Tick Control

From LoveToKnow Dogs

If you've never put much thought into tick control for your pet, read on. Ticks are little blood sucking pests that can pinch a free meal from you or your pet and leave behind a nasty infection or disease for your tip.

About Ticks

Rule number one in tick control: Know your enemy!

Appearance and Feeding Habits

Ticks look slightly like spiders, but tend to be much stubbier in structure and come in several varieties. They survive by burrowing their heads beneath the skin of a host human or animal and drinking its blood. As they fill up, their bodies bloat to many times their original size until it looks more like a small bead or ball.

Common tick varieties include:

  • Hard ticks
  • Soft bodied ticks
  • Dog ticks
  • Brown dog ticks
  • Deer ticks

Life Cycle

The tick's life cycle passes through four stages.

  • Eggs are laid on the ground, and depending on optimal environmental conditions, can hatch in a few weeks.
  • Larvae is the next stage in the tick's life cycle. These tiny creatures need to quickly find themselves a host and feed in order to shed their skin and make the transition into eight legged nymphs.
  • Nymphs closely resemble adult ticks, but lack genitalia at this stage of development. After their next blood meal, they molt once again into the adult stage.
  • Adults are finally ready to reproduce but must feed several times before they are ready to mate and lay more eggs. Thus, the cycle begins anew.

Diseases

When you consider the dangerous diseases that are carried and transmitted by ticks, it's easy to see why tick control is so important. Because they necessarily expose themselves to other creatures' blood, ticks easily cause infections at the bite site.

Ticks are also purveyors of several well known illnesses including:

Mode of Transportation

Unlike fleas, ticks aren't able to just jump on their next host and instead must create opportunities to come in contact with their meal trains.

To do this, ticks will crawl up trees, shrubs, plants, tall grasses, fences, etc. and wait for animals and humans to come in contact and then drop off and attach themselves onto their unsuspecting victims. When they've finished their meal, they'll simply drop off their host and begin the next stage of their life cycle.

Methods of Tick Control

For Your Yard

Because ticks use plants and other landscape features to help them hitch a ride on you and your pets, keeping your property clear of excess plant material and other debris is essential for creating a hostile environment for these nasty little invaders.

  • Clear away excess brush from your property.
  • Keep trees, shrubs, and grass neatly trimmed, especially close to walkways, and kennel areas.
  • Remove old empty bird nests, which are a great place for ticks to set up house until another unsuspecting host comes along.

Once you've done all you can to tidy up the landscape, you may choose to apply tick control dust or spray to the remaining plant life. Be sure the pesticide reaches under the leaves as well as on top, and when applying around the outer perimeter of your home, be sure not to miss under crawl spaces and crevices where ticks love to hide.

In Your Home

The same process applies to removing suspected tick populations inside of your home.

  • Reduce unnecessary clutter.
  • Thoroughly vacuum rugs, crevices, and furniture, especially under cushions and mattresses.
  • Dust or spray with a tick control product specifically approved safe for use inside the home.

For Your Dog

There are several steps you can take to provide tick control for your pet.

  • You can rinse your dog in a flea and tick dip to kill, and repel ticks.
  • You may choose to have your dog wear a flea and tick collar at all times, although some brands seem to be more effective than others.
  • You might apply a flea and tick powder to help stop ticks from making your pet their next lunch date.
  • No matter which method you choose to control ticks on your dog, always check your dog for these little hitchhikers anyway, especially after walks in parks or other wooded areas.

How to Remove a Tick

The best way to remove a tick is to grasp it as close to the head as possible with a pair of tweezers and pull slowly and steadily until the tick comes away. Inspect the wound and the tick, while still in the tweezers, to make sure the head did not break off and get left behind in the skin. If you think this may have happened, consult your vet or physician, whichever one applies.

Conclusion

We've all heard that old saying, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." This is certainly sound advice when it comes to tick control. Be sure to check your dog for ticks periodically, and if you live in an area known to have high tick traffic, take precautions to make your landscape inhospitable for the little buggers.


 


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