Everybody Hates Ticks

Everyone hates ticks. Nobody wants to find a tick on your pet or in your home. In addition to being disgusting, ticks can also transmit many diseases, as well as cause anemia and paralysis.

Ticks are arthropods that feed on their host’s blood. They are attracted to carbon dioxide, heat and motion; they quest for a host from their perch in tall grass and bushes in wooded areas. Because of their attraction to carbon dioxide, they are most often found around the head, neck and chest area of the dog or cat.

Once on a host, the tick will attach injecting its mouthparts, secreting both anticoagulants to allow the blood to flow, and an anesthetic so the host does not feel its presence. Ticks go through four life stages: eggs, larvae, nymphs and adults. All stages besides the eggs attach for a blood meal. Some ticks mature on one host, while others need to transfer hosts between stages.

The Brown dog tick, American dog tick, Lone Star tick and the Deer tick are the most common in Southern California.

Many ticks can be vectors of disease, while some do not even carry diseases. There is always the possibility that a tick is infected therefore all ticks should be removed as soon as possible to reduce the possibility of disease transmission. The signs of tick born diseases are quite variable and only your veterinarian can test for these diseases. Some of the signs associated with these diseases are fever, lethargy, weakness, lameness, and even paralysis. Always let your veterinarian know if you have removed ticks from your pet. The most common tick- born diseases are Lyme disease, Ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Anaplasmosis, and Babesiosis.

To find ticks on your pet, run your hands over them paying close attention to the face, ears, neck, chest and armpits. Examine any raised areas closely. Some ticks can be large, like a raisin, particularly after a blood meal, while others can be small like the head of a pin.

If you find an attached tick you should remove it as soon as is practical. The easiest way to remove a tick is with a tweezers, forceps, or hemostat. Grasp the tick as close as possible to the skin while holding the skin of the pet against the pets’ body; pull the tick out of the skin. Many people believe that making sure you remove the head of the tick is important, while in reality it is not.

The remaining head parts will act like any other foreign body, and eventually work its way out of the skin.  Putting a topical antiseptic on the site will help kill bacteria. You may notice a red bump at the site for several weeks. Do no apply hot matches, Vaseline, alcohol to the tick as this will not help remove the tick and could hurt your pet.

The best way to protect your dog from ticks and their transmitted diseases is prevention. Tick prevention is much more difficult chemically than flea prevention. There are no internal tick control products on the market yet, as there are for fleas. There are many monthly topical products available, such as Vectra 3d, Frontline and Advantix. Some products work better than others. There are also several tick collars available such as Prevtatic and Scolabar.  Most products effectiveness will be much shorter in duration if your pet swims or is bathed frequently.

There are also many counterfeit products being sold over the internet, through various stores and through third party channels that do not contain the active ingredients advertised on their cartons. Be careful about the source of your products. Most of the manufacturers state that their products are only sold through veterinarians. Make sure to follow the manufactures instructions completely and be aware that some products can be very toxic to cats and should never be applied to them.  Read all instructions carefully. 

Laguna Niguel has many ticks in our parks and brushy areas. Most of our parks and campgrounds around the western states are also home to a multitude of ticks.  If you take your pet into these areas, be sure to check them when you get back home and routinely apply a tick and flea preventative.