What are ticks?
Ticks are blood sucking members of the spider family. We have about 20 species in the UK and most of them feed on specific wild animals like bats, woodland birds, badgers and foxes. Several are only recorded from seabirds on offshore islands. In contrast though, the sheep or deer tick 'Ixodes Ricinus' feeds on practically all animals, including mammals, birds, reptiles, humans and pets (particularly dogs). This tick can be active all year, but numbers start to increase from late March, peaking in late spring and summer and will remain active until October. Ticks are tiny, spider-like creatures that live in woods and areas with long grass. They are found all over the UK, some parts are much worst than others i.e Yorkshire Moors & Lake District. Ticks don't jump or fly – they attach to the skin of animals or humans that brush past them i.e. Long grass etc... Once a tick bites into the skin it feeds on blood for a few days before dropping off.
What does a tick look like?
Ticks prefer warm, moist areas of the body. Once a tick gets on your body, they're likely to migrate to your armpits, groin, or hair. When they're in a desirable spot, they bite into your skin and begin drawing blood. Unlike most other bugs that bite, ticks typically remain attached to your body after they bite you.
Where would I most likely find a tick on my dog or me?
Ticks are drawn to dark moist areas on the body, so on a Dog:
Under their collar
Under their tail
Inside the groin area
Between their claws
Elbows
Under their legs
Near their eyes
Ears
But it's best to check all over, especially if they have been near wet Woodlands, Trees, Long Grass, Shrubs or Leaf Piles
On Humans, all moist dark areas:
Underneath armpits
Elbows
Arms
Legs
Groin area
Eyes
Ears
Between toes
Waist
Back
Hair
What happens if you get bitten by a tick?
A person who gets bitten by a tick usually won't feel anything at all. There might be a little redness around the area of the bite. If you think you've been bitten by a tick, seek medical advice immediately. Some ticks carry diseases (such as Lyme disease) and can pass them to people.
How does a tick affect a dog?
Certain female ticks can cause a rare paralysis in dogs as a result of a toxin they produce while feeding. More importantly, ticks are capable of causing many diseases in your pet. The disease with which most people are familiar is called Lyme disease.
Do ticks fall off on their own?
Once attached, they remain in place until engorged, when they fall off to lay their eggs. While the tick head is buried in your pet's skin, it can swell to 10 times its normal size from the blood it consumes. To find ticks, look wherever your pet cannot groom themselves.
Do ticks die after they are full?
After hatching from the eggs, ticks must eat blood at every stage to survive. Ticks that require this many hosts can take up to 3 years to complete their full life cycle, and most will die because they don't find a host for their next feeding.
How long can a tick live on your clothes?
In a typical house environment, unfed deer ticks are not likely to survive even 24 hours. Ticks on moist clothing in a hamper can survive 2-3 days. Ticks that have taken a blood meal may survive a bit longer but certainly not the 30+ days it takes to mature and bite again or lay eggs.
Do ticks die in the winter?
Females can lay around 3,000 eggs. Ticks do not die off during the winter months. To survive the cold and snow, most ticks find shelter in leaf litter and are dormant until spring. However, adult deer ticks (black-legged ticks) remain active year round.
When are ticks most active in the uk?
Activates in spring/early summer (March to May/June). In hotter areas of the UK tick activity can almost cease during summer, although larvae and nymphs may be active, and ticks remain active in cooler, damp locations. Some ticks become active in the cooler autumn (August to October).
How do you know if you have Lyme disease from a tick?
This is normal after a tick bite and does not indicate Lyme disease. However, these signs and symptoms may occur within a month after you've been infected: Rash. From 3 to 30 days after an infected tick bite, an expanding red area might appear that sometimes clears in the center, forming a bull's-eye pattern.
What is Lyme disease?
Lyme disease is a bacterial infection that can be spread to humans & animals by infected ticks. It's usually easier to treat if it's diagnosed early.
What are the symptoms of Lyme disease?
Many people with early symptoms of Lyme disease develop a red, circular skin rash around a tick bite. This can appear up to 30 days after being bitten by a tick.”
Not everyone with Lyme disease gets the rash. Some people also have flu-like symptoms in the early stages, such as:
A high temperature, or feeling hot and shivery
Headaches
Muscle and joint pain
Tiredness and loss of energy
What do I do if my pet or I get these symptoms?
