In spring, with the arrival of heat, ticks also come out. To be able to reproduce, the female needs blood and your dog is one of the favorited hosts for them. The tick waits for our dog in areas with enough vegetation, as for example in tall grasses, on the edges of the roads, in gardens, walls, parks, or unbuilt land. So it’s easy for your dog to run into ticks when you go for a ride with him.

Here at Brisbane Terminator we will provide you with the services you need in order to ensure pests stay away from your house.

Some technical information about ticks

• The most common species in Spain are: Rhipicephalus sanguineus, Ixodes ricinus, Ixodes hexagonus and Dermacentor reticulatus.
• They measure between 0.35 and 1.5 centimetres
• An adult female lay between 2,000 and 4,000 eggs.
• These eggs can survive up to three years in the environment.
• When they are young they have six legs, but once adults grow two more legs.
• The ticks hide in the trees waiting for a dog to jump over.
• They are very active and abundant in spring and summer, but they can survive the low temperatures of winter

When a dog approaches a tick it will jump on top of our friend and walk through its coat until it reaches its favourite place, which is usually:

• The area of ​​the ears,
• Between the toes,
• Near the eyes, neck or neck

In these places is where their skin is thinner and with greater blood irrigation.

If you have not treated your dog with an antiparasitic product it is normal to find ticks. Do not worry, it has nothing to do with the hygiene of your dog. A simple walk is enough for your dog to have ticks. There is no dog in Spain that is free of these bugs.

In any case, it is very likely that you will not detect the tick if you do not look for it. Its evolutionary success lies in going unnoticed. When you bite your dog, it does not know, because before introducing its mouth, similar to a stiletto, the tick deposits a small amount of saliva with anaesthetic properties. When it bites your dog, it will not cause any pain.

Although its bite does not cause pain, it does cause damage.

These are the ways in which the tick produces an injury in the host:

• Injuries from the action of their mouthparts on the skin,
• Toxic effects since the saliva of the tick contains enzymes and neurotoxins that can cause paralysis,
• Causing weakening and anaemia by consuming large amounts of blood,

Transmission of other diseases

Have you found a tick and want to know how to remove it?

First, ripping the rennet tick is contraindicated. The only thing we do is remove part of the body and the rest is still attached to the dog, which can cause infections.

Ideally, apply a few drops of Vaseline or paraffin around, rub it for a while until the skin softens slightly and then try to remove it gently. Then we can get rid of the tick by putting it in alcohol so that the eggs do not escape and kill it. It is important to wash your hands after handling them.

There are also special instruments for extracting the parasite, such as tweezers, which can be purchased in specialised stores.

How do ticks affect the health of pets?

Given their status as hematophagous arthropods (they feed on blood), ticks occupy an important place as vectors or transmitters of diseases that are debilitating to their host or that constitute a threat to the lives of animals and humans (zoonoses).

Due to their type of feeding, and whenever the degree of infestation is severe, ticks can cause in the animal parasitized weakness, progressive thinning, anaemia (due to the great loss of blood) and even death of the pet due to intense anaemia or for some other disease to which he is susceptible due to his state of extreme weakness.

The mechanical damage of the bite of the parasite, added to the effects of the irritating substances of its saliva, cause inflammatory lesions of the skin that are manifested with pruritus (itching), scratching and restlessness.

In addition to these problems, ticks offer the potential risk of contagion of different infectious diseases, such as:

Piroplasmosis or Babesiosis

It is a parasite that produces a disease that affects dogs by parasitizing their blood and causing the destruction of red blood cells.

Ticks are active transmitters of this parasite called Babesia, where it fulfils part of its parasitic cycle.

It is transmitted by the ticks that are found in both rural and urban areas.

Without timely treatment, the disease can be fatal.

Even when it is treated, the dog can be left with kidney sequelae.

Ehrlichiosis

Erlichiosis is a disease caused by a bacterium called Ehrlichia canis that attacks dogs, cats and humans (zoonosis) mainly by the tick bite.

The Erlichia is inoculated into the blood of the host while the tick feeds (sucking blood) infecting mainly the white blood cells of the animal, causing, in most cases very severe haemorrhages, accompanied by other signs such as high fever, cachexia (extreme thinning), enlarged lymph nodes, anaemia, neurological signs, blindness, etc.

Lyme disease or Borreliosis

It can affect dogs and cats. The bacteria that causes the disease is called Borrelia, which spreads throughout the body.

It is transmitted by ticks that are found mainly in wooded areas.

Lyme disease is difficult to diagnose and can leave scars on the joints causing chronic lameness in the affected animal.

Hemobartonelosis

It is a disease that only attacks the cat and is caused by a parasite transmitted by the bite of the tick to the blood.

Many of these diseases can be transmitted to humans (zoonoses), so care must be taken with possible contact with the blood that these parasites have ingested (for example, if you try to take off the ticks of the pet without any protection on the hands).

In recent years, cases of hepatozoonosis have increased, a parasitic disease also transmitted by the tick and which is becoming increasingly important in our country.

Here at Termi-Nator Pest Control, we have over 15 years of knowledge, skill and expertise to help you with your pest problems. We’re familiar with the unique local conditions and contributing factors that lead to infestations. Protect your pets!