General Discussion

I am in SE Ohio not far from Athens. I live in a rural area and walk with the dogs every day so I have a lot of tick exposure. The tiny ticks are Deer ticks an carry Lyme and Ehrlichiosis which are both microbe diseases and both of my dogs have had both diseases. A slightly larger tick with a single dot on its back is called the "Lone Star" tick and is what can cause the Alpha Gal allergy. This is a chemical it picks up from other mammals and injects you with when they later bite humans.
My main symptom was a cramping after a couple of bites of a hamburger or sour cream dish. They have a blood test to see how reactive you are to this. Basically I can have an allergic reaction to any Mammal product, meat, dairy or even gelatin. I have to be careful of some medicine capsules that are made from gelatin. I have never had an extreme reaction but I do carry an eppi pen now.

We always had normal 'dog' ticks, but these new species just showed up in the last 5 or six years.

I have to turn off commercials for sizzling steak or bacon. I really miss them. Chicken, turkey, eggs, and fish are about it for meat and Almond milk helps replace dairy.