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DOGS AND TICKS |
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DOG BREEDS AND MONGRELS |
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Ticks can
transmit serious diseases, but this happens only in some 10% of cases where
you have been bitten. The ticks is related to a spider and it is everywhere
in the forest. Normally deers serve as hosts of the tick, but also other
animals or even humans can be hosts. The tick is found most frequently along
the animal trails. They sit at the top of the tall grass waiting for a host
to pass. The tick has three stages in its life development, and each stage requires a meal of blood in order for it to evolve further. From the egg it develops into a larva, which lies in the low forest vegetation. It needs humidity and heat to develop further. The larva is about 1 mm in length and has eight legs. It sucks blood from mice and other small rodents. After 2-3 days it falls of the mouse and now develops into a nymph, which is the stage where it sometimes crawls on to humans. The nymph has six legs, and sits at the top of tall grass and waits for a host to will pass. It may be game, foxes, dogs and humans. When it has found a host it looks for a warm place with thin skin and pierces its mouth parts into the host and stays there for 3-4 days sucking blood. You won't feel the bite as a substance in its saliva acts like local anesthetic. Now it sits there quietly getting fatter and fatter. A nymph can swell quite remarkably into the size of a large pea. Its skin is greyish and leather-like. After a few days on the host the nymph leaves the host and lie in the forest developing into an adult tick.This may take 2-3 years depending on the conditions. The adult tick will again find a host to bite in to and look for a partner to mate. The female tick will then lay her eggs in the forest, approx. 2000 - 4000 eggs, and after that she dies. How to remove ticks If you discover a tick on your dog (or yourself), you must remove it as soon as possible, preferably within the first day. Eliminating it quickly minimizes the risk of becoming infected with diseases. Ticks are best removed with a special tick tool, which is available from pharmacies and from veterinarians. With the tool you grab it as close to it's mouth as possbile, then you rotate and pull it out carefully. If you do it too fast some parts may remain in the host. When the tick is removed, it should be killed. If you just throw it in the bin, it will keep on digesting. It is very important not to squeeze the tick when you pull it out. By squeezing it, some of its stomach contents are squeezed out and into the host, and this may cause infection. Ordinary tweezers are not suitable to remove ticks, as they tend to squeeze the tick. Other kind of old advice like rotating the tick until it lets go from dizziness or rubbing it with margarine doesn't work properly. Use the rigth tool. Usually your dog will not show any signs of having a tick. But if the dog becomes tired, develops a fever, shows signs of paralysis, muscle pain or unsteadiness, it may be due to a tick's bite. Also, if the dog shows lack of appetite and malaise, you should go to the vet immediately. A blood sample can show if there is infection with one of the diseases that the tick may cause, and a treatment can be started. As the disease is caused by bacteria, so it can be beaten effectively with antibiotics, and the animal might recover fully. But it is important to go to the veterinarian as soon as possible. It is a good idea always to examine your dog looking for ticks when you have been in the woods with his dog. This is a site about dogs, and therefore we will not elaborate on how to behave if a human is bitten by a tick. But if you are in doubt or if you develop a rash, see a doctor. A simple blood sample can show if you have infection. |
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