What are Ticks?

Ticks are parasitic vertebrates that infest every class of terrestrial vertebrate, including mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians. A tick is not an insect. They are members of the class Arachnida, which includes spiders, scorpions, and mites. While there are many species of ticks throughout the world, only a few are known to cause problems to humans and pet s in North America.

The most common ticks:

# Ixodes scapularis (Deer Tick)
# Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Brown Dog Tick)
# Dermacentor variabilis (American Dog Tick)
# Amblyomma americanum (Lone Star Tick)
# Dermacentor andersoni (Rocky Mountain Wood Tick)

Ticks have a lot of advantages. They have an unusually long lifespan, which not only perpet uates the ticks, but also the pathogens they may carry, making it considerably more difficult to control these diseases. In addition, they can survive through various unfavorable conditions, and their reproductive activity is high.

The Tick Life Cycle

Ticks lay their eggs in various places, but not on the host. Usually, they are laid and hatched in the environment. Female ticks can lay up to 22,000 eggs in a single egg-laying event. After ticks hatch, they seek a host, feed for several days, then drop off and become nymphal ticks, which repeat the same process to become adult ticks. Adults also seek a host, feed and drop off, laying their eggs in the environment to complete their life cycle.

Once ticks find a host, they securely attach themselves by imbedding their mouth parts as holdfasts into the pet ’s skin, and begin feeding off of its blood. If a tick is carelessly pulled off, the head often remains in the skin. As the tick continues to feed, ticks become engorged with the pet ’s blood and their size can increase by several times.

Ticks pose a health threat to both pet s and people. Ticks transmit disease-causing agents, several of which have risen to epidemic proportions. Some of the most common tick-borne diseases are Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and Ehrlichiosis.

Symptoms:

Symptoms of tick-borne diseases include: fever, muscle and joint pain, stiffness, and rashes. If untreated, these health problems can become severe and long-term treatment may become necessary.

What You Can Do:

1. Prevention

# Tick prevention in pet s is very important in areas where there is exposure. Frontline Flea Control for cats and dogs is a once a month topical treatment which is highly effective.

# Most collars don’t work well because they often don’t ward off ticks attaching to areas near the back and hind end of the animal since the collars are up front around the neck. The Preventic Tick Collar for dogs, however, works well since its mode of action differs from most collars. It actually releases a compound by contacting the skin of the pet and thus provides whole body protection.

# Breakaway Flea & Tick Collar for Cats design allows a cat to free itself if its collar catches on a fixed object. It kills both fleas and ticks for up to six full months.

2. Shampoos

# Ovitrol Plus Flea & Tick Shampoo for Dogs & Cats is a soothing, oatmeal-enriched insecticidal shampoo that offers immediate and residual control.

# Adams Pyrethrin Dip (4oz) kills and repels fleas, ticks, lice, gnats, mosquitoes and flies on dogs and cats.

3. Sprays

Because ticks lay their eggs in their surrounding environment, it is important to treat your yard, house and your pet ’s bedding as well as your pet .

# Adams Carpet Spray (16oz) Contains Nylar® insect growth regulator, and the botanically-derived insecticide Linalool Kills all four stages of the flea - adults, eggs, larvae and pupae. It breaks the flea life cycle and controls reinfestation for up to 210 days. Use on carpet s, drapes, rugs, upholstered furniture and pet bedding.

# Siphotrol Yard Spray (32oz) kills and repels mosquitoes, ticks, fleas and other insects. Treats up to 5,000 sq. ft. and provides up to four weeks of control.

4. Other

# Tick Twister is an easy-to-use tick remover that is safe and effective. It is specially designed notch grabs tick at skin level and removes it completely in one motion. Its bowl-shaped end securely contains the tick for easy disposal.
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