Interesting Facts : Ticks And Diseases Caused by Them in Dogs

Ticks, fleas and mites are the most common external parasites found on the body of dogs. However,  ticks are perhaps the most notorious of the three as they are responsible for causing a number of debilitating diseases.  

Actually, ticks kind of lay an ambush hiding in vegetation waiting for prospective hosts to pass by whereupon guided by their body heat, they attach themselves to the body. Thereafter, the tick utilizes its specialized mouth parts to pierce the skin and starts its blood meal.

(Image Courtesy : http://pets.webmd.com )

A tick does not detach itself till its meal is complete. Apart from being blood suckers, ticks are also responsible for transmitting a large number of diseases to their hosts. Interestingly, these diseases are caused by other microbes and not by ticks themselves. As a matter of fact, the ticks harbour these microbes and transmit it to the host. That is why the ticks are referred to as vectors of various diseases.

 Table 1 : Diseases transmitted by Ticks in dogs

Ser No	Name of Tick	Disease transmitted by tick  (vector)	Transmitted to Man
1.	Deer Tick (Ixodes scapularis) also known as black legged tick	Vector for 02 diseases viz. Lyme Disease, a  disease caused by a bacteria (Borrelia burgdorferi) & Anaplasmosis, a disease caused by Anaplasma phagocytophilum	Yes (for both diseases)
2.	Brown Dog Tick (Rhipicephalus sanguineus)	Vector for 02 diseases viz. Ehrlichiosis – caused by an organism called Ehrlichia & Babesiosis – caused by an organism called Babesia	Yes (for both diseases)
3.	Lone star Tick (Ambylomma americanum)	Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever -  caused by an organism called Rickettsia rickettsii	Yes
4.	American Dog Tick (Dermacentor variabilis)	Vector for 02 diseases Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever & Babesiosis	Yes

American Dog Tick  (Dermacentor variabilis)

(Image Courtesy : Jerry Kirkhart via Wikimedia Commons)

Brown Dog Tick  (Rhipicephalus sanguineus)

(Image Courtesy : CDC Public Health Image Library)

Deer Tick  (Ixodes scapularis)

(Image Courtesy : Public Domain Graphic, Agricultural Research Service, USDA)

Lone Star Tick  (Ambylomma americanum)

(Image Courtesy : CDC Public Health Image Library)