My Poor Dog Is Covered In Ticks

[onnut]

My poor dog is covered in ticks, some of them are massive.

we normally had to get rid of 1 or 2 over a couple weeks period, but today I came home and noticed he was covered. all in all I removed 25 ticks then gave him a good bath again. yesterday I gave him a bath and he had no ticks whatsoever. I cant believe this happened so fast.

Needless to say, My garden must be a right haven for ticks, is this something pestcontrol can fix or is there something else I can do?

I will be taking my boy to the Vets first thing to get him checked over and also collect some medication. Is there anything that anyone can recomend please.

its a male Bulldog, he is 1 1/2 years old and weighs around 25kg.

[Jet Gorgon]

Oooh, this is sad, and it's happened to many of my dogs. Some open areas are tick-breeding areas it seems, especially in certain seasons.

The best medicine I used was Frontline -- pipettes of liquid you put on the skin between the shoulder bladdes every month. There are also injections. The meds get in the bloodstream so the dog may still get ticks, but they should fall off and die when they start feeding. Check your dog every day, especially between the paws, dew claws, ears and general body area. Nasty critters, them ticks. Good luck.

[Nienke]

Sorry to read about your infestation. Ticks are so common here due to the high temperatures and humidity, that it's almost part of life that your dog will get them.

Very often it starts with one or two ticks every so many weeks or months, and it is then fairly easy to control with frontline, ivermectin injections or picking them out by hand. Still ticks will escape and it are those that multiply. Thinking that one female can lay approx. 2000 eggs, can make you imagine that in one or two years you suddenly face ticks crawling all over the place, up the walls and in the bed, let alone that your dog is covered.

IME when this happens, pestcontrol is needed. I have tried other methods but they failed, couldn't get the infestation under control. Best is to call pestcontrol and have them come at least twice, with about 10 days in between.

At the same time you can use frontline or ivermectin injections on or in your dog, and very important keep the grass short in the garden. If you have high grass around your vicinities, if possible, cut about 2 meter short all around, like a fire-line.

When pest control comes you really need to watch them or they will primarily spray the gound, while the ticks will crawl up the walls, shrubs, etc and hide in cracks and the like. All these cracks, the walls, under the the roof, the ceiling, the places where your dog loves to lie down (if that's under a chair or table, you need to check underneath it as well, as very often many ticks hide there), the whole garden, and in your house (if your dog comes in the house) needs to be sprayed. It's a huge hassle and mess, but the only way IME to get rid of them.

Best is to keep your dog somewhere in an open area or away, when pest control comes. Do not leave him in the neighborhood in a closed room or so, even with the windows open, because the gasses from the stuff they used can cause nausea at the least and epileptic attacks when the dog has some sort of underlying health problem or it very sensitive.

Wish you good luck,

Nienke

Edited September 16, 2007 by Nienke

[ignis]

I have 3 dogs........

Pest Control come every month....... Detached 2 story house, house and garden strayed........ Contract 3,500 baht year......

VERY IMPORTANT... keep the dogs in a spare room for 3 hours after Pest Control Spray [if you only have small place then in the bathroom].. REMEMBER Pest Control use Poison, You can ask Pest Control to add Tick killer into there spray for the garden, they spray my house everywhere outside. all plants and trees, and at least 1m up the walls

Also take the dogs to the Vet for Tick injection very 6 months cost 100baht each, my 3 dogs run around outside, as soon as I see a tick then look at the Pet Passports, ALWAYS tind the injection is due or overdue

[tuffy]

Myh last trip back to the States I brought back so "flea and tick collars" and they have worked excellent. Much better than the ones I bought here previously. Now even if the ticks are on the dogs they are not dug in and are easily brushed away. I don't know if it is the heat the collars sold here are stored in or just lower quality but these seem to work great.

[onnut]

Thanks for the replies, we had a trip to the Vet today for the injection so all is well with him. also got some special shampoo for ticks, poor boy, 3rd bath in as many days.

Tomorrow I will also contact pest control, and get the house and garden sprayed.

