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Ticks are those dreaded little eight-legged critters we sometimes find on our pets. Ticks are not insects: they are members of the arachnid family and, as such, are distant cousins to the spider. They occur mostly in dogs, but occasionally you'll find one on your cat or even on yourself! Ticks are widespread throughout the world. South Florida plays host to several species that are responsible for diseases in both man and animal. These include canine ehrlichiosis, canine babesiosis, canine hepatozoonosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and Lyme disease. An allergic hypersensitivity reaction can be caused by tick bites and, in the case of female wood ticks, a syndrome known as "tick paralysis." The life cycle of ticks is complicated and involves three hosts, including wild and domestic animals and people. Your pet may pick up ticks as it walks through tall grasses and bushes. They can attach to any part of the coat but are most commonly found between toes, and around ears, armpits, and groin. A severely infested dog can have literally hundreds of ticks all over his body. Disease transmission by ticks occurs only during feeding and takes anywhere from six to 20 hours to do so. Therefore, early detection and removal of ticks, after your dog has been running in the fields or woods, can prevent many tick-borne infections. Ticks may drop off a dog and transfer to a person, but this is uncommon. Usually once a tick is attached and feeding, it will stay there until it is "engorged" or full. It will then drop off the host and hide in the environment to molt to its next stage or lay eggs. Bacteria that are carried by an infected tick can cause Lyme disease. Lyme disease is now considered the most common tick-borne illness in the United States. The white-footed mouse is the principal source for the bacteria. The white-tailed deer harbors the tick but not the bacteria. During tick season (April to August) the ticks go between these two animals and become infected. If a passing susceptible dog comes by and picks up the tick, the dog may become infected. The disease in dogs is characterized by sudden onset of lameness. In fact, lameness is often the only sign. Single or multiple joints may become swollen and painful. Some dogs run a fever and are weak, lethargic, anorexic, and lose weight. The lameness may only last a few days, but in some cases it becomes chronic and persistent or reoccurs for weeks to months. Canine babesiosis is an uncommon disease caused by a single-celled protozoan parasite. This Babesia organism destroys red blood cells, producing a hemolytic anemia. Since the brown dog tick also infests various wild animals, including the white-footed mouse and the white-tailed deer, simultaneous infection of babesiosis and Lyme disease can occur. Canine ehrlichiosis is a relatively common infection seen mainly in the Gulf Coast area, the eastern seaboard and California. Outside the United States it is seen worldwide. Cases of ehrilichiosis are seen year round because it is a chronic disease with three phases. In the acute phase a dog experiences fever, depression, loss of appetite, lymph node enlargement and sometimes encephalitis. These symptoms are similar to those seen with Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Lyme disease or canine distemper. The subclinical phase occurs two to four weeks later. Some dogs get better at this stage while others progress to the chronic phase. German shepherds and Doberman pinschers appear to be at an increased risk of developing chronic ehrlichiosis. This phase appears one to four months after the tick bite. The disease attacks the bone marrow and immune system, causing weight loss, fever, anemia; a hemorrhagic syndrome with spontaneous bleeding and nose bleeds, swelling of the limbs, and various neurological signs. Symptoms such as these may be confused with leukemia or cancer. Rocky Mountain spotted fever cases are seen during tick season. The two main sources of Rocky Mountain spotted fever are rodents and dogs. The disease in dogs is characterized by lethargy, fever, loss of appetite, coughing, conjunctivitis, difficulty breathing, swelling of limbs or joints and muscle pains. Many of these symptoms, as you can see, are similar to the other diseases we have discussed. Obviously, any dog showing any of these symptoms should be taken to the veterinarian. Your pet's doctor can run certain tests and provide appropriate treatment. Make sure you tell him or her about any ticks that you may have found or if your dog has been running in fields or woods. Prevention is the key to control of these tick-borne diseases. There are some phenomenal products available today. Preventic tick collars containing Amitraz are quite effective in controlling ticks. Frontline Top Spot treatment, commonly used to control fleas, is also very effective in killing ticks for up to 30 days following a single application. Always examine your dog after hiking in tick-prone areas. If you find one or two ticks, simply remove them. Because the blood of ticks can be dangerous to people, never crush or squeeze a tick with your bare fingers; instead, you should wear gloves or use forceps. Ticks unattached to the skin are easily removed with forceps. Once removed, the tick can be killed in a cup of tick spray or rubbing alcohol. An attached tick with its head and mouthparts buried in the skin should not be pulled loose. The head and mouthparts may be left behind and cause a local reaction. A small amount of tick spray should be applied directly to the tick. In less than one minute, the tick should begin to back out. Grasp it with forceps and lift it off. If there are numerous ticks, treatment may best be done by your veterinarian, who may apply a special shampoo or insecticidal dip. If the infestation is particularly heavy, several once-a-week dips over four to six weeks may be required. Sometimes ticks work their way down deep into an ear canal; your veterinarian should definitely remove these. For outdoor control, cut all tall grass and trim back bushes. Treat the yard with an insecticide labeled for use with animals and follow the manufacturer's directions carefully. Treatment of the indoors can be a bit involved. Since ticks naturally like to crawl upwards, it is not unusual to find them hidden inside things. Ticks can be found up inside ceilings, furniture, bedding and box springs. Therefore, inspection and treatment of these areas are essential in controlling these tenacious pests. Since it is so involved, I think this is best done by a professional exterminator. The exterminator may need to apply several treatments over a period of time in order to eradicate the ticks. Remember, for the best and quickest control of ticks one must use a three-pronged attack. One must treat the pet, the outdoor environment and the indoor environment, usually more than once. So the next time you find one of these critters on your pet, don't panic. A few steps as outlined above should help you effectively vanquish these pests and prevent the spread of disease and suffering of their target hosts. -Michael Shaff, V.M.D. owns and practices at The Animal Clinic of Woodmont, which is located at 8295 N. Pine Island Rd. in Tamarac, Fla. A University of Pennsylvania graduate, he is also a member of the South Florida Academy of Veterinary Medicine. He can be reached at (954) 726-3647 or by e-mail at acwoodmont@aol.com. |
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