Dogs and Ticks Don’t Mix

By Tiffany Mitchener, DVM

Is there anything worse than finding a swollen, engorged tick on your dog’s body? A tick is more than a physical nuisance. It can transmit serious diseases to your dog as well. Therefore, you should know how to prevent tick infestations and disease transmission in your dog.

Tick Basics

A tick is a small parasite that attaches to a mammal for a blood meal. It is commonly found in tall grasses, plants in wooded areas, and leaf litter on the ground. Looking for its next meal, a tick climbs on to a passing mammal. The tick is attracted to warmth, motion, and the carbon dioxide gas exhaled by mammals. Once on a host, a tick will attach itself by its mouth to the animal’s skin.

The saliva of a tick can carry disease. This disease can be transmitted to the host animal through the blood meal. It is important to note that a tick must be attached to its host for at least 24 hours before disease transmission can occur.

The tick life cycle consists of an adult female laying eggs; these eggs hatch into the larval stage, which develops to the nymph stage, then on to the adult. The nymph stage, in particular, is active in the spring and summer in Santa Cruz County. It can be extremely difficult to spot, as it is only the size of a sesame seed! Unfortunately, the nymph stage can be responsible for disease transmission as well. According to Santa Cruz County Mosquito and Vector Control, the nymph stage of Western black-legged ticks in Santa Cruz County were 3-5 times more likely to carry the bacteria responsible for Lyme disease than the adult ticks.

Tick-borne Diseases

Tick-borne diseases can be quite serious in our canine companions. Lyme disease, Ehrlichiosis, and Anaplasmosis are all found in Santa Cruz County. These diseases are spread by different tick species. Often an infected dog will develop vague clinical signs including lack of appetite, depression, lethargy, and a shifting leg lameness. Occasionally, the dog will develop a fever. If possible, it is best to catch the disease in the early stages for successful treatment. Therapy may require a long course of antibiotics.

It is important to note that some dogs become infected but never develop clinical signs.

Your local veterinarian has a simple screening tool, called a 4DX test, which can help determine if a patient has ever been exposed to a common tick-borne disease. If a positive result is obtained, then further testing may be necessary.

This helpful screening test checks for the mosquito-borne heartworm disease, as well as the tick-borne diseases of Lyme, Ehrlichia, and Anaplasma. If your dog is routinely exposed to ticks, then it is an excellent idea to have your dog screened annually with this test. In particular, if a dog has a known tick attachment, then it should be tested with a 4DX test one month after the tick bite.

The majority of tick-borne diseases are zoonotic, meaning that humans can become infected, too.

It is important to note that humans must be bitten by the tick for disease transmission. An infected dog cannot directly transfer the disease to its human owner.

Tick Prevention

Remember that it takes approximately 24 hours of tick attachment for the tick to transfer disease to its host. Careful observation of your canine companion can prevent tick attachment and subsequent disease transmission. Brush fingers through your dog’s fur, feeling for small lumps. Check for ticks carefully in crevices: toes, ears, armpits, under the tail, around the head, etc. Remember that the nymph stage can be very small; you are looking for something the size of a sesame seed! Maintaining your dog on a tick preventative recommended by your veterinarian can be very helpful. These preventatives do not eliminate or repel ticks, in other words, ticks will still “catch a ride.” But the preventatives do keep ticks from latching on for a blood meal, which will prevent disease transmission.

If a tick is found attached on your canine companion, quick removal is very important to minimize disease transmission. Take your dog to the veterinarian if you are unsure how to remove a tick.

How do you reduce environmental tick transmission? Do not walk your dog in high grasses or wooded country during tick season. Use a tick preventative recommended by your veterinarian on your dog. Keep shrubs and grasses closely clipped. Clean up leaves or other plant debris on your lawn. Limit plants around your dog’s play area and outdoor kennel. Prevent deer from entering your landscaped yard. Use wood chips or gravel to create a wildlife barrier. Finally, check your dog and yourself often for ticks after walking through tick infested country. Seek medical attention when necessary.

Remember dogs and ticks don’t mix! With care for your dog, you can make this spring a tick-free season.

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Courtesy of Capitola Veterinary Hospital 1220 H 41st Avenue, Capitola, Tel #: 831-476-7387, Website: capitolaveterinaryhospital.com