With summer comes heat. And with heat comes bugs. But, not all of these bugs are the good kind. No, today we’re not talking about the bees and butterflies. Today we’re talking about one of the worst parasites out there. The Florida Dog Tick.
The Florida dog tick is small in size and reddish-brown in color. These ticks feed on a variety of mammals but are partial to canines. These ticks are the ones most commonly found indoors. Despite this, they seldom bite humans. They, too, undergo a four-stage life cycle and feed on hosts before each molt. While house pets bring most ticks inside, brown dog ticks alone are capable of completing their entire life cycle indoors. As such, populations multiply rapidly and may be found in a variety of locations worldwide.
Florida Dog ticks themselves look like much larger versions of fleas. They have a rounded, fat body with six legs and are usually a brown or tan color but may also appear black to the naked eye. Ticks have a hard shell on their back and most medication or preventative treatments have a picture, which is enlarged for easy identification. Dog ticks are commonly found in grass or forest areas but can be found on animals or people acting as hosts.
Florida Dog Tick: Overview
There are thousands of ticks in the world, but the Florida dog tick is the one that is most likely to cause misery for you and your pet. Dogs may come into contact with dog ticks when outdoors, particularly in high grasses, or may even catch them from other stray or untreated animals, including cats.
Dog ticks are bloodsuckers and, as such, can transmit many diseases to your pets. There are many preventative medications that are available at your veterinary clinic or local drug or pet stores. These can help reduce the chances of a dog tick staying around if your dog should come in contact with one. Many of these medications may also provide a cure when a dog tick is found, however, it is essential to also remove the tick from under the skin to prevent further infection.
Brown dog ticks are able to develop entirely indoors. This allows them to thrive in a variety of climates, as cold temperatures do not reach them. However, they are more likely to inhabit warm environments and are prolific in the southern areas of the United States. They can be found in particularly high concentrations in Florida.
Brown dog ticks develop more quickly in warm climates. Unlike tick species that require plants or soil for egg-laying, female brown dog ticks are capable of laying thousands of eggs on any surface available to them. The brown dog tick is the species that is most often found in homes. It is also important to constantly check all house pets for feeding ticks. Brown dog ticks can also be found infesting various outdoor areas. These ticks are carriers and transmitters of diseases such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever. However, they are not known to carry the bacteria responsible for Lyme disease.
Dog Tick Diseases
The American dog tick and brown dog tick are both known to infest domestic animals. Both are hard tick species and may also feed upon the blood of humans. Dog ticks are vectors of a number of diseases, including Rocky Mountain spotted fever.
Although deer ticks most commonly transmit Lyme disease, dog ticks may also serve as vectors of Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria responsible for the disease. Originally discovered in Old Lyme, Conn., this disease can be cured through early detection and the administration of antibiotics. However, some tick bites are not recognized in time to receive appropriate treatment; untreated Lyme disease may lead to death.
Dog ticks are known to feed on warm-blooded mammals. As their name suggests, they often use dogs as hosts and often enter the home on infested pets. However, dog tick populations indoors may also prove harmful to humans. In order to prevent the transmission of diseases from ticks, it is important to inspect the fur of all house pets regularly.
After identifying a tick, take care not to crush its body or allow its mouthparts to remain inside the victim’s skin. Improper removal may lead to infection. Consult your veterinarian for treatment options.
Florida Dog Tick Life Cycle
Dog ticks have four main life cycles, just like other ticks and many insects. These phases are eggs, larvae, nymphs, and adults. Each phase allows for birth, growth, development, and reproduction. Female dog ticks will lay their eggs most frequently in its host so that when they are born they have the required blood meals readily available. Larvae, which hatch from eggs do not have legs and as such, cannot find a host for themselves.
The larvae will feed extensively on their host in order to gain enough energy to complete their second phase of development. Once they have fed and shed their skin several times to accommodate rapid growth, they will go into a lymphatic phase which will allow them to grow their legs and emerge from a cocoon as adults. Adult dog ticks will then seek out their own host, and during the growth cycles, a host can be drained of its blood supply.
Dog ticks can survive without a meal from this point for up to a year if required. They will breed frequently and are sexually mature from this point on. A tick may survive for a few years and females may breed many times during this adult phase, creating hundreds of new dog ticks.
What To Do
The Florida Dog Tick, as you can see, is a heavyweight when it comes to being a bothersome pest. That’s why you need to be vigilant in keeping them out of your home. But if you have an established infestation, make sure to contact a professional pest control company. That’s why you should use one that uses natural methods of pest control. Since time and again chemical pesticides have shown to be dangerous to us and our environment.