Beware of Ticks this Fall

Dog goes for autumn walk in the leaves

Beware of Ticks This Fall

Does your dog or cat enjoy exploring the fields and forests near your home? These areas are prime habitats for ticks, small parasites that survive by drinking a host's blood. Ticks spread a variety of diseases, including Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. During the fall, ticks become more active, which increases your pet's risk of illness.

How Ticks Make Pets Sick

Ticks may look like bugs, but they're actually arachnids, an animal class that includes spiders, daddy longlegs, and mites. You'll find ticks in shady, moist places, like tall grass, brush, shrubs, logs, wood piles, and stone fences. Your pet could pick up a tick simply by walking through a pile of wet leaves or taking an autumn walk with you through the woods.

Ticks attach themselves to a host's body with their mouths and begin to feed on that animal's blood. As the tick feeds, it may inject a virus, bacteria, or protozoa into its host's blood. A series of small hook-like structures in the tick's mouth can dig into your dog or cat's skin, making it possible for the tick to remain attached to your furry friend for hours.

Your pet doesn't automatically become sick the instant that a tick begins to feed. Disease transmission can take two to 90 hours, depending on the type of tick. Ticks aren't easy to see when they're not full of blood. In fact, they're no bigger than the head of a nail, according to the ASPCA. Once they're engorged with blood, they can grow to 1/4" or more in diameter.

Diseases Caused by Ticks in the U.S.

Your pet could develop one of these diseases if bitten by a tick:

  • Lyme Disease. Black-legged (deer) ticks transmit the bacteria that causes Lyme disease. Symptoms of Lyme disease include joint pain, swollen joints, fever, limping, lameness, enlarged lymph nodes, and loss of appetite. Pets that have Lyme disease may get tired easily or have less stamina than usual. If the disease isn't treated promptly, kidney failure, heart problems, or joint damage can occur.
  • Anaplasmosis. Black-legged and brown dog ticks can also spread anaplasmosis, a disease that has many of the same symptoms as Lyme disease. According to the American Kennel Club, some unlucky pets can have both anaplasmosis and Lyme disease at the same time.
  • Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Rocky Mountain spotted fever has been reported in nearly every state, although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention note that the disease is most often found in Central, Eastern and Western states. If your pet has Rocky Mountain spotted fever, it may experience joint pain, fever, swollen lymph nodes, poor appetite, coughing, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, balance problems, and purple spots on the mouth or eyelids due to damaged blood vessels. In severe cases, organ failure can occur due to blood clots. The American Dog Tick, Brown Deer Tick and Rocky Mountain Wood Tick can transmit Rocky Mountain spotted fever.
  • Cytauxzoonosis. This tick-borne disease spread by the American dog tick and lone star tick affects cats, many of whom die from the illness. Symptoms include high fever, weakness, fatigue, dehydration, vomiting, diarrhea, jaundice, enlarged lymph nodes, abdominal pain, seizures, and coma.
  • Ehrlichiosis. Spread by the lone star, American dog, and brown dog ticks, ehrlichiosis can cause fever, trouble breathing, swollen lymph nodes, weight loss, swollen limbs, and bleeding disorders.
  • Babesiosis. Babesiosis attacks your pet's red blood cells, causing fever, anemia, swollen lymph nodes, weakness, jaundice, pale gums, fatigue, and dark brown, orange, or red urine. Your pet can develop babesiosis after being bitten by a black-legged tick.
  • Hepatozoonosis. A bite from either the lone star or gulf coast tick could cause hepatazoonosis. Loss of appetite, weight loss, fever, eye and nose discharge, muscle pain and weakness, and difficulty moving are common symptoms. Like other tick-borne illnesses, pets can die from hepatozoonosis without quick treatment.

How to Protect Your Pet from Ticks

Reduce your pet's risk of tick-borne diseases by:

  • Performing Tick Checks After a Trip Outdoors. If you find a tick, remove it by grasping the head and slowly pulling it out of your pet's skin with tweezers. Kill the tick by putting it in a container filled with rubbing alcohol. If you can't remove the tick or only removed part of it, call your veterinarian.
  • Watching Your Pet. Look for symptoms of tick-borne illness, which include redness around the tick bite, fever, and painful joints, for several weeks after the bite. (In some cases, symptoms may not appear for several months).
  • Calling Your Veterinarian. Your veterinarian can provide products that kill ticks before they can harm your pet.

Sources:

WebMD: FAQ: Tick-Borne Diseases, 6/13/2021

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever

American Kennel Club: Anaplasmosis: Another Tick-Borne Disease

Location

Find us on the map

Office Hours

Our Regular Schedule

Monday:

8:00 am-5:30 pm

Tuesday:

8:00 am-5:30 pm

Wednesday:

11:00 am-5:30 pm

Thursday:

8:00 am-5:30 pm

Friday:

8:00 am-5:30 pm

Saturday:

8:00 am-12:00 pm

Sunday:

Closed

Testimonials

Read What Our Clients Say

  • "They came highly recommended by my aunt and she was right. Very kind, gentle with my old fella and compassionate about our situation. Very helpful and fairly priced"
    James Woodruff
  • "Great place to take your pets. Dr. Karl is fantastic! I highly recommend Free Home Animal Hospital"
    Carol Wade
  • "Freehome Animal Hospital is the B-E-S-T! They are so professional and friendly. The hospital is super clean and Dr. Karl is a stellar veterinarian. I can't say enough about this animal hospital. I am very picky about my dog and wouldn't take her anywhere else. I travel 30 minutes to go to this vet."
    Laura Cegala
  • "We brought our precious Golden Doodle to Free Home when she had a mysterious illness of being lethargic and was not eating. The doctor and the entire team where fantastic - they provided a tremendous amount of love and caring for our Bella as well as compassion for me with my worries. Although the cause was out of the ordinary, they were able to identify the problem and within days, our little girl was back to herself.

    The price was fair, the service fantastic and the outcome perfect. We will not go anywhere else now even though we live in Alpharetta and this is out of our way."
    Mark Goodman
  • "This is the best animal clinic I have ever taken my dog to. I love the staff and vet. They truly loves animals! Reasonable prices too."
    Mallory Smith