Ticks

It is spring, it is getting warmer, and we need to think about protecting our four-legged friends from ticks. And since we will now be seeing more of these little bloodsuckers, let us learn some solid facts about their lives.

Life cycle of ticks

The reproductive capacity of ticks is high, with one female producing between 2,500 and 4,000 eggs. Each developmental stage may have a resting stage of 6 months to 1 year before the suction period. They are able to withstand and survive in cold or dry periods of the year. They are most active during periods when it is warm and wet. There were some very warm days this February when the ticks came out. I had several dogs and cats in my surgery that I had to remove ticks from.

The life-cycle of a tick includes three stages: larva, nymph and adult.
The eggs hatch into a larva that is very small. It measures about 0.8 mm and has only three pairs of legs. The larva mostly latches onto small rodents, but often also onto humans. After sucking, the larva falls off and then reaches the stage of so-called metamorphosis, when all the larval organs are transformed into organs of the higher developmental stage – the nymph. It is already slightly larger (1.2–1.5 mm) and has four pairs of legs. The nymph sucks on larger animals – hares and hedgehogs, but also dogs, cats, and humans. After feeding, the nymph again falls off and undergoes the final transformation into an adult, female or male, capable of reproduction. The female tends to be larger (2 x 4 mm) and is visibly bicolored. It has a black-brown shield on the back behind the head, while the rest of the body is distinctly orange to reddish. In the slightly smaller males, this black-brown shield covers the entire back of the body, giving an overall dark impression. Only the female sucks blood. Its orange abdomen is folded, which allows the volume to increase several times when sucking blood. (This description of coloration applies to the common tick.)

The adult male does not suck: his mission is to impregnate the female. The adult female now uses slightly larger animals as a source of blood — roe deer, deer, wild boar, foxes, cattle, horses, dogs, cats, and humans. It sucks for several days to a week, then lays eggs and dies. The development cycle of the tick is rather lengthy, lasting 2–3 years in European latitudes. This makes the tick a harborer of diseases in nature, as all three stages are capable of transmitting various pathogens. Sucking blood is the route of transmitting infections.
A tick cannot actively seek out its host on its own, like a mosquito does, instead, it lurks patiently. It climbs onto blades of grass and tall vegetation, where it clings by its three hind pairs of legs, leaving its first, front pair stretched out and spread in front, waving them like antenna in different directions. The main source of information for the tick is its physical and chemical perception of the environment. The tick has a special recess at the end of the last link of the first pair of legs, called the Haller organ, in which various sensors are placed. First and foremost, it reacts to smell, i.e. chemical markers which every creature, including humans, emits; at greater proximity, it reacts even to mechanical impulses, to the various vibrations caused by the approaching host. When an animal or human then brushes against the vegetation, the tick attaches to it.

The tick does not attach itself to the host immediately after it reaches its body, but seeks a suitable place, usually where the skin is softer and damper.

„According to new studies, the transmission times of certain pathogens spread by ticks are known to be signifi cantly lower than anticipated.“
MVDr. Miroslava Můčková Uzlová, veterinarian

Tick-borne animal diseases:

Lyme disease - - an infectious disease caused by Borrelia

Tick-borne encephalitis - a viral disease caused by the TBE virus. This disease is very rare and only affects animals with weakened immune systems

Anaplasmosis - an infectious disease caused by bacteria of the genus Anaplasma

Babesiosis - an infectious disease caused by parasites of the genus Babesia. Transmitted when bitten and attacks red blood cells

Ehrlichiosis - infectious disease caused by the group of bacteria Rickettsia

Hepatozoonosis - an infectious disease caused by the single-celled parasite Hepatozoon canis. It is transmitted by a tick, but a dog can also be infected by eating a tick

Tickvet

This natural veterinary product can be applied to protect animals from ticks. Tickvet harnesses the power of essential oils. It is recommended to apply Tickvet directly to the skin between the shoulder blades or to the base of the tail, so that the animal cannot lick the application site. For a cat, onto the skin between its ears.

Autor článku

MVDr. Miroslava Můčková Uzlová

absolvovala Veterinární a farmaceutickou univerzitu v Brně. Pracovala na veterinární správě v různých pozicích, poté na veterinární klinice v Plzni a nyní má malou vesnickou praxi. S Energy preparáty pracuje již několik let.