0
0
As the temps warm up across Canada, out come the ticks!
In part 1 of 2, we’ll take a look at 2 of the 4 most common ticks our pets could get.
So, what is a tick? Simply put ticks are tiny bugs which feed on blood. Ticks are parasites that attach themselves to animals and people, feed on blood, and transmit diseases directly into the host’s system.
A tick has a one-piece body. The harpoon-like barbs of its mouth attach to a host for feeding. Crablike legs and a sticky secretion help hold the tick to the host.
While most tick bites do not result in diseases, some can. Its important to have a basic understanding of the types of ticks and the disease they can pass along to your dog.
Tick-borne disease is a growing threat to both canine and human health. The disease occurs when an infected tick bites a dog, cat or a human and transmits the disease into the victim’s body.
They present a danger to both people and pets.
Dogs are at higher risk of diseases transmitted by ticks. In rare cases cats are at risk.
How Do Dogs Get Ticks
Although commonly found in wooded areas, ticks can be found pretty much anywhere because they are carried by the birds and other animals they feed on. They can be found where yards border wooded areas, ornamental plantings and gardens or anywhere there is shade and leaves
The geographic distribution of ticks is changing due to climate change, de-foresting, and the changing living and migrating patterns of deer, birds, and rodents. This can vary yearly or even by season. Ticks are in virtually all parts of the Canada, including some urban areas, and many parts of the world. They present a danger to both people and pets.
They are most active from spring to fall. When you or your dog are in these areas, ticks look for opportunities to attach themselves.
Cats that spend time outdoors may get ticks as they tend to spend time in the areas mentioned above.
4 Most Common Types of Ticks
In Canada we have approximately 40 types of ticks. These are the 4 most common types of ticks.
- American Dog Tick
- Brown Dog Tick
- Deer (Black Legged) Tick
- Lone Star Tick
Unfed Tick & Engorged Tick Images
What is engorged ? Simple put is when the tick starts to swell from feeding off of the hosts blood. The longer the tick has been feeding off its host the bigger it gets and starts changing shape and color.
So the next question is how do I identify a tick after its been feeding ?
Transmitted Diseases & Symptoms
The tick-borne diseases that affect your pets are:
- Lyme disease
- Ehrlichiosis
- Anaplasmosis
| Disease | Transmitted by |
| Lyme disease | American Dog Tick Deer (Black Legged Tick) |
| Ehrlichiosis | Brown Dog Tick Lone Star Tick |
| Anaplasmosis | Deer (Black Legged Tick) |
Lyme Disease
Transmitted by the deer tick or blacklegged tick.
Lyme disease is an infectious disease that is transmitted to dogs, humans and rarely cats from an infected black-legged or deer tick. The tick becomes infected after feeding on infected deer, birds, or mice.
Symptoms don’t always appear right away. Sometimes it can take several months after infection. Lyme disease has been found throughout North America with cases ranging from mild to severe.
Symptoms
- Arthritis (sudden lameness)
- Pain
- Fever
- Lack of appetite
- Dehydration
- Inactivity
- Swollen lymph nodes and joints.
Ehrlichiosis
Transmitted by the Brown Dog Tick or Lone Star Tick
Ehrlichiosis is an emerging disease caused by a rickettsia: a type of bacteria that infects dogs, people, and less commonly cats.
Symptoms
- Fever
- Lethargy
- Poor appetite
- Lymph node enlargement
- Abnormal bruising and bleeding
- Chronic eye inflammation
- Neurologic abnormalities
- Lameness is common and often appears as stiffness when walking
- Vomiting
- Neurologic abnormalities
Anaplasmosis
Transmitted by the Deer (Black Legged Tick)
Aka dog fever or dog tick fever, is a tick-borne disease that infects a dog’s bloodstream. An Anaplasmosis is a tick transmitted bacterial infection that can affect dogs, cats (rarely), humans and other mammals.
Symptoms
Some dogs may only have minor symptoms, while others may also present with ones that are more serious. Symptoms could include:
- Fever
- Lethargy
- Lack of appetite
- Malaise
- Joint pain and lameness
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Coughing
- Labored breathing
- Seizures
- Ataxia (lack of muscle and movement control)
How Do I Check My Dog For Ticks
Dogs should be checked on a daily basis for ticks.
It can take anywhere from 3 to 24 hours of feeding to infect an animal. So it’s important to find and remove them as early as possible.
Using your fingers comb through the fur. Pressing gently you are feeling for bumps. The bumps can be the size of a pin head or the size of a grape.
If you find a bump part the fur so you can see the skin. You are looking for a brown, black or greyish brown bug. You might see only the tick’s body or sometimes you can see its feet as well.
