Your straightaway reaction when you notice an engorged tick wriggling around in your dog ’s pelt is probably “ ewwww . ”
We get it . Allspecies of ticksare gross , but the ick factor is nothing compared to their potential to transmittick - wear diseasesto your frump .
Different ticking speciescan carry different diseases and nonplus a variety of risk to your canine companions . In this article , we ’ll be concentre on the browned dog tick and what you ask to be aware of if your dog is prick by one .
What Is a Brown Dog Tick?
As you may have guess , the browned wienerwurst tick ( Rhipicephalus sanguineus)was named for its color . These parasites are reddish - brownish in color and have elongated bodies .
Nymphs ( younger check ) mature up to 1.3 millimetre recollective and 0.66 millimetre wide , with four span of legs . Adult brown dog ticking also have four duo of legs and the same reddish - brown coloring but grow up to 3.18 millimetre long and 1.68 millimeters panoptic . After a blood repast , engorged female dark-brown domestic dog ticks can increase their size of it 100 - sheepcote .
The brownish dog tick can be found in all 50 states , and it ’s the mostwidespread speciesin the world . And even though brown dog click prefer tropical and temperate mood , the blood - suck in sponger can go indoors anywhere in the world , read Dr. Katie Clow , veterinary and help professor at Ontario Veterinary College at the University of Guelph . “ Because dogs move all around the reality , either with their owner or to find new place , these ticks can be transport vast space and end up in fresh places , ” she explains .
In fact , Dr. Clow notes that one of the things that make the brown dog tick unique is the fact that it thrives in indoor environment , including home and kennels that are too waterless for other check species to survive .
“ When [ brown blackguard ticks ] are not actively looking for a boniface … like a detent , they can blot out in cracks and crevices within the home , ” she contribute .
Brown Dog Tick vs. Deer Tick
The cervid tick ( Ixodes scapularis)is another common tick species . It ’s found mainly along the east coast of the United States , peculiarly in forests , meadows , and wetlands where snowy - tail cervid are plentiful . dog pick up the ticking while boost or running through these area .
At first glimpse , the deer check mark might be mistaken for a brown tick , but a close looking reveals some distinct difference between the species . For starter motor , manly cervid ticks are dark brownish to black in color , and female cervid tick have colorful orangish - red scoring on their back .
Both male and female cervid ticks have dark fountainhead with dark spots behind their heads ( called a dorsal shell ) and four distich of wooden leg that are drear browned to nigrify in color , earning them the nickname “ blackleg ticking . ”
5 Brown Dog Tick Dangers
dark-brown wienerwurst ticks are fuck to deport disease that can be potentially grave to our canine comrade , causing symptoms ranging from balmy malady to death . Let ’s go over some of the most vernacular brown dog check diseases , as well as the danger associated with them .
Anaplasmosis
Deer tick and westerly black - legged tick are typically consociate withanaplasmosis , but one form of the disease , Anaplasma platys , is transmitted by the brown dog tick .
symptom like lameness , joint pain , fever , and lack of appetite most commonly seem within one to seven day after an septic brown dog tick bite a canine . In more severe cases , dogs may experiencevomiting , looseness of the bowels , cough , hassle breathing , andseizures .
antibiotic are used to treat the disease . The prognosis is good , with most dogs present meaning foretoken of improvement within 24 to 48 hours of start treatment .
Babesiosis
brownish dog ticks can transmit a number ofBabesiaspecies , intracellular parasites that assault red descent cells . The most usual symptom of babesiosis admit feverishness , genus Anemia - touch on low vim and weakness , and blue platelets that can increase the danger of spite and haemorrhage .
“ The symptoms place from meek to severe , with younger animals by and large experiencing more severe disease , ” Dr. Clow says .
Babesiosis is treated with a number of different medications . However , egest this being can be gainsay . Some cad remain chronically infected , despite strong-growing treatment .
Ehrlichiosis
Ehrlichiosis can induce symptom rank from fever , low energy , and lack of appetite to free weight release andnosebleeds . These symptom unremarkably pass one to four week after contagion .
Although intervention for acuteehrlichiosisis available and can lead to recovery , some frankfurter do n’t show any symptoms and are never treated . This can extend to infected firedog becoming “ subclinical ” carrier wave of the bacteria . “ This means chocolate-brown dog ticks that bite them can pick up the bacteria and then transmit it to other dogs , ” Dr. Clow say . “ It also means they may evolve the chronic phase of disease , which can be stark and calamitous . ”
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
Rickettsia rickettsiicausesRocky Mountain Spotted Fever , and brown dog tick are among the species that transmit the bacterium . “ Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever is a terrible and potentially fateful disease in dogs , ” Dr. Clow say .
The master symptom let in fever , red of appetite , weight unit loss , vomiting , diarrhoea , loss of rest , seizures , swelling of the limbs and muscle / joint hurting that can make it unmanageable to take the air , and other neurological sign .
humankind can also be diagnosed with Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever . While you ca n’t get the disease from your dog , you may get it from tick bites , so it ’s crucial to fit yourself for ticks after being in the same environments as potentially infect browned domestic dog tick .
Hepatozoonosis
Unlike other check mark - have a bun in the oven disease that are transmitted when an infected tick bites a dog-iron , hepatozoonosis infection fall out when dogs ingest an septic tick . Hepatozoon , a individual - celled organism , is released from the assimilate ticking into the detent ’s intestine and travel through the liver , lungs , and other organ and pearl marrow .
Hepatozoonosis can be find throughout the United States but it ’s more common in warm climates , including the southern and southeastern regions of the land . Most hepatozoon cases associated with browned dog ticks are symptomless , but signs may include fever , weight unit loss , and lethargy . Medications are used to manage the sign consociate with diagnostic infection , but the contagion typically can not be heal .
Brown Dog Tick Symptoms
Dr. Clow notes that “ check bites are rarely discover , ” so it ’s also a good estimation to be on the lookout for signs that your dog may be pale from a tick - borne disease , include :
If you notice any of these symptom , call your vet .
What to Do if You Find a Brown Dog Tick on Your Dog
If a chocolate-brown dog tick has chosen your pup as its boniface , grab the tweezers ( or atick remotion tool ) ! You’llneed to remove itand you may need to take it to your veterinarian to have the species identified and speak about the next steps .
You may also need to reach an eradicator . “ If you happen repeated brown dog ticks on your frankfurter , you could have a home plague , ” say Dr. Clow . “ Especially if you live in colder climate areas where ticks are not known to be found outdoors . ”
Brown Dog Tick Bite Prevention
You might not always be able to prevent a brownish dog tick from biting your dog , but you could take legal action to foreclose the parasites from transmit disease .
It ’s of import to do steady “ check mark cheque ” to check that that a dark-brown tick is n’t using your dog for a blood repast . Check your dog ’s integral torso but give limited attention to the head , earsand back , between their toes , and the area where their legs meet their body , which are pet spots for browned dog tick off to attach .
But the serious agency to keep brown dog ticks and other tick species is to give your dog veritable flea and tick preventative . “ Pet parent should believe veterinary prescribed check contraceptive that are in force against brown dog-iron ticking , ” Dr. Clow says .
These easygoing - to - administer product can kill ticks as presently as they sting your dog , foreclose disease transmission system and ensure your dog stay sizeable .
