Just as ticks carry and transmit harmful diseases to humans, so can they carry and transmit harmful diseases to your pet. Understanding how ticks live and the diseases they carry can help reduce the dangers they pose.

As always, your veterinarian is the best resource for more information on this subject.

The tick life cycle

The life cycle of all ticks includes three stages of growth, including larvae, nymph and adult. All stages must feed on the blood of their host, generally during summer. In most tick species, the tick drops off the host animal between stages. The larvae, or "seed ticks", hatch from eggs and climb onto vegetation where they wait to "catch" passing animals. Once on the new host, they attach and feed on blood. Nymphs and adults employ the same method of host seeking.

This tick life cycle can take from two months up to three years and will tend to proceed faster in warm, moist weather. Because ticks can lay large quantities of eggs (up to several thousand!), tick problems can escalate rapidly.

Mating of adults takes place on the host while attached and feeding. Egg laying by the female tick occurs after detachment.

How ticks transmit disease

Ticks can transmit disease-causing organisms known as pathogens in a variety of ways. In some cases, they can transmit pathogens from one host to another by simple mechanical transfer. This usually occurs when ticks move from one host to another and their mouthparts are contaminated with blood containing pathogens.

Ticks can also transmit organisms throughout the three stages of growth. Typically with this type of transmission, the pathogen goes through some type of development or maturation inside the tick. After this occurs, the organisms can be transferred either between stages or from females to offspring.

Lyme disease

Lyme disease is the most frequently reported tick-transmitted disease of humans in the United States. It is caused by the spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi. Lyme disease has been reported in at least 24 states in the U.S. in areas where Ixodes scapularis or Ixodes pacificus ticks are found.

The occurrence of Lyme disease in dogs is very similar to that of humans. To see the distribution of Lyme disease cases in humans please click here.

The common signs associated with Lyme disease are acute, arthritis-like symptoms, lethargy and loss of appetite.

Treatment of Lyme disease with antibiotics is usually successful. When left untreated, Lyme disease can lead to severe lameness, neurological problems and possibly even death.

Lyme disease can be prevented by avoiding tick-infested areas, using proven tick control products and having your dogs vaccinated against Lyme disease. For more information please contact your veterinarian.

Ehrlichia canis

Ehrlichia canis is one of the most commonly reported canine infectious diseases in the U.S. and occurs any place its source, the brown dog tick, may be found. Signs of E. canis infections are usually non-specific and consist of fever, discharge from the eyes and nose, anorexia, depression and weight loss.

Treatment with antibiotics is usually successful.

Like Lyme disease, avoidance of tick infested areas and limitations on tick attachment and feeding time are crucial for preventing the transmission of E. canis.

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever is the most frequently reported tick-transmitted rickettsial disease in the United States. The primary tick vector for this potentially fatal disease is the American dog tick Dermacentor variabilis.

Most infected dogs are less than three years old and purebred dogs appear to be more likely to suffer from this disease. Many dogs infected with this disease are also infected with E. canis. They may experience inflammation of the heart, internal hemorrhaging and organ failure.

Early signs of this disease are vague. Shortly after infection, signs include high fever, lethargy, loss of appetite, sore muscles and mucus in the eyes and labored breathing.

Early detection and treatment is important. Antibiotic treatment is often successful.

Like other tick-borne diseases, avoidance of tick-infested areas and limitations on tick attachment and feeding are crucial for preventing transmission of this disease.

Although the prospect of contracting Lyme disease or other tick-borne diseases is a concern to us all, there is no need to avoid the woods or outdoors. You can still enjoy a healthy outdoor lifestyle as long as you know how to properly take preventative measures against tick bites.

What is Lyme disease and what does it look like?

Lyme disease (Lyme borreliosis) is caused by a bacterial infection spread by deer ticks. It was first named in 1977 when arthritis was observed in children in and around Lyme, Connecticut.

Early signs and symptoms - usually 3-30 days after a bite - can include an expanding, persistent rash usually radiating from the site of the tickbite. There may also be flu-like symptoms such as body aches and mild fever.

Around the time the rash appears, other symptoms such as joint pains, chills and fatigue are common. As Lyme disease progresses, other symptoms, including severe fatigue, a stiff, aching neck and peripheral nervous system involvement such as tingling or numbness in the extremities or facial paralysis can occur.

