TICKS AND LYME DISEASE IN DOGS IDENTIFICATION: (see picture on the right) Identifying ticks is important, especially when you consider the dangers of Lyme Disease. Even if you use insect repellents and wear appropriate clothing while hiking, you may still pick up a tick. Ticks come in more than 850 species, about 100 of which transmit diseases. In the U.S., the main kinds of ticks are deer ticks, lone star ticks, American dog ticks, Rocky Mountain wood ticks, pacific coast ticks, Western black-legged ticks and brown dog ticks. Here's how to identify some of these little blood-sucking arachnids, the adults of which have four pairs of legs and two body segments: 1. Be familiar with the types of ticks found in your area, since a large part of identifying a tick is based on where you find it. 2. Notice whether it's a hard tick or a soft tick. A hard tick has a thick outer shell, and when unfed, is shaped like a flat seed. A soft tick has a membraneous surface, is far less common and looks something like a raisin. 3. Look at the coloring and size of the tick. If it is reddish-brown, about 1/8-inch long, and you found it near a wooded trail, chances are good that you have identified a deer (or black-legged) tick, which are common to the eastern part of North America and are one of the main carriers of Lyme Disease. 4. Identify a lone star tick if the tick is brown and about 1/3-inch long. The females have a distinct white spot in the middle of their backs. These ticks are found from Texas to Oklahoma, eastward to the Atlantic Coast, and often carry Rocky Mountain spotted fever. 5. Identify an American dog tick (also called a wood tick) if the tick is dark brown, about 1/8-inch long and has a silver-colored spot behind the head or fine silver lines down its back. This tick is found throughout the United States and often carries Rocky Mountain spotted fever.
Ticks thrive in woody, grassy and brushy areas and carry diseases such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever and Lyme disease. Things You'll Need
1. Check your pet for ticks daily if he spends a lot of time outdoors, especially if you live in an area known for ticks. 2. Put on latex gloves to avoid direct contact with the tick and contaminated skin, as diseases can be transmitted from tick to pet to human. 3. Feel your pet all over, especially around the neck, head and ears. If you encounter a lump like a small pea, move the fur on your pet to see if you have found a tick. 4. Look to see if a tick is protruding from the skin. Ticks are tiny black, brown, reddish or tan disklike arachnids (having eight legs), about the size of the head of a pin. If they have attached themselves to their host (your pet), then they can swell up to the size of a grape in some cases. 5. Put your pet in a comfortable position. Ask a friend or family member for help in distracting your pet. 6. Grasp the tick with tweezers as close to your pet's skin as possible; make sure not to pinch your pet's skin. 7. Pull the tick out using a straight, steady pulling motion. Be gentle; pulling too hard on the tick can cause its head to remain lodged in your pet's skin, which can lead to inflammation and secondary infection. 8. Dispose of the tick by throwing it into a fire, or by squishing it in a tissue using the tweezers and then flushing it down the toilet. Do not smash it with your foot or your bare hands. 9. Apply antiseptic ointment to the bite. 10. Remove and wash the gloves, and wash your hands thoroughly. 11. Clean the tweezers with hot water or isopropyl alcohol or by holding them over a flame.
IMPORTANT Tips & Warnings
Don't use alcohol - While many of these things are effective in getting a tick to let go, they tend to make the tick regurgitate before doing so.
* Since the pathogens ticks carry tend to reside in the gut, this is exactly what you don't want them to do! * Ticks should only be removed by carefully pulling them straight out. Don't smother the tick - Don't smother the tick with Vaseline, nail polish, mineral oil, or anything else. If the tick is smothered, it may regurgitate the blood mixed with its own toxins back into your pet which can, of course, increase the risk of disease. ** The tweezer method is best. ** Approach from the side, rather than the back, and be patient. ** Slower is better as you will be less likely to leave the head behind. If your dog is difficult, use a tissue, grab the tick at it's base and try not to pop the body. ** Clean the site, the tweezers, and your hands thoroughly with rubbing alcohol after you flush the tick. Flush or burn, don't just squish it as ticks are hard to kill and may survive.
Don't apply heat - Never use the old remedy of applying heat (such as a match head or a cigarette) to a tick to get it to release.
*** Researchers have found that ticks treated this manner will frequently spit up before they release, thereby transferring any pathogens they may be carrying into the host. *** The whole purpose of removing the tick is to prevent this from happening, so don't use heat under any circumstances. *** It's better to leave the tick where it is for a short while, until you can remove the tick properly. Wash Day Blues - Watch when washing Fido's blanket.
**** After washing Fido's bedding (every week during tick season), those friendly ticks hang on.
**** Put the bedding over the fence or hang out on the line, check carefully, use tweezers, and squeeze until the ticks are cut in half.
Lyme Disease Symptoms:
In dogs, Lyme disease produces symptoms characterized by arthritis, though it can sometimes involve heart, nervous system and the kidneys. The arthritic joints may become swollen and hot, and there may be a fever (102 to 105 degrees) and poor appetite. Dogs may also become lame because of the disease. This painful lameness often appears suddenly and may shift from one leg to another. If untreated, it may eventually disappear, only to recur weeks or months later. The glands (lymph nodes) of the dog may also be swollen. Many dogs suffering from Lyme Disease are taken to a veterinarian because they seem to be experiencing generalized pain and have stopped eating. Often these dogs have high fevers.Some dogs are affected with the Lyme Disease organism for over a year before they finally show symptoms. By this time, the disease may be quite widespread in the dog's body.  
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