General Information

Ticks like to hide in the tall grass of fields as well as in the vegetation of wooded areas.  They drop onto any animal or human that passes by.  Once on the animal, ticks will seek out a warm secure site (often around the head and ears or under a collar) and embed their heads into the skin of the animal to suck a blood meal.  Once female ticks have gorged themselves, they drop off of the animal to lay eggs, which in turn leads to the growth and spread of the tick population.  Ticks are more than just a nuisance; they are a serious health concern for both animals and people.  Infections are common at the site where they embed.  Ticks also carry a number of serious diseases such as Lyme disease and Rocky Mounted Spotted fever. 

Tick Season:  Tick problems generally start in mid to late March once the daytime temperatures are consistently reaching 60 degrees.  While flea numbers tend to increase gradually throughout the warm months, tick numbers explode in the cooler wetter weather of the spring.  April and May represent the peak months of tick season in the Cincinnati area.   Numbers remain high through June and until the weather turns hot and dry.  Usually tick numbers decline by mid to late summer, but ticks will continue to be a problem in lower numbers until the first hard freeze.

At Risk Pets:  Any pet that spends time in the ticks natural habitat is considered at high risk, especially during the peak months of April and May.  Farm dogs, hunting dogs, sporting dogs, and free-roaming cats are at especially high risk due to their high exposure to tick habitat.  However, any animal that goes camping, hiking, or walking in fields or wooded areas is likely to pick up ticks.  Even urban and suburban parks host a healthy tick population in their “natural” areas.  Because of the significant health risk associated with tick infestation, these parasites should be taken seriously, even in animals with limited exposure.

Tick Identification:  It is important whenever possible to identify the type(s) of tick found on your pet.  Different ticks carry different diseases. By knowing which type of tick your pet was exposed to can greatly aid your veterinarian in making a quick and accurate diagnosis should your pet become ill following tick exposure.   The Ohio State University Extension Office provides a website with photos and descriptions of the tick types found within Ohio:    http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/pdf/2073.pdf. This website can aid in identification and provide additional information about local tick species.  It is important to note that the disease discussions on this website provide information on each disease in humans, not dogs.

Prevention

Manual Removal of Ticks:  Because none of the commercial preventatives are 100% effective and most of them have a slow-kill rate, dogs and cats with high exposure to tick habitat should be checked daily for ticks, even if they are receiving the monthly prescription preventatives.  

For animals with only very short and limited exposure to tick habitat, manually removing ticks may be the only necessary prevention.  This should be done immediately following a walk through a field or wooded area, before the tick has time to embed. 

It is important to go over the entire animal with a fine-toothed comb so as not to any of these tiny parasites that are so notorious for spreading disease.  Because ticks are easy to miss, it is recommended that you check key sites on your pet for embedded ticks several times over the three days following an outing.  These key sites include the ears (both inside and outside), the head and neck, the collar/harness area, and the armpits, as these are the most common areas for ticks to embed. 

Removing an Embedded Tick:  If an embedded tick is discovered, it is important to carefully remove the entire tick, so as not to leave part of the head embedded in the skin.  The area of skin around where the tick was embedded should be closely observed for any sign of infection or redness at the time of removal and for several days following removal.  If there is concern that the tick may have transmitted a disease to your pet, it is important to keep the tick alive.  Only live ticks can be tested for disease-causing agents.  Information on tick testing is available on the Ohio State University Extension Office website: http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/pdf/2073.pdf. Following this protocol allows for the tick to be directly tested for disease-causing organisms should an infection or illness occur following the tick bite.  This is especially important for engorged ticks, as the degree of engorgement is a direct indicator of the amount of time the tick has been embedded.  The longer a tick remains embedded, the more likely it is to transmit disease.