Weeks, months and even years later, more severe and potentially debilitating symptoms may occur, including severe headaches, painful arthritis, swelling of joints, cardiac abnormalities and even mental disorders.

Who gets Lyme disease?

Anyone of any age can develop Lyme disease. In the U.S., the incidence of Lyme disease has nearly tripled since 1991. Nearly 30,000 cases were reported last year.

You are at greatest risk of developing Lyme disease from a tick bite if you:

• Live in areas heavily infested with ticks that carry Lyme disease, such as the northeast, mid-Atlantic, north-central or Pacific coastal states (see map).
  
  
• Are between the ages of 5-9 years or 50-59 years (probably due to greater exposure to infected ticks and less use of protective measures).

The risk of Lyme disease is highest during the spring, summer and early fall months, when young (nymphal stage) ticks are most active and people spend more time outdoors.

Reduce your chance of getting a tick-bite by following these precautions

Ticks generally seek a blood meal at, or slightly above, ground level by climbing onto vegetation and using its forelegs to feel/grab for a host. They like to rest on low-lying brush and 'catch a ride' on a passing animal or person. Ticks use carbon dioxide, scent, body heat, and other stimuli to find a host.

The following personal prevention and property protection techniques can significantly reduce the risk of becoming infected with tick-borne diseases.

Avoid tick infested areas when possible — including heavily wooded areas, low-growing grasslands and the seashore. Stay in the center of paths, avoid sitting on the ground or on stone walls.

Wear light-colored clothing so you can more easily see ticks on your clothing and remove them before they attach to your skin and feed.

Wear a long-sleeved shirt and long pants to reduce the skin area exposed to ticks. Also, tuck your shirt into your pants and pants into your socks. This keeps the ticks on the outside of your clothing and thwarts their efforts to crawl onto your skin. When this isn't practical you should increase your vigilance in conducting tick-checks.

Use EPA-approved tick repellents. Children should always have an adult apply the repellent for them. Wash repellents off when you return inside

Conduct frequent tick-checks. This includes a visual inspection of the clothing and exposed skin, followed by a naked, full-body examination in a private location. Be sure to check the scalp, behind and in the ears, and behind any joints.

Upon returning home, clothes can be spun in the dryer for 20 minutes to kill any unseen ticks.

A shower and shampoo may help to dislodge crawling ticks, but is only somewhat effective. Keep in mind that nymphal deer ticks are the size of poppy seeds; adult deer ticks are the size of sesame seeds.

Remember to check your pets too! This is not only for your pets' safety but for you and your family's as well. Pets can bring ticks in from outside and put you and your family at risk for infection.

If you find a tick, don't panic!

Even if a tick is attached to your skin, don't make any assumptions. Not all ticks are infected, and studies of infected deer ticks have shown that they begin transmitting Lyme disease an average of 36 to 48 hours after attachment. That means your chances of contracting Lyme disease are greatly reduced if you remove a tick within the first 24 hours. Remember, too, that the majority of early Lyme disease cases are easily treated and cured.

To remove a tick, follow these steps:

1. Using a pair of pointed precision tweezers, grasp the tick by the head or mouthparts right where they enter the skin. DO NOT grasp the tick by the body.
   
   
2. Without jerking, pull firmly and steadily directly outward. DO NOT twist the tick out or apply petroleum jelly, a hot match, alcohol or any other irritant to the tick in an attempt to get it to back out. These methods can backfire and even increase the chances of the tick transmitting the disease.

Place the tick in a vial or jar of alcohol to kill it.

Clean the bite wound with disinfectant.

Then, monitor the site of the bite for the appearance of a rash beginning 3 to 30 days after the bite. At the same time, learn about the other early symptoms of Lyme disease and watch to see if they appear in about the same timeframe. If a rash or other early symptoms develop, see a physician immediately.

References:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Rd, Atlanta, GA 30333
Lyme Disease Foundation, 1 Financial Plaza, Hartford CT 06103
American Lyme Disease Foundation, Inc., Mill Pond Offices, 293 Route 100, Ste. 204, Somers, NY 10589