Spring is here! The sun is shining (sometimes), the birds are singing (mostly), and the ticks are breeding (ew!). It’s gross, but true - in the spring, female ticks will feed, breed, and lay eggs (several thousand at once, mind you). In a few short weeks, those eggs will hatch and we’ll see a tick population boom.
Over the last decade, we’ve seen a sharp increase in the ticks accompanied by an equally large increase in Lyme disease cases and other tick borne illnesses. Whether we like it or not, ticks are here to stay if things trend the way they have been over the years.
Ticks in Maine
Ticks “seek” for their next meal by holding their front legs out and waiting for a host to walk by.
Did you know there are over 800 species of ticks in the world? Thankfully they don’t all live in the Pine Tree State, but there are roughly 15 identified species of ticks here in Maine. The most common ticks found here are:
Black legged tick (deer tick)
American dog tick
Woodchuck tick
While not prevalent yet, we are starting to see more of the Lone Star tick that’s more common in the southern U.S. as it migrates up the Eastern Seaboard.
Tick Borne Diseases
Not all ticks carry disease. Some carry one, and others carry multiple. The most common tick disease seen in Maine is Lyme disease, which is caused by bacteria the tick picked up during one of its first blood meals from small mammals, like mice. But Lyme isn’t the only disease that ticks carry and we are seeing an increase in anaplasmosis and ehrlichiosis cases. The Lone Star tick mentioned above carries a whole new menu of diseases including Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. In humans, the Lone Star tick can also cause Alpha-gal syndrome, a condition that results in an allergic reaction to red meat.
Disease Transmission
Ticks transmit disease through their bite, and they have to be attached for a certain amount of time. Tick borne diseases cannot be transmitted from one dog to another, from dog to human, etc. Ticks don’t transmit disease the moment they bite and transmission time depends on the tick as well as the disease they carry. Ticks feed slowly and can be attached for up to a week before they become fully engorged and detach. Transmission times for Lyme disease can be 24-36 hours after attachment, while transmission times for anaplasmosis and ehrlichiosis can be shorter than 24 hours.
Ticks are Getting Scary - What Do I Do?
Rising tick populations in Maine is definitely a cause for concern, but luckily we have several effective ways of protecting ourselves and our pets. Doing only one of these methods will offer some protection, but doing more than one or all of them will offer great protection!
Several ticks attached to the pads of a dog’s foot.
Preventatives - Putting your pet on a monthly flea/tick preventative is the best way to protect against any tick borne diseases. Like we mentioned before, ticks have to be attached for a certain amount of time before disease is transmitted and most preventatives will kill ticks long before any disease is transmitted. The downside to preventatives is that most only work once the pet has been bitten, but ticks will die and fall off within a matter of hours. We strongly recommend that pets stay on a flea/tick preventative year round as ticks are becoming more active in the winter months.
Vaccines - Unfortunately there are no vaccines available for anaplasmosis and ehrlichiosis or Lyme vaccines available for cats, but it is available for dogs and very effective. It may not prevent your dog from getting Lyme disease, but it will makes symptoms less severe. The Lyme vaccine can be started any time after 12 weeks of age and needs an initial vaccine with a booster. After the initial series is completed, the Lyme vaccine is an annual vaccine.
Tick checks - We highly recommend frequent tick checks, especially if you are enjoying time in the woods, tall grass, or cleaning up around the yard. Ticks like to hang out in tall grass, brush piles, and dead leaves. When checking your pets for ticks, pay close attention to areas around the neck, ears (even inside), tail, armpits, and under collars. Also check around eyes, between toes, and even in the mouth - we’ve found ticks attached to dog’s gums before! Ticks can be difficult to spot, especially in long or dark hair - remember some ticks can be the size of a poppy seed!
If You Find a Tick Attached
If you find a tick attached to you or your dog, don’t panic! All you need is a set of tweezers or, even better, a tick removal tool. Grab the tick with tweezers as close to the skin as possible and pull up with even pressure. Don’t twist or jerk since this can cause the head to become detached. If this happens, and you’re not able to remove the head, leave it alone and let the skin heal and it will eventually fall off. We also don’t recommend using extreme methods like burning the tick or dumping alcohol on it. When a tick is stressed, it can regurgitate which would increase the chances of disease transmission.
Ticks can be incredibly small, so be sure to do thorough checks!
Once the tick is safely removed, don’t pinch or crush it. You can dispose of it by placing it in a plastic bag and throwing it in the trash, flushing it down the toilet, or placing it in rubbing alcohol. Never put a live tick in the trash if it’s not contained - it will crawl out and find another host to nibble on! If a tick has been attached for a long period of time, there are labs who will not only identify the species of tick, but test ticks to see if they carry any diseases.
As you may have gathered, ticks are not only a nuisance for pets and we don’t have a Lyme disease vaccine available for humans yet, so check yourselves and wear light clothing if you can to make the ticks more visible. If you’re not sure if your pet is up to date on their flea/tick preventatives or their Lyme vaccine, give our office a call!