Ticks, although small and harmless insects, have nothing. They are housed in the skin of warm-blooded mammals and suck a vital liquid. The problem is that they not only suck vital fluids, but they can also infect and transmit various types of diseases that, if not treated properly, can become serious health problems. Ticks do not fly, live in tall grass and crawl upwards or fall on their hosts.
If you spend a lot of time outdoors with your pet, read this Animal Expert article about the diseases that ticks can transmit, many of which can also affect you.
- Ticks are external parasites or larger mites that are part of the arachnid family.
- Are cousins of spiders.
- And transmit diseases and infections to animals and humans.
The most common types of ticks are the dog tick or the dog tick and the black-footed tick or the deer tick. Dogs and cats are attracted by open spaces with lots of vegetation, grass, leaves or shrubs accumulated, and this is precisely where ticks are located, with the highest incidence in warm seasons.
The most feared but common disease transmitted by deer ticks is Lyme disease, which is transmitted by ticks so small that they may not be seen. When this happens, diagnosis is harder to do. Once such a tick itches, it produces a red, circular-shaped rash that does not itch or hurts, but continues and generates fatigue, severe headaches, inflammation of the lymph nodes, facial and neurological muscle problems. This disease can occur more than once in the same patient.
This condition is an infection that weakens greatly but is not fatal, however, if not properly diagnosed and treated, it can develop problems such as:
Lyme disease should be treated with several types of antibiotics prescribed by the veterinarian.
Francisella tularensis is the cause of tularemia, a bacterial infection transmitted by tick bites and also by mosquitoes. The animals most affected by this disease that can transmit a tick are rodents, but humans can also become infected. The goal of treatment is to cure the infection with antibiotics.
At 5-10 days, the following symptoms appear
This disease that can transmit a tick is infected by tick bites infected with three different bacteria: Ehrlichia chaffeensis, Ehrlichia ewingii and Anaplasma. The problem of this disease occurs more in children, as symptoms usually begin 5 to 10 days after the bite, and if the case worsens, it can cause severe brain damage. For pets and people, part of the treatment involves the administration of antibiotics and other medications for at least 6 to 8 weeks.
Some of the symptoms are the same as those of the flu: loss of appetite, fever, muscle and joint aches, headache, chills, anemia, decreased white blood cells (leukopenia), hepatitis, stomach pain, severe cough and, in some cases, skin. Eruption.
Ticks are so versatile that they can even cause loss of muscle function. What is interesting is that when they stick to the skin of people and animals (mainly dogs), they release a toxic that causes paralysis, and it is during this process of removing blood that the toxin enters the bloodstream. It’s a double-gain game for these little mites.
Paralysis begins in the feet and spreads throughout the body. In addition, in most cases, it causes flu-like symptoms: muscle aches, fatigue and shortness of breath. Intensive care, nursing support and insecticide baths will be needed as a treatment. As mentioned, dogs are most affected by paralysis due to the bite of a tick, but cats can also develop it.
Anaplasmosis is another disease that can transmit a tick. It is also a zoonotic disease, which means it can infect both people and pets. It is produced by an intracellular bacterium that is transmitted to humans by the bite of three species of ticks (deer: Ixodes scapularis, Ixodes pacificus and Dermacentor variabilis). In some cases it causes gastrointestinal changes and in most cases affects white blood cells. Older people and people with weakened immune systems are more sensitive and develop serious, life-threatening symptoms, in which case immediate antibiotic treatment is needed.
Patients exposed to the pathogen have problems diagnosing due to the nonspecific nature of the symptoms and the fact that they appear suddenly 7 to 14 days after the bite. Most are headaches, fever, chills, myalgias and discomfort that can be mistaken for other infectious and non-infectious diseases and viruses. Don’t miss our articles on canine fever and feline fever to learn how to act.
This article is for informational purposes only, in Animal Expert.com.br we cannot prescribe veterinary treatments or make any kind of diagnosis. We suggest that you take your pet to the veterinarian in case of any type of condition or discomfort.
If you would like to read articles similar to, we recommend that you visit our Prevention section.