[Tony Clifton]

The injections usually work for our dog. This morning, we saw many newly hatched ticks at the front door where she likes to sleep. I burn them with a lighter until they pop in case they carry any eggs. I guess the shot is due . I also have her wear a flea collar on top of the injections plus regular flea and tick shampoo. I had an ear infection for quite a while and my wife was wondering if I had a tick in there.

Where do they hatch? In the ground? Under the dog's skin?

Edited September 16, 2007 by Tony Clifton

[Jet Gorgon]

The first real tick infestation I had was in a beach bungalow with a large undeveloped plot next door. I did tick patrol on my pup twice a day, and got at least ten of the babies and a few of the gray dirigibles every time.

I had all my paintings and canvases stretched with masking tape on the walls and one day noticed some black dots around the edge of one. I brushed it off and blood squirted out. <deleted>? So, I lifted up the canvas and there were patched of teeny bronze-coloured blobs and black dots everywhere. Tick eggs and then stage two, black dots. Yuck. Used masking tape to pick them off the walls, them scoured everything with Dettol. Used bug spray on everything and upended the bed and everything in the place to clean and spray. Seemed to work, but I kept close watch on everything after that. No pest control back then or Frontline or even a vet.

Here's a note from http://entomology.ucdavis.edu/faculty/rbkimsey/tickbio.html

Ticks are blood feeding external parasites of mammals, birds, and reptiles throughout the world. Approximately 850 species have been described worldwide (Furman and Loomis 1984). There are two well established families of ticks, the Ixodidae (hard ticks), and Argasidae (soft ticks). Both are important vectors of disease causing agents to humans and animals throughout the world. Ticks transmit the widest variety of pathogens of any blood sucking arthropod, including bacteria, rickettsiae, protozoa, and viruses. Some human diseases of current interest in the United States caused by tick-borne pathogens include Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, babesiosis, rocky mountain spotted fever, tularemia, and tick-borne relapsing fever.

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Hard Ticks: Family Ixodidae

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Hard ticks have three distinct life stages. Larvae which emerge from the egg have six legs. After obtaining a blood meal from a vertebrate host, they molt to the nymphal stage and acquire eight legs. Nymphs feed and molt to the next and final stage - the adult, which also has eight legs. After feeding once more, the adult female hard ticks lay one batch of thousands of eggs and then die. Only one blood meal is taken during each of the three life stages. The time to completion of the entire life cycle may vary from less than a year in tropical regions to over three years in cold climates, where certain stages may enter diapause until hosts are again available. Many hard ticks can go for several months without feeding if not unduly duressed by environmental conditions.

Scanning Electron Micrograph

of Tick Mouthparts

The mouthparts of hard ticks are readily visible from above. There are three visible components: the two outside jointed parts are the highly mobile palps; between these are paired chelicerae, which protect the center rod-shaped structure, the hypostome. The palps move laterally while the tick is feeding and do not enter the skin of the host. The rough hypostome has many beak-like projections on it. This is the structure which plunges into the host's skin while feeding. The backward directed projections prevent easy removal of the attached tick. In addition, most hard ticks secrete a cement-like substance produced by the salivary glands which literally glues the feeding tick in place; the substance dissolves after feeding is complete.

Questing Hard Tick

(Ixodes scapularis)

Hard ticks seek hosts by an interesting behavior called "questing." Questing ticks crawl up the stems of grass or perch on the edges of leaves on the ground in a typical posture with the front legs extended, especially in response to a host passing by. Certain biochemicals such as carbon dioxide as well as heat and movement serve as stimuli for questing behavior. Subsequently, these ticks climb on to a potential host which brushes against their extended front legs. Hard ticks are most commonly collected for research by the use of "flags" or "drags" which are made from 1 m square pieces of roughly textured fabric such as fleece or flannel attached to a rod handle. The flags are slowly dragged across the surface of vegetation to collect questing ticks. Hard ticks feed for extended periods of time on their hosts, varying from several days to weeks, depending on such factors as life stage, host type, and species of tick. The outside surface, or cuticle, of hard ticks actually grows to accommodate the large volume of blood ingested, which, in adult ticks, may be anywhere from 200-600 times their unfed body weight (Sonenshine 1991).

