Fleas & Ticks

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	Fleas & Ticks

Fleas

What they do:
Fleas cause itching, irritation and extreme discomfort. Can spread tapeworms, cause anemia and flea allergy dermatitis.

How they spread:
A female flea can lay up to 50 eggs a day. Eggs fall off the pet and develop into worm-like larvae, which hide in carpeting, furniture, leaves and other dark places. Larvae feed on fecal matter dropped by adult fleas.

Flea eggs, larvae and feces at the base of carpeting. Eggs and feces look like salt and pepper.

	All About Ticks

Ticks are a common parasite of both dogs and people. Tick species are found worldwide and may infest dogs in very large numbers, especially during certain times of the year. Ticks as well as fleas and mosquitoes act as vectors of disease. Three stages of the tick (larvae, nymph and adult) parasitize animals and humans. Ticks may carry Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, several types of ehrlichiosis, and other potentially deadly diseases. Prevalence of these diseases may be quite high in certain regions, making tick control a definite medical concern for veterinarians and dog owners.

Tick-borne Diseases: Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, babesiosis, tularemia

Risk for biting ticks is increased if:

	Tick-borne diseases have been diagnosed in your region.
	You take your dog camping, hiking or hunting where ticks are found.
	You have removed a tick from your dog in the last few months.
	Your dog is exposed to wildlife that are tick hosts (deer, rodents, raccoons, etc.).
	Your yard has dense shrubs, tall grass or leaf litter — common tick habitats.
	You take your dog to wooded areas or grassy meadows.

American Dog Tick & Black Legged Tick (nymphal stages)

This photo (click to enlarge) shows the AMERICAN DOG TICK (Dermacenter variablis) male and female on the left edge of a postage stamp. Four Black-legged ticks (Ixodes scapularis) are on the right edge of the stamp. There is a female (largest tick) and male and two nymphal stages of the Black-legged tick.

The Best Way to Remove a Tick

T Mouthpart of Adult Tick he possibility of tick-borne illnesses gives a sense of urgency to this topic. We are commonly asked about the best method for getting ticks off our kids (and animals). We hear of many methods: applying rubbing alcohol, smothering with Vaseline, painting with fingernail polish, twisting clockwise (or counterclockwise), and touching with a hot match. Though these methods are popular, they are not the best. Use tweezers to grasp the tick as near to the mouthparts (and as close to the skin) as possible. Use gentle, steady, straight force to pull the tick out. The site should then be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected with alcohol or another disinfectant.

The tick can be killed by soaking in rubbing alcohol or flushing down the toilet (it should not be crushed or squeezed).

Hands should be washed afterwards. Prompt and complete removal of ticks does help prevent illness. This is a situation where the folk remedies can do more harm than good.