Prescription vs. Over-the-Counter Prevention:  Clermont Animal Hospital currently recommends Vectra 3-D® for dogs and Frontline Plus® for cats.  It is the opinion of our doctors and staff that these are currently the best tick preventatives on the market; however, several other prescription-strength tick preventatives are also available through our online store for clients wishing to purchase other products.  The products we carry are much more effective than anything you can buy from a pet store or grocery store. Most products you get from a pet or grocery store only provide a slow kill for the ticks, which gives the tick time to embed and potentially spread disease.  The Vectra 3-D® repels ticks in addition to killing them.  This means that most ticks will not stay on your pet long enough to embed.

In addition to monthly preventatives, Clermont Animal Hospital also offers a short-acting spray to kill and repel both fleas and ticks.  This is ideal for animals that have only limited and infrequent exposure to tick habitat.  Tick collars are also available over-the-counter.  These collars are not recommended for two reasons.  First, the collar mostly provides protection for the head and neck region, but does not guarantee that ticks won’t embed elsewhere on the body.  Secondly, these collars contain medications that are toxic if a pet or young child would chew or ingest part of the collar. 

Health Problems Related to Ticks

Infection at Site of Tick Embedment:  Bacterial infections often occur at the site where ticks are removed.  This may look like an area of red or irritated skin or may appear as a pimple or pustule.  While these skin infections are often minor and easy to treat, they should always be checked by a veterinarian as they may be a sign of a more serious tick-borne illness.

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF):  This is a bacterial infection in dogs and humans spread by ticks.  In humans, this causes a reddened area or ring around the site and a rash, giving the illness its name.  This skin lesion is only present in 20% of dogs.  The signs most commonly seen in dogs include fever, lethargy, decreased appetite, muscle and joint pain, swollen lymph nodes, and swollen face and/or limbs.  Kidney problems, decreased platelet count, and anemia may also be present.  The onset of illness varies from two to 14 days after tick exposure and varies in severity from very mild to life-threatening.  The infection can be treated with antibiotics, but dogs often have to be hospitalized for supportive care of related problems caused by the infection.  It should be noted that the area around Goshen, Ohio is considered a hotbed for this disease.  Our clients living in or visiting that area should be particular vigilant about tick control.

Lyme Disease:  This is another bacterial disease spread by ticks.  While RMSF signs begin shortly after tick exposure, the signs of Lyme disease are delayed two to five months after a tick bite.  The most common sign associated with this disease is a sudden onset of lameness caused by arthritis in multiple joints.  Other signs include fever, decreased appetite, lethargy, and swollen lymph nodes, but these signs are more variable in occurrence.  In severe cases, the kidney, heart, and nervous system may also be affected.  Most animals respond well to antibiotic therapy if it is begun promptly.  Chronic, well-established infections may take weeks or months of antibiotic therapy to respond completely.  This disease is very prevalent in New England and the Northeast.  Animals that travel to area of high prevalence should be vaccinated.

Other Systemic Bacterial Infections:  There are a number of other disease complexes caused by bacteria carried by ticks.  Bacterial groups include Erlichia, Rickettsia, and Babesia.  Signs of infection vary with the causative bacteria and the severity of the disease.  If your dog is ill and you report tick exposure within the last six months, the doctors at Clermont Animal Hospital will be able to determine whether or not the signs are consistent with one or more of the many tick-borne diseases.

It is important to note that there are different types of ticks in different regions of the country and that the tick-borne illnesses vary by tick type and region.  If your dog has exposure to ticks outside the tri-state area, it is extremely important to inform your veterinarian of this.  Many of these diseases have a delayed onset, with signs occurring weeks or months after tick exposure.   Any exposure within the last year should be reported if you pet is showing signs of illness.

Tick Paralysis:  Several species of ticks inject a toxin into the bite.  Dogs or humans that are exposed to this toxin may become paralyzed as a result.  While this toxin is usually mild, requiring high numbers of ticks or repeated tick exposure to cause paralysis, particularly sensitive individuals may become paralyzed after exposure to a single tick bite.  Signs usually begin five to nine days after tick attachment.  Most dogs recover spontaneously three or more days after removing the tick; however, supportive care is very important during this recovery period which can last up to two weeks.  In very severe cases, the paralysis may affect the nerves leading to swallowing and respiration.  These animals may need very intensive support in order to survive.