Pet and Vet News
Washington's Tick-transmitted Diseases
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (Bacterium-Rickettsia) (Dermacentor)
Tick Paralysis (neurotoxin) (Dermacentor, Ixodes)
Babesiosis (protozoal blood parasite) (Ixodes)
Lyme Disease (Bacterial-Borrelia) (Ixodes)
Tularemia (Rabbit fever) (Dermacentor)
Tick-borne Relapsing Fever (Bacterial-Borrelia) (Ornithodoros)
Recommended Prevention:
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Frontline Top Spot or Plus
Apply monthly during the warm months, usually starting in March-April.
Ticks will go through a hyperactive period before dying. You may see these ticks or dead ticks on their pets.
Important for any pets that wander through tall grasses, shrubs, any native habitat.
Recommend for pets traveling to west of the Cascades for flea and tick prevention any time of year.
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What are ticks?
- Ticks are not insects, they are arthropods (related to spiders, scorpions, & mites). Count 'em-there are 8 legs!
- Blood-feeding ectoparasites.
- Can transmit diseases during feeding (the BLOOD meal). Ticks transmit more diseases in North America than mosquitoes!
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Tick Life Cycle
Most perch on the edges of low-lying vegetation and wait for an unsuspecting animal host to brush against them, while some ticks prefer to do their waiting in the comfort of the host's nest. Once aboard, ticks crawl until they find a suitable spot to feed, then burrow their mouthparts into the skin for a blood meal. Ticks feed anywhere from several minutes to weeks depending on their life stage, type of host, and species of tick. Amazingly, their bodies slowly enlarge to accommodate the amount of blood ingested. Engorged ticks can be many times their original size! It is during feeding that infected ticks can transmit disease to their hosts.