It’s Tick Season!
Just about everyone enjoys beautiful Spring/Summer weather but that, unfortunately, comes with ticks. Tick season in Wisconsin runs spring through fall, peaking in June, July, and August. Besides the ick factor, ticks can harbor the bacteria that cause diseases such as Anaplasmosis, Ehrlichiosis, and Lyme. (We might do a full follow-up article on these diseases and treatments later if there’s enough demand). Heavy enough tick infestations can cause anemia even without help from other scary Latin-sounding problems. Fortunately, there’s an array of things you can do to keep exposure to ticks to a minimum.
Before delving into management practices and pesticides, let’s explore the most common ticks in Wisconsin and the diseases they carry.
Know Thy Enemy
The life cycle of the tick consists of four stages: egg, larva, nymph, and adult. The stages that like to feed on dogs, cats, and humans are dependent on the species of tick.
Deer tick lifecycle – these ticks are most active during the spring and summer months until they’re ready to lay eggs.
Ixodes scapularis, more commonly known as the blacklegged or Deer Tick, can carry the bacteria that causes Lyme Disease and Anaplasmosis. Their distribution in Wisconsin has changed dramatically in recent years and they can now be found anywhere in the state where there is forested land. Nymphs and adults feed on animals such as cats, dogs, and humans. Nymphs are of particular concern; before feeding, nymphs are the size of a poppy seed, making them incredibly difficult to find. Studies conducted by the University of Wisconsin-Madison have found an average nymphal infection rate of Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria that causes Lyme disease, around 20%. So, roughly 1 in 5 of these can communicate a potentially debilitating disease within 24 hours of biting you or your pet.
Dermacentor variabilis is better known to Wisconsinites as the Wood Tick, and is commonly called the American Dog Tick in other parts of the United States. Nymphs typically feed on smaller mammals such as rabbits, while adults feed on larger animals. The wood tick is incredibly common. It is known to transmit the bacteria causing Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Luckily, RMSF is not currently prevalent in Wisconsin, with the Wisconsin Department of Health and Human Services receiving reports of 5-10 human cases each year. Although the wood tick is the least concerning of the ticks out there, it is unsurprisingly challenging to confidently identify different varieties of a creature smaller than a dime.
Amblyomma americanum, or the Lone Star Tick, is more prevalent in the southern United States but can be found in Wisconsin as well. The University of Wisconsin-Madison receives more submissions of these ticks every year, typically from the southern half of the state. The lone star tick isn’t a picky eater and all life stages (except for egg) will feed on cats, dogs, humans, and just about anyone else that gets too close. These ticks are the primary vector of the bacteria that causes Ehrlichiosis.
A handy guide to bloodsucking parasites!
How do ticks spread disease?
- Depending on the tick species and its stage of life, preparing to feed can take from 10 minutes to 2 hours. When the tick finds a feeding spot, it grasps the skin and cuts into the surface.
- The tick then inserts its feeding tube. Many species also secrete a cement-like substance that keeps them firmly attached during the meal. The feeding tube can have barbs which help keep the tick in place.
- Ticks also can secrete small amounts of saliva with anesthetic properties so that the animal or person can’t feel that the tick has attached itself. If the tick is in a sheltered spot, it can go unnoticed.
- A tick will suck the blood slowly for several days. If the host animal has a bloodborne infection, the tick will ingest the pathogens with the blood.
- Small amounts of saliva from the tick may also enter the skin of the host animal during the feeding process. If the tick contains a pathogen, the organism may be transmitted to the host animal in this way.
- After feeding, most ticks will drop off and prepare for the next life stage. At its next feeding, it can then transmit an acquired disease to the new host.
Now that we’ve learned a bit about these pesky little buggers, let’s find out how to thwart their plans.
Sun Tzu said something about controlling the battlefield before a fight, I don’t remember the exact quote, but the gist of it was that a battle consisted of far more than just combat–and the winning side was the one that did the most to bias things in their favor beforehand. In this case, you’re up against a creature smaller than a dime with a brain the size of a pinhead and no hands, so you’ve got some pretty good odds if you take some basic precautions. First, make sure that your yard isn’t hospitable to ticks by clearing out tall grass and by removing leaf litter and brush (this typically also makes your neighbors happier so win-win). While you can’t control where your dog is going to try to wander, you can at least make it a little more challenging for them to blunder into a tick nest at home.
Ticks and dogs have similar ideas as to what kinds of places are fun to hang out in, so check your pet for hithchikers after any adventures.
Check your pets frequently for ticks, especially after taking walks in parks and woods. Although ticks can feed anywhere on the body, they’re most commonly found around the head and groin areas. Make sure to check inside your pet’s ears as well. Removing ticks within 24 hours dramatically reduces the chances of them transmitting any disease-causing bacteria they may be harboring, so it’s crucial to remove ticks early. It’s also important to properly remove ticks and not leave behind their mouth parts, which can cause reactions (more on tick removal later). Last, but certainly not least, keep your pet current on tick preventatives ($15 at Precision Veterinary). There are many options on the market; some products actively repel ticks while others kill the tick after it has bitten. Tick preventatives also come in many different forms, including topical applications, oral chewable options, and collars. Never use products labelled for dogs on cats as they can cause serious and sometimes fatal reactions. Talk with your veterinarian about what’s right for your pet.
Safely removing implanted ticks
Using tweezers, firmly grasp the tick as close to the pet’s skin as possible. Pull the tick out with steady and even pressure. Don’t twist the tick as this can sever the tick’s head and leave its mouth parts behind. Avoid methods that smother the tick in petroleum jelly or rubbing alcohol, or burn the tick with a hot match, as this can cause the tick to regurgitate into the wound which increases the risk of disease transmission. If you frequently find yourself in contact with ticks, it may be worth investing a few bucks in a commercial tick remover. The Tick Key (not a sponsor), for instance, is easy to use and costs less than $10.
How do I know if my pet is infected with a tick-borne disease?
Symptoms of Anaplasmosis, Ehrlichiosis, and Lyme include lethargy, inappetence, fever, and non-specific joint and muscle pain. These symptoms are somewhat vague, so it’s important to consult with your veterinarian if you suspect that your dog may be infected. A simple and relatively inexpensive blood test can be conducted to look for antibodies of these diseases ($25 at Precision Veterinary). Because this test detects antibodies, which are made by the body’s immune system after mounting an attack in response to the disease-causing bacteria, it can take several weeks after an exposure for a dog to test positive.
The only good tick. Please don’t sue us Amazon–we have a Prime subscription!
Sources
http://labs.russell.wisc.edu/wisconsin-ticks/on-pets/
http://labs.russell.wisc.edu/wisconsin-ticks/wisconsin-ticks/ixodes-scapularis-black-legged-ticks/
http://labs.russell.wisc.edu/wisconsin-ticks/wisconsin-ticks/dermacentor-variabilis/
http://labs.russell.wisc.edu/wisconsin-ticks/wisconsin-ticks/amblyomma-americanum-lone-star-tick/
https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/anaplasmosis-in-dogs
https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/ehrlichiosis-in-dogs
http://www.bphc.org/whatwedo/infectious-diseases/Infectious-Diseases-A-to-Z/Pages/Anaplasmosis.aspx
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/ehrlichiosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20372142
https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/transmission/index.html