completed a course of antibiotics this year to treat Lyme disease. It was so unpleasant and not something I ever wish to repeat. My dogs are up to date but I was bitten (through clothing) walking across a grassy field. I think the comments reflect mostly people who empathise with, or have experienced, the distress this disease can have on a family. Those people take a less liberal view. However, I can also see that it is fine to not have experienced this yourself and therefore feel more confident about the risk it posed to them. You probably see the risk as small and inconsequential. I see both viewpoints and perhaps an apology could be best directed at the bad feelings you have inadvertently caused, rather than a debate on viewpoints.

There's no reason to believe OP isn't treating her dog for ethical or environmental reasons though.

Just sounds like she hasn't been arsed.

I think if friends are looking after your pets you make sure all vax and treatments are up to date. Lone you would if sending to the kennels.

However, as others have said, I treat the cat, but we still get ticks in the house. They come in on his fur. He lovingly dropped one on my bed yesterday. We also get them in our garden, and DH has had Lyme, so I spray myself too if I am doing any intensive gardening.

They are very common in Surrey/Hampshire.

Over the top reaction by your friends and I'd query finding ticks within their house. On your dog yes but throughout the house ? Difficult to belive and hot water wouldn't have got rid of them.

Once ticks bite, they tend to stay on for a couple of days if the dog hasn't bee treated. Even treated dogs get bitten, they just have protection from disease and the ticks tends to drop off or die earlier. Dropped off ticks are much more likely to have come from their dogs.

The only way to prevent ticks attaching is by a topical solution being added to the dog's coat before each and every walk.

I would assume that any dog can pick up ticks on a walk which involves grass/woods and would check them upon return - the same as I would do to me or children.

As for the nonsence sbout flea/worming treatment - if you want to do it, do it but that's a huge amount of chemicals to put in/on your pet every couple of months for life. For cats who roam and eat their catch absolutely. For a dog who isn't raw fed, not so much. Being a good owner doesn't mean blindly following outdated practicee but doing research and doing what is right for each individual pet. I have never seen a flea in my life despite always having pets but I'm not opposed to flea treatment if there's a real risk. Similarly with other treatments.

You haven't been irresponsible or put them at risk. They appear however to have exagerrated and significanly over estimated the apparent danger they faced. Don't sweat it too much.

Even if the OP doesn't get the point, the repeated posts saying either the same thing or amping up the outrage are ridiculous. You can see why the stocks were so popular though

Honestly, I would cut you off and you would never darken my door again.

Are you kidding me?!

This is a reverse - surely!!!

You found time to book a holiday but you haven’t taken your dog to the vet in two years and you failed to pick up any tick or flea or worm prevention knowing full well that there are ticks in the area that your dog regularly walks and Lyme disease is an issue where you live???

You’re a terrible pet owner and an awful friend.