Tick Talk

It seems we hear more about the danger of ticks every year, so let's talk about why you need to be thinking about them--especially if you have pets.

Ticks are not insects. They are arachnids, closely related to scorpions and spiders. They are also ectoparasites--parasites that live on the outside of their host--and they feed on the blood of mammals, birds, and occasionally reptiles or amphibians.

Understanding Tick Biology

Ticks have a four-stage lifecycle. They begin as eggs in a cool, moist environment. The eggs hatch into six-legged larvae that congregate around vegetation and wait for a small rodent or other host to pass by. After a blood meal, the larva drops onto the ground and molts into an eight-legged nymph, which then waits for a new host, takes a blood meal and drops off onto the ground to molt into the final adult stage.

Adult ticks seek out a third host, take a blood meal, mate, and drop off to lay 3000-6000 eggs (!), and the cycle starts over again. For the Blacklegged or Deer tick (Ixodes scapularis), this cycle takes about two years.

Although ticks prefer moist environments and dry out in the sun, they are very hearty in cold weather. Adult Deer ticks are not killed by freezing temperatures and will be active any winter day when the ground is not frozen. Controlling these pesky critters is important because they carry disease organisms that can affect us and our pets. These include Lyme disease, Ehrlichia, Anaplasma, Babesia, and possibly Bartonella, the causative organism of some chronic inflammatory diseases in cats and Cat Scratch Fever in people. Only one of these diseases, Lyme disease, is preventable by vaccination--and even then, vaccination is only considered a secondary method of control. The primary method is tick control, which is why it is important to have a good tick control program in place.

Tick Control and Prevention

There are many tick control products on the market for pets. They come in topical or oral products or as collars. Most of these products do not repel ticks but will kill them within 24 hours of attaching to your pet. This is important because ticks need to feed for at least 24 hours before they can transmit Lyme disease to your dog. However, some diseases such as Anaplasma can be transmitted in a matter of a few hours of feeding, so it is important to also control ticks in the environment before they can attach to your pet.

Controlling the outdoor environment is more difficult. From the tick lifecycle, we know that they need a cool, damp environment to develop from one stage to the next or they will dry out and die. Much like vampires of the classic Hollywood movies, sunlight is their enemy. Consider these options to keep ticks out of your yard.

1. Keep your lawn cut short to minimize sun protection for ticks.
   
   
2. Cut unnecessary or low hanging branches on larger trees to allow more sunlight into spaces where your animals like to hang out.
   
   
3. Walk your dog at least 3 feet from the edge of deep woods or brush, where shade-loving ticks are more likely to be found.
   
   
4. If you need to use an outdoor treatment product (acaricide) on your lawn, read the label carefully to be certain it is safe for your pets. Remember this is temporary: Most outdoor treatments give you a quick knock-down but will not last very long due to degradation from sunlight or being washed away by rain. Squirrels, chipmunks and other rodents can also bring ticks back into your home environment after treatment.

How to Safely Remove Ticks

If you find a tick attached to your pet, it should be removed immediately. Using a pair of tweezers or a commercial tick remover, grasp the tick head near the skin and use gentile traction to remove, or “unscrew,” the tick by rotating counter clockwise. Try not to squeeze the tick’s body as this may expel disease-causing organisms into the bite wound.

Folk remedies like touching the tick with a hot match or smothering it with Vaseline® or mineral oil are not recommended, as these may also cause the tick to vomit into the bite wound as it dies. Also, be sure to wear gloves when handling ticks, as disease-causing organisms can gain access through open wounds or cracks in your skin.

Of course, any questions you may have about the benefits and use of specific tick-control products should be discussed with your veterinarian.

NOTE: This post is adapted (with permission) from content proudly brought to you by our partners at Nutrena and Cargill Animal Nutrition. The original article appears here.