Types Of Dog Ticks

There are so many types of dog ticks that can affect your pets at home. Ticks are not classified as insects but as arachnids which share the same family with spiders. They always feed on their host at the shoulders, neck, pubic areas, and head. Some other kinds of tick prefer feeding on the tails, in the ears, and between toes. Apart from dogs, ticks can equally affect cats and humans, but they are more commonly found in dogs. When they have sucked a lot of blood from their host, they look like small beans attached to the host’s skin.

The following are types of dog ticks that are commonly found on the skin of dogs:

American Dog Tick

This is one of the types of dog ticks that are found both on dogs and humans. The older one usually has brown and white streaks or spots on its back. When they have taken a lot of blood, they become gray and resemble beans. This is one of the types of dog ticks that are commonly found in the southern part of the United States. You will find them mostly in humid areas.

Lone Star Tick

These are the types of dog ticks that affect cats and dogs, and some of them can also affect humans. The matured ones are tan or brown with white spots or streaks on their backs. They grow in wooded surroundings and are popularly found in river bottoms and creeks. Lone star tick is one of the types of dog ticks that transmits and carries the ehrlichiosis disease.

Brown Dog Tick

Also referred as the house or kennel tick, the brown dog tick is one of the most common types of dog ticks. It attaches itself on dogs and humans (in rare cases), with an ability to develop and survive indoors. It is mostly found in homes that have dogs or in dog kennels. This is one of the types of dog ticks that doesn’t transmit any disease.

Black-legged tick

The black legged (or dear) tick is one of the most dangerous types of dog ticks. It can affect both dogs and humans and are reddish in color. When they are full of blood, they are darker and much deeper. Black-legged ticks are very dangerous and can transmit Ehrlichiosis, babesiosis, and lyme disease.

What are the symptoms of dog ticks?

When there are any of these types of dog ticks on your pet, the following will be noticed:

* Chewing the feet, especially between the toes

* Hair loss, especially at the rump, tail, back legs, and behind the ears

* Flaky, Scaly, or Red skin

* Scratching

* Shaking the head.

These ticks are equally visible and you can see them when they affect your dog. Those ticks that are not mature look like small black spiders while the adult ones are more like brown beans when they are engorged with blood. Most of them are dangerous and can lead to complications and other kinds of health issues for your pets.