7 Myths about ticks

While there are nearly 900 different species of ticks worldwide, in the UK the 2015 Big Tick Project found 6 different species of ticks with the Deer tick, Ixodes ricinus (also know as the castor bean tick) being by far the most common, on both dogs and cats. These ticks can be only 2-3 mm in size before they start to feed and so very difficult to find on our furry friends. This gives them time to feed on your pet and transmit disease such a Lyme disease, as well as the pathogens Babesia canis, and tick borne encephalitis virus. Therefore using preventative tick treatment is the best way to avoid the risk of ticks and associated diseases.

There are approximately 899 different species of ticks in the world. Ticks are divided into two distinct groups—hard ticks and soft ticks. Hard ticks have a hard shield behind the mouthparts and are shaped like a flat seed. Soft ticks lack a hard shell and are shaped like a raisin, although these can be easily confused with fully fed adult female hard ticks, which also look like a fat grey raisin. Although all ticks pose a problem, hard ticks are the types of ticks that you, your fur friends and family are more likely to encounter. The Brown Dog Tick, which is found in warmer regions of the world including in the USA and Southern and Central Europe, is sometimes introduced into UK homes from pets that have travelled abroad, and is an important tick for disease transmission.

The Brown Dog tick, Rhipicephalus sanguineus, enjoys the warmer climes of the sunny Mediterranean, often hiding in craggy areas and stone walls. This means however, that with central heating and warm cosy indoor living spaces they can also thrive inside. While not commonly seen in the UK, this tick is often found on dogs that have recently been abroad, and its lifecycle is such that within 3 months the female tick can lay over 4000 eggs which then develop into ticks that can infest a home, hiding in the nooks and crannies, and emerging to look for their next meal.

The list of tick-borne diseases is extensive. In addition to Babesiosis, depending on the country, ticks can carry and transmit Anaplasmosis, Ehrlichiosis, Canine Bartonellosis, haemotrophic mycoplasmosis among other major diseases. There may, in fact, be more than 100 known tick-borne infections. The risk for infection is not restricted to dogs and cats—you and your family may be at risk, too. The initial signs and symptoms of tick- borne diseases can be similar for animals and humans, alike—lethargy, fever, loss of appetite, joint pain, weakness—and these diseases can escalate and quickly become more serious. This is why it’s essential to protect your pets and yourself from ticks. It takes some feeding time for a tick to transmit a disease, perhaps up to 48 hours for an infected tick to transmit Babesiosis, for example. Ticks can transmit more than one disease during one feed over several days.

Some ticks are so tiny that they are often not seen. Although they always pose a big problem, the problem gets even bigger when the tick is gone. After feeding and mating, adult female ticks drop from their host and lay eggs. Different species of ticks lay different numbers of eggs, but that number is typically in the thousands. The eggs will later on develop into larvae and nymphs, before moulting into adult ticks.

Ticks cannot run or jump, but they don’t randomly fall onto a host. Ticks live in damp, shaded areas. They tend to hang out on tall grasses and low foliage waiting for a host to walk by. When they sense the vibration, warmth and carbon dioxide from a host, they extend their two front legs to latch onto the passing animal. This often happens when an animal or person brushes by tall grasses, low-lying leaves, and brush. Once a tick attaches to a host, it finds a preferred place to feed and can often consume an entire blood meal without being noticed.

Ticks thrive all year long. When the temperature drops and ticks are outside, they burrow underground, into sheds, under decks and in the foundations of homes to hibernate. As soon as the temperature rises above freezing, they come out of hibernation in search of a meal. Consider how likely you are to take your dog to the park on a warm winter day and then remember that you and your dog are not the only creatures that want to play outside when it’s warm—ticks will be out and about too. On the flip side, ticks living inside the home, such as the Brown Dog Tick mentioned earlier, stay active indoors 24/7, 365 days a year.