Overview
All feature products are opt at the discernment of the GreatPetCare editorial team and do not meditate a unmediated endorsement by the source or referee .
You may not know it , but the things your dog loves most — boost in the Wood , playing fetch at the ballpark , roll around in the grass — can queer him to ticks , a potentially dangerous parasite . To help prevent disease in your pup , you need to be able to answer : What do ticks look like on dog ? And what should you do to protect your puppy ?
Ticks are present in all 50 states and the eight - legged arachnoid can transmit tick - acquit disease likeRocky Mountain Spotted Fever , Lyme disease , anaplasmosis , andehrlichiosis . That ’s why veterinarians recommend year - stave tick prevention medicinal drug for dogs , such asNexgard , to help reduce the risk of tick - borne diseases .
In 2022 , over 424,000 dogs tested positive for Lyme disease and 425,568 were diagnosed with a life - threatening malady called anaplasmosis , accord to data collected from the Companion Animal Parasite Council . [ 1 ]
“ Ticks have mouthparts that act like saws to penetrate the skin , ” explains Dr. Ed Breitschwerdt , Melanie S. Steele Distinguished Professorship in Medicine at the North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine . “ Once they attach , they release a variety of substances that broadcast virus , bacteria , or groups of infective agents . ”
What Do Ticks Look Like?
Ticks are arachnids , not worm . A tick goes through four life stages : eggs , larvae , nymph , and adult . The life stage can involve what a tick looks like .
Larvae , also called germ check , realise their name because they are interchangeable in both size and appearance to a poppy seed . depend on the species , grownup ticks can be as little as a 1/4 - inch long ; engorged ticks ( that have feast on blood ) are larger . Tick larvae have six legs while houri and adult have eight legs .
tick have heads that are much smaller than their dead body . Their mouthpart , the part that tie to the boniface , consist of twopalps , twochelicerae(chel - is - sir - ee ) and onehypostome(high - post - ohm ) . The chelicerae cuts through the skin and the hypostome function like a barbed needle , making the check mark difficult to remove . arduous ticking also have a tough cuticle on their rachis , called ascutum(scoot - uhm ) .
Ticks at all life stage can be on dogs . Larvae , nymphs , and adults feed on their stemma and beam disease .
“ Tick - bear diseases are the issue one vector - borne disease in the United States , ” say Dr. Lee Ann Lyons , a veterinary pathobiologist and alumna research assistant at the University of Illinois . “ Often , ticking are so pocket-sized that most people do n’t even agnise they ’re there — and that ’s what lay down them grave . By the clock time you actualize a tick is there , it ’s already been feeding for several solar day . ”
WhatDog Tick DiseasesShould You Be Worried About?
More than just a nuisance to remove , ticks have the potentiality to clear on several diseases . septic check transmit these condition to your dog through their bite . If leave untreated , many check - borne sickness can have serious consequences for your dog . This is why year - round tick control is so of import .
NexGardis a monthly beef cattle - flavored easygoing chew that dainty and control four common tick species — contraband - legged ( deer ) , lone star , American dog , and brown dog ticks – and preclude infection that cause Lyme disease . Nexgard can be guide along with your dog ’s monthly heartworm incumbrance . Or , for one - and - done convenience , there’sNexGard Plus , which provides broad - spectrum sponge bar for fleas and ticks , PLUS heartworm disease , roundworm , and hookworms .
Treatment can range from a course of antibiotics for less worrisome cases to hospitalization , blood transfusions , and on-going treatments for more intense cases . Keep extensive and pricy treatments at alcove with a pet health insurance plan . The folks atMetLifeoffer a variety of plans to meet every budget and need when life story happens .
The distribution of disease - carrying ticks varies geographically and by time of yr . However , you will find ticking virtually in any part of the United States .
Which dog tick diseases should you be most apprehensive about ? Here are the most common and troublesome :
Lyme Disease
because of theBorreliabacteria , Lyme disease is channel to dogs by theIxodestick — also bonk as the black - legged tick or cervid tick . Some dogs will never show symptoms , while others will live joint annoyance , lameness , fever , and more . If leave untreated , Lyme disease can precede to serious kidney problems .