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Lifecycles of Hard Ticks

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Hard ticks have a variety of life histories with respect to optimizing their chance of contact with an appropriate host to ensure survival. Some ticks feed on only one host throughout all three life stages. These ticks are called one host ticks. This type of tick remains on one host during the larval and nymphal stages, until they become adults, and females drop off the host after feeding to lay their batch of eggs. Other ticks feed on two hosts during their lives and are called two host ticks. This type of tick feeds and remains on the first host during the larval and nymphal life stages, and then drops off and attaches to a different host as an adult for its final blood meal. The adult female then drops off after feeding to lay eggs. Finally, many ticks feed on three hosts, one during each life stage, and are appropriately named three host ticks. These ticks drop off and reattach to a new host during each life stage, until finally the adult females lay their batch of eggs. In each case, the fed adult stage is terminal, that is, after laying one batch of eggs the female dies, and after the male has reproduced, he dies as well.

One Host Tick Lifecycle

Two Host Tick Lifecycle

Three Host Tick Lifecycle

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Soft Ticks: Family Argasidae

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The life stages of soft ticks are not readily distinguishable. The first life stage to come out of the egg, a six legged larva, takes a blood meal from a host, and molts to the first nymphal stage. Unlike hard ticks, many soft ticks go through multiple nymphal stages, gradually increasing in size until the final molt to the adult stage. Some soft ticks pass through up to seven nymphal molts before they become adults. Soft ticks feed several times during each life stage, and females lay multiple small batches of eggs between blood meals during their lives. The time to completion of the entire life cycle is generally much longer than that of hard ticks, lasting over several years. Additionally, many soft ticks have an uncanny resistance to starvation, and can survive for many years without a blood meal (Furman and Loomis 1984).

The mouthparts of soft ticks are are not readily visible from above. There are three visible components: the two outside jointed parts are the highly mobile palps; between these are paired chelicerae, which protect the center rod-shaped structure, the hypostome. The palps move laterally while the tick is feeding and do not enter the skin of the host. The rough hypostome has many beak-like projections on it. This is the structure which plunges into the host's skin while feeding. The backward directed projections prevent easy removal of the attached tick.

Some soft ticks seek hosts by questing on low-lying vegetation, but the vast majority are nest parasites, residing in sheltered environments such as burrows, caves, or nests. Certain biochemicals such as carbon dioxide as well as heat and movement serve as stimuli for host seeking behavior. Soft ticks feed for short periods of time on their hosts, varying from several minutes to days, depending on such factors as life stage, host type, and species of tick. The feeding behavior of many soft ticks can be compared to that of fleas or bedbugs, as once established, they reside in the nest of the host, feeding rapidly when the host returns and disturbs the contents. The outside surface, or cuticle, of soft ticks expands, but does not grow to accommodate the large volume of blood ingested, which may be anywhere from 5-10 times their unfed body weight (Sonenshine 1991).

Soft ticks can be readily collected via dry ice traps. Blocks of dry ice emit large amounts of carbon dioxide, a host seeking stimulant. Traps are set in and around nesting areas of animal hosts. Soft ticks can be observed running along the surface of the ground towards the trap and are collected by hand, or inside a collection chamber in the trap. Many types of soft ticks can be artificially fed in the laboratory, thus reducing or eliminating the use of animals for certain studies. Some (ie: Ornithodorus coriaceus) will feed through sausage casings filled with almost any type of mammal blood heated up to 37° C. Others can be fed blood through various types of membranes in the presence of biochemical and environmental feeding stimulants such as ATP, carbon dioxide, heat, and animal fur (Sonenshine 1993).

[sceadugenga]

Thanks Jet, I've saved that as an offline reference.

[onnut]

Thanks Jet, I've saved that as an offline reference.

me too, thanks.

[Jet Gorgon]

Crikes, I just read that web info again and it really differs from my Thai experiences. Im my bungalow, mommy tick laid her eggs behind my paintings (the pretty bronze blobs). Then they turned into little black ovals that moved like a sick VW on an autobahn. No food was around -- ie, hosts to feed on -- but I found the little black beggars on my dogs, too. Then they sprouted six legs and could scurry hilly nilly everywhere. Those are the ones I found most between paw toes, along with a few of the big grey dirigibles, but all seemed able to live without a host for long periods (I found one alive in my suitcase after six months in Vancouver). I used to cut strips of masking tape and stick all the picked ticks on them and then fold and squish. The Dettol cleaning seemed to work for the bungalow. Now there is Frontline and pest control. Good luck, Y'all. I know what a pain these suckers are. Also, my Lab loved going to the river, but even with Frontline, he got infested with ticks there.

