Tick, Tock: Tick Time in America

We're fast approaching the dreadful heat of August, otherwise known as tick season. From Texas to the Great Lakes, the heat is extreme enough to scorch its stamp into our memories for months to come. Our pets aren't fond of this weather any more than we are. In August, ticks are highly prevalent, particularly in the Northeast, the Midwest and on the West Coast. Though the presence of ticks is more prevalent in these particular regions, they are a blood-sucking reality that we all must be on the lookout for-especially when the temperatures start to rise. In certain climates like Northern California, ticks are a probability all year round. This month's issue of the HealthyPetNet News pertains to the "tick factor" and covers everything from different species to potential diseases they transmit to methods of prevention.

The Tick

Ticks are wingless parasites that dine on blood. Contrary to popular belief, they do not drop down from trees or jump from host to host as if playing a game of leapfrog. Ticks get around strictly by crawling. Understanding ticks and learning how to control them is crucial to pet owners. First, it is important to note that ticks are much more of a dog problem than a cat problem mainly because of grooming. Since cats seem to be able to groom every part of themselves with their sandpaper tongues, they are much more likely to remove ticks. In the unlikely event that a cat does contract a tick-related disease, it's hard to diagnose because the way the disease manifests in cats varies from disorientation to not eating or to vomiting.

Ticks develop in four stages: egg, larva, nymph and full adulthood. The body of the host is the usual mating ground for an adult male and female tick. The female then gorges on the host's blood to her heart's content then drops off the host and lays her eggs in the habitat ... that can be in your backyard or on your living room carpet. Some female ticks die after depositing their eggs, which can number in the thousands. The eggs then hatch in anywhere from 21 to 50 days. After hatching, the larva lives in the surrounding vegetation waiting for a small host like a rodent or a bird. Once the larva finds a host, it feeds for a few days, drops off and molts into a nymph. The nymph then feeds on a slightly larger host such as a possum, skunk, rabbit or raccoon for anywhere from several days to a week. After it has had its fill, it falls off and molts into a full adult. At this age of maturation, the tick is able to feed on larger animals such as Great Danes, White-Tailed deer, and...well...us. 

Let's keep in mind that this is a very general overview of a tick's development. It does not encapsulate the rapidity of development of all species of ticks. 

Though ticks, in fact, don't fly and get around by crawling rather slowly, it's quite easy for them to find a host. Not only do ticks respond to a host's release of carbon dioxide and just plain old body heat, they also crawl into grass, low bushes and weeds and simply wait for a host to brush up against the vegetation. When this occurs, they simply detach themselves from the vegetation and latch on to the host and crawl until they find the right place to latch on to and feed. Unfortunately for us and for our pets, it's really that simple. 

Species

As we mentioned earlier, there are several different species of ticks. However, we will touch on the three major species, which have the propensity to affect our households the most. In the United States, the two most closely related species, the Black Legged Tick (also known as