Usually I start with the head and slowly check around and in the ears, the side and underneath of the head. If you dog has a collar check thoroughly, they like to hide here. Moving down the dogs body check around the neck and the front legs. Check the back and under side, then move to the back, again checking the legs. Lastly check the tail top and bottom.
Important Note:
Make sure the bump you found is a tick. Some dogs do have warts, skin tags, or cysts. DO NOT REMOVE THESE.
How Do I Remove a Tick
Removing a tick from your dog, or worse — ticks — may not be pleasant, but it’s important to do it promptly and correctly. Once you know how to remove a tick, it will be a fairly easy process.
Although ticks might be small bugs, they can cause big issues for your dog.
Some pets may get nervous with any unusual poking or prodding. If you have a pet like this it might be helpful if you have another person around to help you. Or you might also find it helpful to distract them with treats.
Using a Tick Hook
- Spread your dog’s fur to expose the tick.
- Possession the hook with the tick centered in the opening of the hook. Slide the claw of the tick hook under the tick. Slide the hook till hook surrounds the tick’s body, try and get the slot up as far a as possible.
- Very Gently, pull straight up in a slow and stead motion. This will prevent the tick’s mouth from breaking off and remaining embedded in the skin.
- After removing the tick, examine it to make sure the head and mouthparts were removed. If not see what to do if the ticks head is stuck in your in your dog’s skin below
- After you’ve removed the tick apply some Polysporin to the bite area.
- Place the tick in a container with rubbing alcohol. This will kill the tick. Once the tick is dead, most veterinarians recommend keeping the tick your pet begins displaying symptoms of disease.
There are many types of ticks, and each carry different kinds of diseases, so keeping the tick can help your veterinarian make a proper diagnosis.
- Rinse the hook with disinfectant – rubbing alcohol
- Wash your hands
- Once the tick is dead, most veterinarians recommend keeping the tick your pet begins displaying symptoms of disease. Place the tick in a pill container or small ziplock bag – do not store the tick in rubbing alcohol.
- Record on the ziplock bag the date and location of the tick.
- Keep an eye on it for signs of infection. If the skin remains red or becomes inflamed, see your veterinarian right away.
- Make sure to keep a close eye on your dog or cat over the next few weeks. You should be on the lookout for any strange symptoms, including a reluctance to move (joint pain), fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, swollen lymph nodes or swelling at the tick bite site.
- If your dog displays any of these symptoms, take your pet to your veterinarian immediately.
Using Tweezers
- Spread your dog’s fur to expose the tick.
- Gently slide the tweezers till it surrounds the tick’s body getting as close to the skin as possible.
- Very Gently, pull straight up in a slow and stead motion. This will prevent the tick’s mouth from breaking off and remaining embedded in the skin.
- After removing the tick, examine it to make sure the head and mouthparts were removed. If not see what to do if the ticks head is stuck in your in your dog’s skin below
- After you removed the tick apply some Polysporin to the bite area.
- Place the tick in a container with rubbing alcohol. This will kill the tick. Once the tick is dead, most veterinarians recommend keeping the tick your pet begins displaying symptoms of disease.
There are many types of ticks, and each carry different kinds of diseases, so keeping the tick can help your veterinarian make a proper diagnosis.
- After you removed the tick clean the bite area with some rubbing alcohol
- Rinse the hook with disinfectant – rubbing alcohol
- Wash your hands
- Once the tick is dead, most veterinarians recommend keeping the tick your pet begins displaying symptoms of disease. Place the tick in a pill container or small ziplock bag – do not store the tick in rubbing alcohol.
- Record on the pill bottle or ziplock bag the date and location of the tick.
- Keep an eye on it for signs of infection. If the skin remains red or becomes inflamed, see your veterinarian right away.
- Make sure to keep a close eye on your dog or cat over the next few weeks. You should be on the lookout for any strange symptoms, including a reluctance to move (joint pain), fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, swollen lymph nodes or swelling at the tick bite site.
- If your dog displays any of these symptoms, take your pet to your veterinarian immediately.
What to Do if a Tick Head Gets Stuck in Your Dog’s Skin
If the tick your removed does not have a head attached, it’s probably still buried in the dog’s skin. Leaving the head still in the skin is not dangerous.
Don’t attempt to “dig out” the head. Doing this will cause more inflammation in the area.
The dog’s body will naturally expel the remaining tick parts within a few weeks. There may be minor inflammation around the area.
Keep a close eye on the area and watch for increased irritation over the next few days. If significant inflammation occurs in the area contact your vet.