[ignis]

On this point do not just pull the ticks off your dog..... In Europe one uses 90% Alcohol...... here you can buy 70% called 'ISOPROPYL RUBBING ALCOHOL' use a cotton bud and dab the tick, within a min the tick will fall off, or is safe to take off....... if you just pull the ticks off you leave the feet/sucker inside the dog

[Jet Gorgon]

I always pulled them off. Twist and tug. Never a prob. Or you can pour cooking oil on them to suffocate them.

[sbk]

Crikes, I just read that web info again and it really differs from my Thai experiences. Im my bungalow, mommy tick laid her eggs behind my paintings (the pretty bronze blobs). Then they turned into little black ovals that moved like a sick VW on an autobahn. No food was around -- ie, hosts to feed on -- but I found the little black beggars on my dogs, too. Then they sprouted six legs and could scurry hilly nilly everywhere. Those are the ones I found most between paw toes, along with a few of the big grey dirigibles, but all seemed able to live without a host for long periods (I found one alive in my suitcase after six months in Vancouver). I used to cut strips of masking tape and stick all the picked ticks on them and then fold and squish. The Dettol cleaning seemed to work for the bungalow. Now there is Frontline and pest control. Good luck, Y'all. I know what a pain these suckers are. Also, my Lab loved going to the river, but even with Frontline, he got infested with ticks there.

My experiences have been the same as Jet, the first time I realized those were baby ticks I freaked out a little. My husband tried to convince me they were baby spiders but I was having none of that. Tape works great.

I've never had much success with frontline, to be honest. it works for a period of time and then wears off, then seems to become less effective. I suspect it is breeding ticks resistant to it.

[Janet]

Just registered with this site. I also have a problem with ticks on my new pup. She has had frontline since she was 4 months old (now 7 months). I put her into a kennel at around 6 months old and she came back with ticks, maybe 3 big ones and 20 or so baby ones. Since then I still find maybe 5 in a week. Is it possible she has seeded my garden with them and they keep coming back or do gardens in Thailand have them anyway??! Is it OK to use Frontline and a tick shampoo or is that just too much for the dog's skin to cope with? It became a big concern for me when one tick transfered to me, luckily the little critter didn't have time to attach. I know my dog should be protected from disease as they should drop off her with the Frontline but I am concerned for my family.

[Cuban]

I have used Frontline on mine, 8 months old, no ill effects encountered. Also dilute anti-tick shampoo, no problems.

If your house/garden/land has tick eggs, the only solution (I understand) is chemical spray in every crack, wall, ceiling. There is another thread in here somewhere that details some experiances.

Distressing image.

[nonthaburial]

This topic comes up every year at about this time, and proves the tick problems are seasonal. The best prevention method without doubt is an injection

[SomNamNah]

yuk. Count yourself lucky you arent in Australia - you have to check for ticks every single day - paralysis ticks..

If you are near the sea, you can take the dog for a regular salt water swim... thats what they do in Africa... gets rid of many.

Edited December 11, 2008 by SomNamNah

[tuffy]

We have tried it all. The best solution is by far getting your yard and outside of the house professionally sprayed monthly. We have tried the shampoo, collars, drops, powder, injections and all combinations of such but the best results have been with the chemical spray.

[angiud]

Frontline is quite effective on dogs. And it lasts for 2/3 months.

I use for my cats too.

[sbk]

Ticks aren't seasonal where I live, unfortunately.

We pick em off, use tick powder when it gets bad and wash the dogs regularly. Frontline is expensive for 4 dogs and the effectiveness wears off after a while. Also, the last time we bought from the local pet shop, it hardly worked at all. Killed ticks on the day, but they had ticks the very next day. I don't know if Frontline has an expiry date or not, but this was almost useless.

