All About Lone Star Tick

All About Lone Star Tick If you have heard any cases of red meat allergy then you probably would be acquainted of Lone Star Ticks as well. Amblyomma americanum or Lone Star tick is a brown-coloured, eight-legged tick native to Southern states but now they can be easily found in the eastern and northern regions of the United States as well. They have almost covered 30 states to be precise.

Risk With Tick Bite Just like other ticks, a Lone star tick also transmits sundry bacteria and protozoa that cause illness in dogs and cats. Transmission of protozoa in cats can cause cytauxzoonosis whereas the bacteria transferred by lone star tick can lead to Ehrlichiosis, Tularemia and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever in dogs.

The most dreadful part is that Lone star tick can also bite and transmit the same diseases in humans as well. Moreover, if they first feed on cattle and then bite humans, chances are high that may even transmit a sugar called alpha-gal which results in red meat allergy in humans.

Appearance Of Lone Star Tick Lone Star Ticks have a reddish-brown, oval shaped flat body which turn grey when the tick is engorged. It can be easily distinguished from other tick species because of a silver-white spot on the hard shell of the female ticks. Male lone star ticks on the other hand, also have remarkable inverted, horse-shoe shaped, white specks on their back.

Lifecycle Of Lone Star Tick Lone Star ticks also need 3 hosts to complete their lifecycle. As the adult female tick lays eggs, they hatch into the larvae when the conditions are suitable and these larvae then cling and crawl to the blades of the grasses and other vegetation in quest of their first blood meal.

As the animal passes by the vegetation, these ticks run towards their host and latch onto the animal by digging their first two legs in the animal’s skin to fix themselves firmly on the body. These ticks then take their first meal from usually a small animal and detach themselves later after getting completely engorged.

After digesting the blood, they transform into a nymph and again by the same process of

‘quest’, seek another animal like a cat or a dog. After digesting their second blood meal, the nymph transforms into an adult tick. The adult female tick then mates with a male tick on the pet’s body, lays hundreds of eggs and dies. Likewise, the ticks lifecycle continues and causes heavy infestation.

Symptoms Of Lone Star Tick Infestation Signs of Ehrlichiosis in dogs · · · · · · · · ·

Fever Lethargy Chronic eye inflammation Poor appetite Swelling of Lymph Nodes Lameness Respiratory distress Runny nose watery eyes

Signs Of Ehrlichiosis in humans · · · · · · · · ·

Fever Chills Confusion Muscle aches and cramps Rashes Nausea Vomiting Diarrhea Loss of Appetite

Signs Of Cytauxzoonosis in cats · · · · · · ·

High Fever Pale gums Depression Loss of appetite Jaundice Enlarged Abdomen Dehydration

General Tick Symptoms · · · ·

Fever Loss of appetite Swelling in joints Lethargy

Signs Of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever · · · · · · ·

Fever Joint Ache Anorexia Depression Vomiting Skin lesions Neurological abnormalities

Signs Of Tularemia in Dogs · · · · · ·

Eye and Skin Ulceration Abdominal Pain Fever Loss of appetite Vomiting Diarrhea

Note: It takes almost 2 weeks, like almost 14 days for the symptoms to appear in case of lone star tick borne diseases.

Protection of Your Pet And Family •

The nymph and adult stages of these ticks get attracted to warmth and carbon-dioxide from the host, therefore make sure you avoid going to wooded and shrubby areas where these ticks are present in huge numbers.

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As a matter of fact, Lone Star Ticks cannot survive in an area with direct sunlight for long thus in order to prevent your house from getting infested with ticks, draw the curtains and let the sunlight suffuse in your house.

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Prevent your dog or cat from getting infested by using tick preventatives. These topical or oral treatments help in killing the established ticks and prevent other sticks from latching onto the pet’s body thereby preventing re-infestation.

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Shave the plants and grass in your yard short to eschew rodent visits which are major carriers of ticks.

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Groom your pet regularly and remove any tick attached to the pet’s body by tweezers.

Make sure you just pull it off gently and put it in the alcohol for determining if the tick contains any infection or not.

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Keep the house clean and make sure you do not skip the treatment at all.

Ticks not just cause nuisance but bring lot many diseases along. So, make sure you follow every possible step to protect your pet from tick infestation.

Reference: https://bestvetcare.weebly.com/home/lone-star-ticks-what-you-need-to-know You may also like to read how to select the right tick and flea preventatives for your beloved pets here: https://www.bestvetcare.com/blog/pick-out-the-right-flea-and-tickpreventatives-for-your-pet/