Ixodes ricinus: what species can parasitize a dog and what diseases they can cause

Dog ticks - what is it

Ticks are insects that lay eggs. The female, feeding on blood, lays several hundred to several thousand eggs at a time. There are ecto- and endoparasites living on the body of an animal. Some of them end up on the host's body to receive blood, and then return to a more suitable habitat. Timely detection of pests can prevent the development of dangerous diseases.

Where dwell

The female places the eggs at ground level - in humus, fallen leaves, topsoil, compost, firewood, fallen debris, tree roots. Clutches are clusters of small dirty yellow eggs that look like small eggs.

What does a dog tick look like: appearance

The appearance of the tick depends on how long the tick has been drinking the dog's blood. The hungry parasite is small, flat, has 8 legs. Dark head, body is green, black or gray, as well as brown. There are different shades of color.

If it is torn as a result of mechanical impact, the owner may see a bump with a black dot in the middle. This is the head of an insect stuck in the epidermis.

There are approximately 48 thousand species of ticks. In addition to external, ixodid, there are intradermal and ear. They are not as common as Ixodes, they are small in size, which is why they are not visible to the human eye.

The structure of ticks

The dog tick belongs to arachnids, its structure, appearance and movements have many similarities with spiders:

• the parameters of a hungry tick are within 2-4 millimeters, females are larger than males;
• the back is brown, with a brown or almost black circle on half of the body from the head and below;
• the body is flat, teardrop-shaped together with the head, 4 pairs of long legs;
• thick mites increase in size up to 1 - 1,2 centimeters in diameter;
• the body becomes gray due to stretching of the tissues and blood inside the parasite;
• the blood-sucking mite becomes round, has the shape of a bean with short legs sticking forward.

If you notice a tick-like insect on yourself or on a pet, you need to shake it off before the parasite finds a place to attach itself to.

Dog tick life cycle

Life cycle of a dog tick:

The period of development of each stage can be several weeks / months, depending on the external environment. Under favorable conditions, individuals reach the last phase, imaginal, very quickly.

How quickly a dog tick grows and its life cycle as a whole depends on the climatic conditions where the insect lives, the current season.

Development from hatching from an egg to reproduction of an individual occurs both in 1 year and can stretch for 4–6 years.

When a cold snap occurs, ticks fall into suspended animation and temporarily suspend their vital activity until the conditions suitable for this occur. Adult insects, larvae and nymphs also hibernate.

Reproduction

Ticks reproduce by virtue of the female's ability to lay eggs.  Ticks that attack a dog multiply rapidly, creating excellent conditions for the spread of bacteria and viruses, the owner should hurry with the treatment of the dog from ticks.

Are ticks dangerous for dogs?

A tick bite does not pose a threat to the dog's body. The danger of ticks for dogs is diseases that are transmitted to the dog when bitten by a tick. Symptoms that can occur in a dog after a tick bite:

• lethargy, apathy, the dog lies more;
• change in the color of urine (becomes dark, brown, red);
• mucous membranes and sclera of the eyes have a yellow tint;
• body temperature 40°C and above;
• shortness of breath, the dog has difficulty breathing.

How long can a tick live on a dog

The tick can remain on the pet's body for a day. The risk of infection reaches a critical level. After a bite, you should look after the dog not for several hours, but for several weeks, since viral pathologies have a long incubation period. If symptoms of the disease develop, you should contact your veterinarian.

The process of a tick attack on a dog

Ticks in dogs appear for a number of reasons:

• contact with a sick animal;
• the tick is transmitted from mother to offspring;
• small dogs (up to 1 year old), as well as individuals with reduced immunity, are susceptible to tick attacks.

The source of infection are wild animals, rodents. Possible contact infection through urine. With a strong infection, the parasite spreads throughout the body of the pet.

Representatives of the most common parasites can be found on dogs: scabies, demodex, sarcoptoid, argas, ixodic, cheyletiella.

It is necessary to treat parasitic diseases of each type in different ways, there are highly specialized medicines.

You should understand what the pests of the listed groups look like. Subcutaneous pests are not visible due to their microscopic size. To make a diagnosis, you will need a laboratory study of scrapings of skin or blood.

Symptoms of a tick bite in a dog

What to do if a dog is bitten by a tick

When a dog is bitten by a tick, contact your veterinarian promptly. Actions depend on the type of tick that bit the pet. A dangerous parasite is the ixodid tick. Its bites cause encephalitis, piroplasmosis and other dangerous diseases.

If the owner finds the tick already attached, it should be attempted to be removed. With luck, the parasite is planted in a jar or container if analysis is required. It is recommended to take a tick for inspection in the following situations:

• an ixodid tick has bitten a pet in a territory where cases of attacks of encephalitis parasites have been recorded;
• unusual behavior of the dog is noticed, which signals the development of the disease.

In these cases, it is important to deliver the material for analysis to a specialist, and to undergo an examination of the pet in a veterinary clinic. They will give you several injections that will reduce the risk of developing fever and viruses.

After a bite, it is necessary to control the dog, and at the first signs of the development of the disease, you should contact your veterinarian.