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
This disease is a bacterial infection cause by the American dog check mark , Rocky Mountain Sir Henry Wood tick , and Lone Star check . Its symptom are extremely varying , making it difficult to diagnose . Catching and cover the disease early is key to a good prognosis , as is keeping your wienerwurst on a check mark preventive year - round .
Anaplasmosis
This term take place when dogs are exposed to the tick - borne bacteriaAnaplasma phagocytophilum . Many dog stay completely healthy , with no signs of disease . However , when clinical signs do take place , they are typically seen one to two week after exposure . These dogs prepare a grippe - like illness , which is sometimes refer to as dog tick fever or dog fever .
Ehrlichiosis
Ehrlichiosis is a bacterial infection that is transmitted typically by theBrown Dog Tick . Within 1 - 3 weeks of a raciness , your dog may show symptom such as fever , weight loss , and trouble external respiration . Getting your dog on antibiotics as soon as possible after spying is fundamental to a speedy recovery .
Harmful Ticks: How to Recognize Them on Dogs
Before a ticking attache , its movement often gives it off . If you see a small , dark-brown arachnid moving on your Canis familiaris , overcharge it off with gloves or a tissue paper if possible and kill it by putting it in a jar of rubbing alcoholic beverage .
Once a check mark embeds itself into a click ’s hide , it might attend like a evoke mole or dark skin tag . Since it can be toilsome to distinguish from a small bump , you ’ll have to look very closely for telltale signs it ’s a tick such as the hard , ellipse body and eight leg .
The head of the tick is the only part of the sponge that pass away into your pawl ’s body . So if you see a bump that is likely under the cutis , it ’s improbable to be a tick . If , however , you see something that is likely sticking out of your dog ’s skin , it may be a tick . take hold of a small magnifying glass to take a closer spirit .
There are several species of ticks that can transmit pathogens to dogs and identify what they search like and their characteristic can aid your vet diagnose and address disease if symptoms become present .
American Dog Tick (Dermacentor variabilis)
These ticks have flat , ellipse - shaped body . Females have snowy - to off - white markings on their upper back while Male have a mottled brown and white pattern across their backs .
The American dog tick lives east of the Rocky Mountains and in a growing bit of areas along the Pacific Coast . Research shows that this check coinage choose attaching around the head , ear and neck opening of dogs ( 2 ) . As larvae and nymphs , the American firedog ticking tends to stick to smaller brute like shiner but grownup ticking choose dogs .
“ At each one of these living stages , there ’s the risk that whatever animals it ’s feeding on has one of these pathogens and the tick will take in it and transmit it to its next host through the bacterium in its saliva , ” Lyons articulate .
Black-Legged Tick (Ixodes species)
name for its calamitous legs , pitch-black - legged female tick have compressed , oval - shaped orangish bodies with a large brown dot on their backs . The males are also categoric and oval - regulate but have brown organic structure with an off - white perimeter . The westerly black - legged tick ( Ixodes pacificus ) also has black ramification . The scutum on males consists of dark chocolate-brown and rust - colour marking and an orangish border besiege their oval body ; females have a rust - colored scutum with a dark browned marking on their upper back .
The ignominious - legged check ( Ixodes scapularis ) and Western fateful - legged check mark are both carrier wave ofBorrelia burgdorferi , the bacterium that causesLyme disease . Adult females of both species have fatal legs , principal , and scutum . They also have a crimson - colored belly .
These ticks , also know as deer ticks , attach around the pass , ears , and neck ( and sometimes on the back ) of hound . The black - legged tick lives throughout the Northeast and upper Midwest while the Western inglorious - legged ticking has a range that admit Arizona , California , Nevada , Oregon , Utah and Washington . Both prefer high encounter and subject grassland .
Brown Dog Tick (Rhipicephalus sanguineus)
Named for its browned color , this species can complete its intact life cycle indoors or outdoors . Therefore , you may find out them in menage , dog shelters , groomers , and boarding facilities , as well as grassland . The males and females seem like . Both have compressed , ellipse - shaped brown bodies but the male is glowering in colouring material than the female .
