There are several types of ticks in the Mount Washington Valley. The dog tick, the winter tick, and the deer tick are the most common. Ticks vary in size based upon what type of tick they are, what phase of their life cycle they are in, and whether or not they have just eaten! Ticks found attached and enlarged on their host are engorged with blood, and are very difficult at that point to identify. Nymphs of the tiny deer tick are as big as the period on this page, and almost impossible to spot on a pet. www.tickinfo.com is a great website to visit if you need assistance in identifying ticks.

Ticks prefer to live in grassy or wooded areas. They await their prey on low bushes, grasses, and in trees. Their sensitive detection system allows them to sense heat or carbon dioxide from a potential host several feet away. They instinctively choose ambush sites along well-traveled paths. They will generally drop off their host animal when full of blood, but this may take several days. After a few weeks they begin looking for another victim.

The life cycle of ticks has several stages. They begin as eggs that hatch into larvae, which in turn mature into nymphs. They cannot reproduce until they develop into a mature, adult tick. The blacklegged or deer tick (Ixodes scapularis) is dependent on the white-tailed deer for reproduction. Larval and nymph stages of the deer tick feed on birds and small mammals such as mice. Deer are the primary host for the adult deer tick and are required for reproductive success of the tick. The adult female deer tick needs a large, 3-day blood meal from a deer before she can reproduce and lay her 2000 or more eggs. After laying her eggs, the female tick dies. The average life span of ticks is one year.

Ticks, when they first hatch, are not usually infected with disease causing organisms. They pick them up while feeding on their hosts. Feeding on multiple hosts allows them to pass on disease-causing organisms from one animal to the next. It is not uncommon for a single tick to be carrying several different types of organisms such as ehrlichia and borrelia bacteria.

Ticks cling onto a host's coat, and then slowly move around to an ideal feeding site, frequently preferring around the ears. Once settled, the tick burrows into the skin of its host with its mouth parts. It then secretes a substance called cementum, anchoring the tick in place. The tick begins excreting neurotoxins into its host, numbing the surrounding area of flesh. The longer a tick is attached, the greater the risk of infection to its host. A tick must be on a host for approximately 24 hours before it can start to pass on diseases through its saliva into its host. You may notice redness at the site of a tick bite, but other signs such as itching, burning, and rarely, localized intense pain, usually occur after the tick drops off. Illness, related to the disease-causing organisms transmitted by ticks, often begins days to weeks after the tick is gone.

Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne disease in our region, but anaplasmosis can also be carried by local ticks. Lyme disease is caused by the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi. The spirochete bacteria invades multiple tissues of the body, causing many different signs of illness. These signs include general malaise of varying degrees, rash, fever, loss of appetite, shifting lameness, stiffness, nerological problems, kidney failure, and sometimes even death. Disease in both humans and animals can be tricky to diagnose from the signs alone. Fortunately for animals, an Idexx SNAP test has been developed which displays test results on blood in less than ten minutes. This test includes screening for multiple organisms including heartworm, borrelia, anaplasma, and ehrlichia all on a single blood sample. This simple test has caused increased awareness of the prevalence of lyme-carrying ticks in various areas of the country, particularly in the Northeast. Some areas report an incidence as high as 70% for lyme disease in their dog population.

There is an ongoing debate about treating dogs incidentally found to have a positive lyme test (that is a positive test without obvious signs of disease). For me, it is a simple argument. If left untreated, the bacteria can cause chronic changes in tissues such as the joints and kidneys, which may not become clinically evident until after it is too late. A dog may appear healthy to most of us, but who is to say that it really feels great? Signs of lyme disease can be very subtle. Humans suffering from chronic lyme disease are often frustrated by the lack of success of treatments. Their disease may go undiagnosed for years, and even once the appropriate antibiotics are started, the signs may linger on indefinitely. Why suffer unnecessarily when a 4-6 week course of antibiotics can significantly reduce the risk of symptomatic disease? We may not be able to eliminate 100% of the evasive bacteria, but we can certainly take the numbers back so the animal's immune system can better deal with it.

Vaccines are available for dogs against lyme infections. Vaccination is warranted for all dogs in high risk areas that spend any time outdoors. It is recommended even for those dogs that have tested positive for past lyme infections in the past, as it will help prevent future reinfections. A good vaccination program should be combined with flea and tick topicals such as fipronyl (Frontline).

Canine anaplasmosis is caused by one of two intracellular rickettsial bacterial agents, Anaplasma phagocytophilum or Anaplasma platys. Infection with A. phagocytophilum, the species more commonly associated with anaplasmosis, causes lameness and is often confused with Lyme disease. Infection with A. platys results in a loss of platelets, a clotting blood cell. Both types of anaplasmosis are usually spread by ticks and can occur worldwide.

Signs of anaplasmosis can appear very similar to lyme disease in the dog. These signs may include lameness, lethargy, fever, vomiting, labored breathing, as well as neurological signs such as seizures or difficulty walking. The infection is treated with antibiotics that are similar to those used to treat lyme infections.

There are several ways to manage tick infestations in the environment as well as on people and pets. Guinea fowl are wonderful birds who love to eat ticks. Just two birds can clear ticks from two acres in a single year. There is also a type of wasp, Ixodiphagus hookeri that inserts its eggs into ticks. When the wasp's larvae hatch, they kill their host.

Fipronyl (Frontline) and selamectin (Revolution) are great topicals for pets that paralyze the mouth parts of ticks, killing them. When used once a month, these products make ticks drop off your pet before they spread disease. A topical must be placed along the skin of your pet, not just on the coat, in places where they can not lick it off. It must distribute throughout the fatty glands within the skin to last a month. For this, topicals require a very dry coat and the presence of some oils in the skin. Frequent bathing of your pet can be a reason for failure of these products. You must allow at least a two day window before and after bathing for this too occur. Rainy days and swimming can also interfere with proper topical absorption.

DEET (chemical name, N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide) is a chemical product frequently used on people. It repels many insects including ticks. Pyrethroids are chemicals used on both people and pets to kill insects by paralyzing them. Pyrethrins are pyrethroids derived from the flower of the pyrethrum plant, Chrysanthemum cinerariaefolium. Permethrins are synthetic pyrethroids. These products are also available in sprays or dusts for areas of the environment that are infested with ticks.

Please help keep yourself and your pet free of ticks!

More information on ticks can be found at :http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tick
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/ticks/article_em.htm