Precautions when examining infected animals

When examining an animal, the following precautions should be observed:

• use protective equipment: glasses, gloves, a respirator, closed clothing (for example, a bathrobe), a hat;
• objects that were used when examining infected animals should be disinfected;
• if an infected biomaterial gets into the mouth, rinse the cavity with iodine solution (5 drops per 250 ml of water);
• during the examination, it is forbidden to eat, drink liquids and smoke.

When they saw that the dog was bitten by a tick, it is necessary to help her. Don't panic! You can remove the tick at home. Carefully remove the tick, put it in a glass jar and take it to the clinic.

How to properly remove a tick

To avoid the spread of infection, the wound must be treated with a 5% iodine solution. Removal of parasites with a special shampoo. In a pet store, buy a drug that destroys tick larvae and weakens the action of the tick itself.

What to do if a tick's head comes off

Ticks that have settled deep can remain in the body and simply grow. The abdomen and main part of the body will fall off, and the head and proboscis will grow in. Then it will be difficult to remove the foreign object: the veterinarian will have to cut the pet's skin, which will cause him pain.

Can a tick fall off a dog on its own?

If we talk about the ixodid tick, the insect can really fall off on its own. If your dog is infected with scabies, you should contact your veterinarian.

If this is not done, then the mites will seriously affect the ear canals or skin.

It is not worth waiting for the tick to fall off on its own. The parasite must be removed. The tick can remain on the pet's body for a day. During this time, the risk of infection reaches a critical level.

If the insect is a carrier of a virus or infection, then the proboscis remaining in the body will lead to the development of pathology. Even the proboscis of a "clean" Ixodes tick can lead to inflammation and suppuration.

A dead tick on a dog does not fall off. Its removal without human intervention will occur only if the tissues begin to regenerate, and new connective cells displace the foreign object.

What are ticks in dogs: types of parasites that can attack a dog, ways of infection and getting on your favorite pets

Dogs are parasitized by three types of ticks:

• Ixodidae (Ixodidae) - large ticks, reaching 2-3 mm in length when fasting and up to 1-1,5 cm when sucking blood;
• scabies (internal, ear);
• subcutaneous (demodicosis).

Hungry mites find their prey thanks to their special thermal sensors.

A dog walking past a bush or grass where a tick is sitting is the object of an attack, the tick makes a jump and, clinging to the hair, remains on the dog.

Having stuck to the dog, the tick looks for the place on the dog's body that is least covered with hair (skin around the ears, neck, paws, stomach) and begins the process of sucking blood.

The danger of tick infections for humans and dogs and what to do in case of infection

Most parasites act as carriers of harmful bacteria. It should be understood whether ticks are dangerous for dogs and what diseases they can transmit. Options:

• tick-borne encephalitis;
• borreliosis, tularemia, monocytic ehrlichiosis, granulocytic anaplasmosis, hemorrhagic fever, piroplasmosis, Q fever;
• relapsing fever, typhus.

Some develop mainly in humans, others in dogs (pyroplasmosis, anaplasmosis, borreliosis).

Tick-borne encephalitis

The source is the virus of the same name. Symptoms - a sharp increase in temperature. An infected person feels pain in the muscles, weakness. After a couple of days, the symptoms subside and may disappear completely. After that, 30% of patients develop a second phase with more severe complications (meningitis, encephalitis).

Borreliosis

Initial manifestations of borreliosis:

• weakness in the body;
• muscle pain;
• headache;
• temperature increase;
• ring erythema at the point of skin puncture by a tick;
• rash on the body.

Further, the clinical picture of the disease changes. The second phase develops in 15% of patients. Complications appear against the background of damage to the nervous system (meningitis, paresis of the cranial nerves).

Piroplasmosis

Ticks for dogs are dangerous, infection with piroplasmosis, spread by parasites, will lead to death. Symptoms of this disease:

• fever;
• increase in heart rate;
• respiratory failure;
• yellow outer covers;
• motor dysfunction;
• dark color of urine (acquires brown color).

Dog tick medications and protective equipment

Folk remedies for ticks proven over the years recipes

When a tick is found on a dog, it is removed. To prevent a bite and protect against pests, the following means are used:

1. Mix crushed garlic and almond oil (ratio 1:2). Insist 3 days, treat the affected areas.
2. Lavender oil and chalk. Mix and apply to the affected areas of the skin.
3. 100 ml of alcohol + 1 pack of vanilla. Ticks will not bite a dog.
4. 20 g of wormwood + water 250 ml, boil, cool.
5. Composition of oils 1-2 drops each: thyme, lavender, cypress, thyme, tea tree. Apply to coat or collar before a walk.

Dog tick harm to humans

There is a danger of transmission of viruses and bacteria that threaten human life and health, tick bites can also cause many problems.

1. A person does not feel the bite of the parasite, but over time, a throbbing pain begins to appear.
2. If the tick is removed incorrectly, the head of the parasite may remain in the wound and the bite site will begin to fester.
3. Allergy can occur to the bite of a dog tick.
4. Tick ​​bites cause intense itching.
5. Combing, you can bring any infection into the wound with your hands.
6. Scratched bites leave scars.