Within the past few weeks we at Lakeshore Road Animal Hospital have had a number of clients come in with ticks on their dog. Some dogs had only one, others were COVERED! It may come as a surprise but even though winter is approaching, the ticks are still alive and kicking. Ticks remain active as long as the temperature is above 4 degrees celsius. (I guess there’s one reason to look forward to winter’s freezing temperatures coming!) Those clients who came in asked me to write a blog post about ticks, because they felt they didn’t know about ticks well enough to better protect their pets. The first thing they couldn’t believe was just how small ticks can be! Ticks can come in a variety of sizes. This is due to the fact that they hatch from an egg into a larva, morph into a nymph, and finally into an adult. Larval ticks only have six legs and are as small as a sesame seed. In order for most ticks to grow into their next life stage, they need what is called a blood meal. This means they need to find a human or animal to attach to for blood in order to grow. A larval tick will live on it’s host for a few days before detaching and molting into a nymph. Nymphs have 8 legs and are a little larger. This nymph needs to search for it’s second host for a blood meal again. Once on its second host, it will feed for a few days to a week and then leave its host. Finally it molts into an adult and seeks its final host. Female ticks can grow up to 100x their original size by filling up with blood from their host. Male ticks can’t grow quite as large and once fully engorged, will have a slightly flat appearance still. Ticks find their hosts by either crawling up legs and feet or by being in trees, grass, or hiding under the crispy fall leaves. Because of the fact that ticks can detach themselves from their host, it is absolutely critical that a tick be removed properly ASAP. To do this, you can either use a product called the Tick-Twister or a pair of tweezers. If you use tweezers you very gently, so as not to squish the tick, grab the tick right at the base of the skin and in a firm smooth motion, pull the tick straight out. Commonly, an inexperienced tick-remover may accidentally leave the head of the tick under the skin while the tick’s body has been successfully removed. If this occurs it is important to go to your veterinarian to have them remove the head from under the skins surface to ensure that disease can’t be transmitted.surface to ensure that disease can’t be transmitted. 

The GTA and Niagara region are seeing a steady increase in the tick population. Ticks can travel roughly 5-10 km’s a year and are slowly moving farther and farther north. As a result, those of us living around the Great Lakes are at a higher risk of our pets and ourselves being bit by a tick than ever before! Particularly prominent in our area is the Deer Tick, the American Dog Tick, and Brown Dog Tick. Over the next couple years we may see more and more of the Lone Star Tick in our area.

The clients mentioned earlier had one main concern. Did their furry family member have a tick-borne disease? Thankfully all of these dogs were healthy. We have an in-hospital test called the 4Dx that tests for a number of tick-borne diseases as well as heartworm. Depending on the species of tick, diseases take either 3-6 hours or 24-28 hours to be transmitted to their host. This means that you have either 3-6 hours or 24-48 hours from the time the tick attached to yourself or your pet, to have it fully removed. 

The most well known tick-borne disease is called Lyme disease. I’m sure many of you have heard about it. It is transferred by one tick alone; the black legged tick. You may also hear this tick referred to as “deer tick” or “Ixodes scapularis”. The 4Dx test mentioned earlier tests for Heartworm, Lyme disease, and other diseases spread by the Brown Dog tick, Lone Star tick, and Deer Tick. Lyme disease can be treated if caught early enough, however many dogs don’t even show symptoms of having Lyme disease. This is why it’s important to do the blood test if you ever notice a tick on your pet. Should your pet become infected, they can be treated with Doxycycline which is an antibiotic that fights against most tick borne diseases. If dogs do end up showing symptoms for Lyme disease, they will have a fever, loss of appetite, swollen joints, and/or swollen lymph nodes. They may also be quite lethargic and tired. This is comparable to humans who have muscle aches, lethargy, fever, and headaches when infected with Lyme disease.

Hopefully this article informs you of anything you may have ever wondered about ticks and shows you just how important it is to use a product that prevents ticks from spreading disease to your furry family member. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to call us or stop by, we’d be happy to answer!

written by Elizabeth, RVT

Lakeshore Road Animal Hospital

2319 Lakeshore Road W, Oakville
289-837-0100