[elfe]

to figth tick infestation:

inject dog with ivermec 1cc fro 15kg bodyweight (note: not for dogs under 5 months of age and not for certain breeds or mixes of this breed)

spray or fog whole house and garden with special insecticide (best to let pestcontrol do the job)

wash dog with special shampoo

repeat the whole thing after 15 days, very important (because of the eggs of ticks which hatched in the meantime)

now your dog(s) and house/garden are free of ticks

for future prevention:

inject ivermec every 2 - 3 months (also necessary for heartworm protection , though not such high dose needed, and kills intestinal worm too, though not all kinds, if no tick seen for long time, reduce the concentration to 1cc for 10 kg)

check dog every day for ticks, be alert with each tick you find, remove it and use drop - on (frontline e.g.)

if tick found, use frontline or next ivermec injection (it is better to switch sometimes, but still use ivermec every 2-3 months)

don't let your dog roam around if it keeps bringing back ticks

check after each walk, if you find ticks after walking the dog, avoid certain area in the future

don't let tick infested dogs visit your place or treat them first

use only brand name (more expensive but effective) products of ivermec and drop-on

if you wait until 'it gets bad' and just put insecticide (ivermec, frontline, shampoo etc) on your dog you will never get rid of the tick problem as it wears off after short period of time and the surroundings are still full with waiting ticks, one tick which managed to get 'full' on your dog and to go and hide in a crack can cause immense infestation again. and again and again...

if your dog ever had ticks, get it tested for bloodparasites at the vet, if positive get treatment (at least for 4 weeks) and prevent future ticks as above.

it is a bit of work and cost but it will prevent tick disease (blood parasite) which can kill your dog in a few days or (more often) causes chronic diseases which also can turn into severe disease after some time, even more if the dog has stress, has other disease, old age etc.

[elfe]

to figth tick infestation:

inject dog with ivermec 1cc fro 15kg bodyweight (note: not for dogs under 5 months of age and not for certain breeds or mixes of this breed)

spray or fog whole house and garden with special insecticide (best to let pestcontrol do the job)

wash dog with special shampoo

repeat the whole thing after 15 days, very important (because of the eggs of ticks which hatched in the meantime)

now your dog(s) and house/garden are free of ticks

for future prevention:

inject ivermec every 2 - 3 months (also necessary for heartworm protection , though not such high dose needed, and kills intestinal worm too, though not all kinds, if no tick seen for long time, reduce the concentration to 1cc for 10 kg) sorry, it should say 1cc for 20kg bodyweight

check dog every day for ticks, be alert with each tick you find, remove it and use drop - on (frontline e.g.)

if tick found, use frontline or next ivermec injection (it is better to switch sometimes, but still use ivermec every 2-3 months)

don't let your dog roam around if it keeps bringing back ticks

check after each walk, if you find ticks after walking the dog, avoid certain area in the future

don't let tick infested dogs visit your place or treat them first

use only brand name (more expensive but effective) products of ivermec and drop-on

if you wait until 'it gets bad' and just put insecticide (ivermec, frontline, shampoo etc) on your dog you will never get rid of the tick problem as it wears off after short period of time and the surroundings are still full with waiting ticks, one tick which managed to get 'full' on your dog and to go and hide in a crack can cause immense infestation again. and again and again...

if your dog ever had ticks, get it tested for bloodparasites at the vet, if positive get treatment (at least for 4 weeks) and prevent future ticks as above.

it is a bit of work and cost but it will prevent tick disease (blood parasite) which can kill your dog in a few days or (more often) causes chronic diseases which also can turn into severe disease after some time, even more if the dog has stress, has other disease, old age etc.

[dougcssx890408]

I have lived in Thailand for some 6 years and have always had dogs , and have had continual stick problems and have used most of the remedies already spoken of but for removing them from floors and walls etc and even off the dog if he will let you.

A vacuum cleaner it works a treat I know you will say but they will be still alive in the vac, I thought so to so as soon I emptied the vac and they were all in there but dead,now I do not know if this was somthing to do with lack of air or not but they were dead, but any way even if you feel you must empty the bag each time just do it down thw loo.

But I can tell you it is a quick way of clearing them up

popeye