The Brown Dog Tick is the main species that transmit Rocky Mountain recognize febrility . While it will attach almost anywhere on a dog , Dr. Kathryn Duncan , a resident physician in veterinary parasitology at Oklahoma State University , notes that people most often find the Brown Dog Tick around a dog ’s head , ears , legs and between the toes .
Lone Star Tick (Amblyomma americanum)
The distaff Lone Star Tick has a white dot on her back that looks like a drip of blusher . Male have dark chocolate-brown and rust - colour marking ( but no white dots ) . Their bodies are slightly more rounded than other check mark specie .
These tick live throughout the Southeast , including parts of Texas . However , Duncan notes that their geographic distribution is spreading tight , adding , “ It ’s up into the Northeast now and constitute its means into the Midwest . ” You ’ll find these ticks hiding in fields and other bosky areas .
On dogs , the Lone Star Tick plant itself around the head and neck opening , belly , armpits and groin . It can channel illnesses like ehrlichiosis and Heartland virus disease , an illness that causes pyrexia , fatigue , headache , sickness and diarrhea .
“ It ’s a hunting watch ticking , ” Duncan explains . “ It detects our presence by C dioxide emission and shadows and will prosecute your deary … hunting them down . ”
How to Find Ticks on Your Dog
compute out what ticks look like on dogs begins with unconstipated ( daily ) tick checks .
You should check your firedog for ticks after tramp , slip to the dog parking area , and playtime in the backyard . Breitschwerdt give notice moving from head to bottom , function your hands all over with gentle pressure to feel for low prominence . attend under the shoe collar , between the toes and around the derriere , moving the hair away and looking at the skin to see if ticks have seize . tick on pawl earsare also common , so verify to check there as well .
“ hot dog with long , or dark fur are more challenging to find out , ” adds Lyons . “ You ’ll have to be more thorough . ”
Using a flea coxcomb can help oneself . The small tines will “ catch ” on tick , but combs should never supersede a thorough tactile geographic expedition with your finger’s breadth . Lyons notes that veritable balk can serve you find tick before they attach , reducing the risk of exposure that they ’ll spread disease .
How to Remove a Tick From Your Dog
If you find a tick on your dog , do n’t panic .
The overall likelihood of disease transmission is low . However , the longer the check stays impound , the higher the risk , agree to Lyons .
To remove an attached check mark , use a pair of tweezers or a tick - remotion creature . Grab the check mark as close-fitting to your ducky ’s skin as potential and pull straight up from the body surface , being careful not to pull any fur at the same clock time . You might point out a welt in the smear where you move out the ticking , especially if the mouthparts were n’t full remove .
“ If the mouthpart do stay in , you might have to go to the veterinarian because they have better cock to get those out , ” Duncan says . “ Sometimes the peel will just close over the remaining mouthpart but it could get infect to the point where you would need more sophisticated wound care or antibiotic . So , if you ca n’t get it all out , it is authoritative to ascertain the area or call your vet for advice . ”
Once you remove the tick , save it . Breitschwerdt hint putting the tick in a fictile bag labeled with the date and storing it in the refrigerator . If your frank starts exhibiting any symptom such as expiration of appetite , lameness , want of energy , fever , nausea , vomiting and arthritis - like stiffness , your vet can get important information about the species and what disease it might have carry .
“ If you ’ve ever come up a ticking on your pet , the biggest takeout is that your animate being has just proven to you that they must be on a even tick control condition mathematical product , ” Duncan says . “ Many think the tick time of year is restricted to the summertime months , but Ixodes species [ like the dark - legged tick ] favor the cooler months of the year and can be establish across most of the United States . ”
Talk to your veterinary about which year - circle tick prevention is best for your click and your category ’s modus vivendi . Keep in mind that check off species and parasites in ecumenical may depart by realm . So you may need to demand your vet whether a flea and tick preventative likeNexGardor a combo product that protects against both external and internal parasite , like NexGard Plus , would be a good fit for your eyetooth fellow .