New oral medications for pets, and a special removal tool for infestation, are just two of the latest strategies being used to combat ticks.
Schuylkill County’s cool, wet spring has enabled a favorable environment for ticks, which traditionally are more prevalent in the spring and fall. There are more than 500 species of ticks worldwide, according to Penn State Extension.
“We look at tick exposure to blossom in the spring ... and it will be bad until July,” Dr. John Broshkevitch, chief of staff at Mountain Shadow Veterinary Hospital, Schuylkill Haven, said.
Ticks thrive on cool, damp weather. The heat and dry weather in August and September usually slow them down before the fall temperatures and moisture draw them out in greater numbers once again.
Prevention key
Broshkevitch said there are three strategies pet owners can use to prevent tick infestation. They include: a spot therapy, which places a pesticide directly on the back of the pet’s neck; collars like Seresto, which place an insecticide directly on the hair coat via the collar, or oral medication, like Nexguard and Bravecto, which allows the pet to have chemicals inside its body. The oral medication is one of the newest combat methods, according to Broshkevitch, coming out within the past two years or so.
Pet owners can reduce the exposure risk by avoiding areas where ticks are more prone, such as in high grass or shrubbery.
“The ticks will climb out and wait for the animals to brush by,” Broshkevitch said.
If you find a tick on your pet, remove it as soon as possible, but with caution. If the tick can be removed within 24 or 48 hours, it reduces the risk of Lyme Disease and other infections, he said. However, you don’t want to squish the tick, which can cause the blood meal the tick ingested to squeeze out, raising the infection risk.
If the tick is engorged from a blood meal, pet owners should monitor their pet for fever, lameness, stiff joints and decreased appetite, which could indicate Lyme Disease, according to Broshkevitch. A vet can determine if the pet needs additional monitoring or antibiotics.
Broshkevitch said a “Tick Twister” tool is one of the better ways to remove the insect. Pet owners can slide the tool between the insect and the body of the host, and then turn the tool counter clockwise to remove the tick. The tool is available under a variety of brand names, with prices ranging from $2.99 to $7.99 online. The tool can also be used to remove ticks from people.
Disease transmissions
Many species of ticks can transmit diseases from an infected host to other uninfected hosts, according to Penn State Extension.
“Some of the more frequently transmitted organisms include parasitic worms, viruses, bacteria, spirochetes and rickettsias. The most important of these to Pennsylvanians are spirochetes, which cause Lyme disease, and rickettsias, which cause Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever,” according to the website, ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/ticks. The CDC also has infestation and life cycle information.
If you find a tick and want it identified, you should put the insect specimen in a container with some rubbing alcohol, according to Susan C. Hyland, master gardener coordinator, program assistant, consumer horticulture & family living, Penn State Cooperative Extension. The office at 1202 Ag Center Drive, Pottsville, is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and will identify the tick under a microscope to determine the species. One tick brought in this year by someone who camped in Maryland was identified as a lone star tick, Hyland said.
To determine if your yard is infested with ticks, Hyland suggests dragging a white sheet along your planted beds and on the edge of your yard, in shady areas near shrubbery.
“They typically will leap toward that,” she said.
To reduce infestation, remove ticks’ hiding places, such as piles of wood, collections of cuttings and brush piles. Ticks usually don’t sit on fresh-cut lawns, because the temperature is too hot there. Ticks prefer cooler areas in the yard or woodland or meadow, under leaf litter, in wood or brush piles and rock walls.
Avoid tick bites
To prevent tick bites, Hyland recommends wearing long sleeves and long pants, with pants tucked into socks. Hikers and hunters should walk in the center of paths and apply a repellent.
“After being out of doors, folks should remove their clothes, shake them out, wash (them) in very hot water and dry on hot for about an hour. I think 160 degrees is said to guarantee the insect is dead. It is always wise to inspect your body after coming in, especially in areas where clothing has been tight and where there are folds in the body like behind the ears,” Hyland, who had her own tick encounter, said.
“I folded a pair of pants worn out in the front yard for a short time to check flower pots and then put them on the next day to go to the office. That afternoon I found a tick behind my knee. I should have known better,” she said.