A common misconception is that ticks are insects, but ticks belong to the same group of creatures as the spiders and the mites---the arachnids. Over 500 types of tick species exist around the world, according to the Penn State College of Agricultural Science. The majority of the ticks require the blood of mammals to sustain themselves, making your dog a very viable target for their feeding excursions. Through their activities, ticks may transfer diseases from sick animals to healthy animals.
American Dog Tick
The American dog tick, known also as the wood tick, exists from Nova Scotia to the Gulf States, a range that encompasses two-thirds of the United States. The American dog tick is red-brown before feeding, with a length of about 3/16 of an inch. You can recognize the female by a silver spot behind the head, while the males have minute silvery lines going down their backs. The female will expand to the size of a large berry during her feeding, but the males do not grow much bigger than normal as they eat. The early larval and nymph phases of this tick will attach to smaller animals such as mice before growing into adults. This tick frequently uses dogs as a host animal, giving them their name, but it will also attach to mammals like humans, horses, cats, pigs, sheep, coyotes, foxes and skunks. The American dog tick is a carrier of such serious ailments as Rocky Mountain spotted fever and tularemia, infecting people with these diseases. This tick cannot transmit Lyme disease.
Lone Star Tick
The lone star tick, despite its name indicating it may be native only to Texas, has a wide distribution. The habitat range of this tick starts in Texas, moves northward to states like Illinois and Missouri and goes as far east as the Atlantic Coast. The lone star tick remains active from the beginning of spring through the autumn months. Dogs are just one of the many hosts that this tick will use as a food source during its life cycle. The tick commonly attaches to people and deer as well. The adult lone star tick is about an eighth of an inch in length and a brownish shade. The female adult has a single white spot on her back.
The lone star tick can pass on maladies such as ehrlichiosis and Rocky Mountain spotted fever to people. Like most ticks, the lone star tick gains access to dogs and people as they pass by shrubs and blades of grasses. The tick will climb aboard the potential host undetected; ticks cannot jump or fly, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.
Brown Dog Tick
While most ticks will gladly feed on any available mammal, the brown dog tick specializes in dogs. Although it will make use of other hosts when dogs are not available, this tick typically exists in dog runs, kennels and homes where dogs live. The brown dog tick, also called a kennel tick, occurs throughout most of the United States. This species develops indoors, hiding in places like cracks and crevices and on curtains and in furniture. The brown dog tick is an eighth of an inch long and brown. You will find it attached to the dog in places such as the ears and between the canine's toes. The female can become the size of a grape after feeding. She will detach from the animal and find a spot to lay her eggs. The brown dog tick is not a major carrier of diseases that affect humans.
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