Ticks

What are Ticks?

Ticks are parasitic vertebrates that infest every class of terrestrial vertebrate, including mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians. A tick is not an insect. They are members of the class Arachnida, which includes spiders, scorpions, and mites. While there are many species of ticks throughout the world, only a few are known to cause problems to humans and pets in North America.


The most common ticks:

  • Ixodes scapularis (Deer Tick)
  • Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Brown Dog Tick)
  • Dermacentor variabilis (American Dog Tick)
  • Amblyomma americanum (Lone Star Tick)
  • Dermacentor andersoni (Rocky Mountain Wood Tick) Ticks have a lot of advantages. They have an unusually long lifespan, which not only perpetuates the ticks, but also the pathogens they may carry, making it considerably more difficult to control these diseases. In addition, they can survive through various unfavorable conditions, and their reproductive activity is high.
    The Tick Life Cycle

    Ticks lay their eggs in various places, but not on the host. Usually, they are laid and hatched in the environment. Female ticks can lay up to 22,000 eggs in a single egg-laying event. After ticks hatch, they seek a host, feed for several days, then drop off and become nymphal ticks, which repeat the same process to become adult ticks. Adults also seek a host, feed and drop off, laying their eggs in the environment to complete their life cycle. Once ticks find a host, they securely attach themselves by imbedding their mouth parts as holdfasts into the pet’s skin, and begin feeding off of its blood. If a tick is carelessly pulled off, the head often remains in the skin. As the tick continues to feed, ticks become engorged with the pet’s blood and their size can increase by several times. Ticks pose a health threat to both pets and people. Ticks transmit disease-causing agents, several of which have risen to epidemic proportions. Some of the most common tick-borne diseases are Lyme disease,Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and Ehrlichiosis.

    Symptoms:

    Symptoms of tick-borne diseases include: fever, muscle and joint pain, stiffness, and rashes. If untreated, these health problems can become severe and long-term treatment may become necessary.