Seek medical advice from your Vet or your Doctor immediately...
Your GP will ask about your symptoms and consider any recent tick bites you know about.
Lyme disease can be difficult to diagnose. It has similar symptoms to other conditions and there isn't always an obvious rash. Two types of blood test are available to help confirm Lyme disease. You may need to be re-tested if you still have symptoms after a negative result.
Treatment from a GP:
If your GP thinks you might have Lyme disease, they'll prescribe a 2 to 3 week course of antibiotics. It's important to finish the course, even if you start to feel better.
Some people with severe symptoms will be referred to a specialist in hospital for injections of stronger antibiotics.
People with symptoms of Lyme disease that last a long time will be referred to a specialist in hospital for advice and more blood tests.
Post-infectious Lyme disease
A few people who are diagnosed and treated for Lyme disease develop long-term symptoms such as tiredness, aches and loss of energy. This is known as post-infectious Lyme disease.
The symptoms of post-infectious Lyme disease are often compared to fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome. It's not clear why this happens to some people and not others. This means there is also no agreed treatment for post-infectious Lyme disease.
How do I get rid of a tick?
Do not try to burn the tick while it is attached to your skin!
Cover it completely with Vaseline, rubbing alcohol, or even salad oil or liquor. The oil closes off its breathing holes, and the tick should let go within 30 minutes.
Once the tick surrenders and lets go use fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin's surface as possible. Pull upward with steady, even pressure. Don't twist or jerk the tick; this can cause the mouth-parts to break off and remain in the skin. If this happens, remove the mouth-parts with tweezers.
There are special tick combs which are available at your Vets or Local Pet Store (i.e. Pets at Home, Vets for Pets etc..)
Wash the area of the tick bite with a lot of warm, clean water. Apply a thin layer of petroleum jelly, such as Vaseline, lightly to the wound.
What happens when you leave the head of a tick in your skin?
If the tick is accidentally pulled apart and the head stays in the skin, there's a risk of being infected with other microscopic organisms. This kind of infection has nothing to do with Lyme disease, but can still be dangerous and unpleasant. See a Vet or Doctor if part of the tick is left in the skin or if infection occurs.
What happens if the head of a tick stays in the dog?
Never dig around in the skin to remove the remainder of the tick, as this can actually increase the risk of skin infections. Instead, it's best to let nature take its course. Your dog's body will expel the tick out naturally by itself. To avoid the possibility of infection, apply an antibiotic ointment, as directed.
How should you dispose of a tick?
After removing the tick, thoroughly clean the bite area and your hands with rubbing alcohol, an iodine scrub, or soap and water. Dispose of a live tick by submersing it in alcohol, placing it in a sealed bag/container, wrapping it tightly in tape, or flushing it down the toilet. Never crush a tick with your fingers. You can also put the tick in a dry jar or ziplock bag and save it in the freezer for later identification if necessary.
How do you prevent ticks?
To help protect yourself and your family, you should:
Use a chemical repellent with DEET, permethrin or picaridin.
Wear light-colored protective clothing.
Tuck pant legs into socks.
Avoid tick-infested areas - Woodland areas, Long Grass Fields etc...
Check yourself, your children, and your pets daily for ticks and carefully remove any ticks
UK Geographic areas where ticks are known to be active
The number of endemic areas in the United Kingdom have been expanding. Sheep ticks are most often found in:
Exmoor
New Forest
South Downs
Thetford Forest
North Yorkshire Moors
Lake District
Scottish Highlands
Most tick bites are harmless
Only a small number of ticks are infected with the bacteria that causes Lyme disease. A tick bite can only cause Lyme disease in humans if the tick has already bitten an infected animal.
It's still important to be aware of ticks and remove them safely as soon as possible just in case.
Public Health England has produced a factsheet on tick bites and your health. This gives important details on:
the health risks of tick bites
how to check your skin for ticks
how to remove a tick
how to prevent tick bites
Tick bites aren't always painful. You may not notice a tick unless you see it on your skin. Regularly check your skin and your children or pets' skin after being outdoors.
See a GP if you have symptoms of Lyme disease.
Let the GP know if:
you've been bitten by a tick
you've never seen a tick on your skin but have spent time in woods or areas with long grass