It’s that time of year.
by Merijeanne Hollingsworth
Ticks are blood-sucking fiends.
They live on the blood of unsuspecting innocent victims, and sometimes leave them sick or dead. Not by “nosferatu” power, but by disease. They are also just gross. There is actually one tick that is poisonous, but (fortunately) not too common in the US.
Like all arachnids (members of the spider family), ticks have 8 legs. Since the only thing they eat is blood, and they can’t fly or jump, they usually climb onto vegetation, hold on with their back legs and wave their front legs, waiting for a victim. When they find one (by sensing heat, moisture or motion), they climb on and (within 10-120 minutes, depending on the species) start to feed. Females eventually drop off to lay eggs, but males just stay on their new home. The eggs hatch into larvae, feed on blood, become nymphs, feed on blood, become adults, feed on blood, and (depending on gender) either lay eggs or live a good, long life. They pass diseases because each tick needs to feed 3 times, so can pick up a disease from one animal and pass it on and on. Eggs can become infected in the mother tick’s ovaries, so they are born infected with diseases.
There are basically two “types” of ticks: “hard ticks” which have a hard shield behind their mouth and are shaped like a seed, and “soft ticks”, which are squishy and shaped like a raisin. Soft ticks rarely bite humans or dogs (they like birds), so we’ll stick to hard ticks.
There are many species of ticks found in the US, but dogs are most likely to be attacked by American Dog Ticks, Lone Star Ticks, Deer Ticks and Brown Dog Ticks. For photos of these vampires, please go to http://www.tickinfo.com/index.htm
American Dog Ticks are extremely common in the US, especially in grassy fields in the southern, humid areas of the country. They are brown with white spots, but turn grey and grow to ½ inch long when engorged with blood. Their eggs
hatch in a month or two, and can last over a year without food. They first find a rodent or small varmint to feed on for around a week, drop off, molt and look for another varmint. They feed again, molt into adults, and go hunting for us. An adult can live for a year or two, unfed, looking for blood. They can carry Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (a potentially deadly illness caused by rickettsia, which is not exactly a virus or bacteria), tularemia (a potentially deadly bacterial infection, which presents like bubonic plague) and possibly Human Granulocytic Ehrlichiosis (a bacterial infection that mimics a severe flu).
Lonestar Ticks are found mostly in the woods in the southeastern and southcentral states, but are spreading, and have been found from Maine to Texas. The females have a white spot on their back. 
The bad news about these ticks: they will aggressively follow hosts, and feed on humans and dogs during all stages of their life (no interlude with varmints!) The good news: they usually don’t carry Lyme disease (although they can carry other diseases, including STARI, or Southern Tick Associated Rash Illness, similar to Lyme Disease). Their bite is painful, causes a lot of inflammation. (NOTE: Lyme Disease is a bacterial infection that can cause lifelong symptoms)
Brown Dog Ticks are brown (duh!), similar in size to American Dog Ticks, and are found throu
ghout the US (but mostly in the south). They are actually a tropical tick, so they don’t like to live outdoors. They rarely attack humans, but come indoors on dogs and infest houses and kennels. They don’t need any varmints in their lifecycle, just dogs. They don’t generally carry diseases, but have occasionally carried Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Canine Ehrlichiosis, and Canine Babesiosis (a malaria-like parasite that infects red blood cells).
Deer Ticks live predominantly on White Tailed Deer in the woods, so their population goes up and down with the deer population (generally decreasing when deer populations 
drop, but there is a study that showed they went after dogs and humans more often when deer weren’t as plentiful). They are reddish-brown, and about half the size of the American Dog Tick. The first 2 “cycles” of Deer Tick meals can be on varmints or birds, but the large host is usually the White Tailed Deer. Deer Ticks can carry Lyme Disease, Babesiosis, Canine Ehrlichiosis and Human Ehrlichiosis.
Removing Ticks
Always try to use fine-tipped tweezers and gloves when touching a tick, because they can infect you through mucous membranes or small cuts. Grasp the tick as close to the head as possible, and pull straight out from the mouth with steady pressure. Don’t jerk or twist, since you could rip the little vampire apart. It can take a minute or two for the tick to release. Don’t use heat or Vaseline on the tick, as it makes the tick salivate, which can release more disease. Wash both you and the tick site after you get it off.
Preventing Tick Bites
There are many commercial products available for repelling and/or killing ticks, including spot treatments, collars, shampoos, dips, pills, powders and sprays. There are pros and cons of each available treatment, basically related to the toxicity of the chemical used, how well it works, how convenient it is to you and your dog to use, and how much “collateral damage” it causes.
Fipronil is a slow acting poison that is also used for killing wasps, cockroaches, ants and other insects. It can be poisonous (in large amounts) to humans and dogs, causing vomiting and seizures (although this is rarely fatal if treated). It may be partially responsible for the collapse of honeybee colonies, since insects pick it up and take it back to the nest/hive. It is the main ingredient in Frontline TopSpot, Fiproguard, Flevox and PetArmor.
Permethrin is also an insecticide poison; It’s not very toxic to humans or dogs, but is quite toxic to cats. It is made synthetically, but closely related to the chrysanthemum flower. In humans, it is used as a clothing treatment for repel insects, and for scabies. It is found in K9 Advantix, Bio Spot, Virbac Knockout Fogger and Proticall.
Amitraz is an insecticide and insect repellant that is particularly affective against ticks and mites, and is used in many “flea collars” and dips. It can poison the dog if he chews on the collar or if a “dip” is applied undiluted. Brand Names include Amatraz collar, Mitaban Dip, Mitac, Preventic, Taktic, Zema, Mitacur, Ovasyn and ProMeris.
I was asked to write a brief piece on ticks, to keep us all informed. Sorry if this is too much information, and sweet dreams!