Ree Drummond says her family is living in “disbelief” after Mauricio Scott—husband of her oldest daughter Alex—was diagnosed with Alpha-Gal syndrome, an allergy that can develop after a tick bite and forces major dietary changes.
Ree Drummond didn’t expect the words “tick bite” to lead to a diagnosis that would upend everyday life.
On her Pioneer Woman website. the Pioneer Woman star wrote that Mauricio Scott—her son-in-law and Alex’s husband—was recently diagnosed with Alpha-Gal syndrome. a condition she described as an increasingly common allergy that can develop after a tick bite. Drummond said she had heard about Alpha-Gal over the past couple of years. but only in the way people do when something feels far away—“definitely not something anyone in my world would want to be afflicted with.”.
In her account, the chain of events started on the Drummond ranch. Scott was reportedly bitten by a tick. After he found the tick on his body, he removed it.
Drummond says the first sign came after he returned home from the ranch. went back to work on a Thursday. and ate a burger for lunch—followed by serious stomach pain. Not just discomfort. she wrote. but “a burning kind of pain that he didn’t recognize.” Alex. Drummond added. told her Mauricio isn’t usually dramatic about things like that. which made the reaction stand out.
The pattern held through the next meals. The following day, the couple ate steak tacos for dinner, and Scott had the same reaction after the meal. On Saturday. when the family celebrated a baby sprinkle for their second child—a boy—given by family and friends. Scott ate brisket and again experienced the same kind of response.
After the reactions continued, an Alex friend suggested that red meat seemed to be the culprit. Scott avoided it for a few days and appeared to feel better, before a medical test ultimately confirmed the condition.
Alpha-Gal syndrome. Drummond explained. develops after a lone star tick bite—an insect she said is identified by a white dot on its back. She also laid out the emotional hit her family took once they understood what it meant. Drummond wrote, “We were all immediately bummed for him!. There were a lot of ‘NO WAYs’ and a few four-letter words of disbelief.” She added that Mauricio loves ribs. steaks. burgers. tacos. and “all the things one would expect a person in our family to love. ” which made the diagnosis feel especially hard.
Now, the daily reality is different. Drummond wrote that Alpha-Gal is manageable, but the foods that trigger it have to be avoided. In addition to red meat. she said pork is also on the list of triggers. meaning bacon. pork ribs. carnitas. and other favorites are out. She described the stakes of that avoidance plainly: allergic reactions can range from stomach pain to hives to severe anaphylaxis.
Her post also pointed to what the timeline could look like for recovery. She cited the Cleveland Clinic’s information that Alpha-Gal syndrome can go away, though it isn’t guaranteed. For many people. the allergy improves or fully resolves within 1 to 5 years if they avoid further tick bites and strict triggers.
By the end of Drummond’s message, the disbelief she described at the start had been replaced by vigilance—diet, symptoms, and support all shifting around a man whose lifestyle, until recently, revolved around the very foods now considered dangerous.
Ree Drummond Alpha-Gal syndrome tick bite Mauricio Scott Alex Drummond lone star tick allergy dietary changes anaphylaxis