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Medically reviewed by Emelia Arquilla, DO — Written by Kimberly Holland and Corey Whelan — Updated on March 30, 2022 Tick bites are often harmless and don’t cause any symptoms. However, ticks can cause allergic reactions, and certain ticks can pass diseases on to humans and pets when they bite. These diseases can be dangerous or even life threatening when not treated promptly. Ticks are common in the United States. They live outdoors in:
They’re attracted to people and their four-legged pets, and can move between the two with ease. If you’ve spent any time outdoors, you’ve likely encountered ticks at some point. In this article, we help you identify ticks and tick bites, along with the symptoms of tick-borne illnesses, and what to do if a tick bites you. Ticks are small, blood-sucking bugs. They range in size from as small as a pin’s head to as large as a pencil eraser. Ticks have eight legs. They’re arachnids, which means they’re related to spiders. The different kinds of ticks can range in color from shades of brown to reddish-brown and black. As they take in more blood, ticks grow. At their largest, ticks can grow to about the size of a marble. After a tick feeds on its host for several days, it swells up and can turn a greenish-blue color. Check out this image galley for pictures of ticks. Ticks prefer warm, moist areas of the body. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), once a tick gets on your body, it’s likely to migrate to the following areas:
However, ticks don’t always migrate. If you’ve been in a situation where you might have gotten a tick bite, be sure to check your entire body. When a tick reaches a desirable spot, it bites into your skin and begins drawing blood. Unlike most other bugs that bite, ticks typically remain attached to your body after they bite you. If a tick bites you, you’ll likely know because you’ll find a tick on your skin. You probably won’t feel the tick biting you as the bite is occurring. After a period of up to 10 days of drawing blood from your body, an engorged tick will detach itself and fall off. Ticks can remain attached to the skin for up to 10 days after they first bite. They get bigger and easier to spot as time goes on. Ticks typically bite once, instead of in clusters or lines. Most harmless tick bites cause no physical signs or symptoms. Some cause a red or discolored bump to appear that looks similar to a mosquito bite. A Lyme disease bullseye rash can appear anywhere from 3 to 30 days after you’ve been bitten. You may also see more than one rash. The rash may get larger over the course of several days, reaching 12 inches in width. Symptoms of an allergic reaction to a tick biteTick bites are usually harmless and may produce no symptoms. But if you’re allergic to tick bites, you may experience: Symptoms of tick-borne diseasesTicks can pass potentially severe diseases to human hosts. Most signs or symptoms of a tick-borne disease will begin within a few days to a few weeks after a tick bite. Potential symptoms of tick-borne diseases include: Symptoms of Rocky Mountain spotted feverPeople who suspect they may have Rocky Mountain spotted fever should seek treatment as soon as they suspect it. Symptoms of Rocky Mountain spotted fever include:
The most important thing to do when you find a tick is to remove it. This may help stave off a tick-borne illness. Don’t remove it if you have an allergic reaction, this may release more of the allergen and cause a worsening reaction. Make sure to clean the area thoroughly with antibacterial cleanser or ointment after the tick has been removed. Your doctor may wish to send the tick to a laboratory to analyze what type it is, and to determine if it is carrying any pathogens. Place the tick into a lidded jar or sealed ziplock bag and bring it with you to your doctor’s appointment. Treatment will depend on whether you’re experiencing an allergic reaction to the tick bite, or have a tick-borne disease. Contact your doctor as soon as possible after you’ve been bitten by a tick. A doctor can determine if any treatment is necessary, based on the type of tick that bit you. Different parts of the country have different risks when it comes to diseases from tick bites. If you live in an urban area without many ticks and get bitten elsewhere, your usual doctor may not readily identify the tick. If that is the case and you’re uneasy, seek another opinion about treatment. Let your doctor know if you were bitten in a geographical location known for severe tick-borne diseases, like the Western or Northeastern United States. You should also let your doctor know if you developed any of the following symptoms after your tick bite:
Preventing tick bites is the best way to avoid a tick-borne illness. Here are some prevention tips:
It typically takes more than 24 hours of feeding for a person to get a tick-borne disease. So, the sooner you can identify and remove a tick, the better. A tick bite can cause immediate, intense itching in some people due to the toxins and irritants in tick saliva. However, itching doesn’t always occur. For this reason, if you spend time in a tick-infested area, it’s important to check your whole body for ticks after you leave. If a tick bite leads to Lyme disease, it can also lead to the development of lesions on the skin known as erythema migrans (EM). These often don’t trigger any further symptoms, but some people report that they feel itchiness and burning around the area of the lesion. Can you get Lyme disease if you don’t see a ring around the tick bite?Yes. The EM rash is often a surefire sign that you’ve been bitten by a tick carrying Lyme disease. However, not everyone gets the rash. Since it doesn’t itch or hurt, it may also be possible to get the rash and not notice it. Can ticks carry diseases other than Lyme disease?Yes. Ticks can carry many diseases such as Rocky Mountain Fever. The diseases ticks carry vary from geographic region to region. Where do ticks live?Ticks live outdoors. They hide in grass, trees, shrubs, and underbrush. If you’re outside hiking or playing, a tick might attach itself to you or your pet. Ticks may stay attached to your pet, or they can migrate to you while you’re touching or holding your pet. They can also leave you and attach themselves to your pets. Various kinds of ticks live in large populations throughout the country. Most states have at least one type of tick that lives there. Ticks are at their peak population in the spring and summer months, typically April through September. Tick bites are often symptom-free and harmless. However, ticks can carry harmful diseases like Lyme disease. If you notice a bullseye-shaped rash, fever, chills, and body aches, it’s vital that you ask a doctor about the next steps. You can prevent tick bites by using 20 percent DEET or 0.5 percent permethrin, wearing long-sleeved shirts and pants while in tick-prone areas, and staying away from the edges of any walking trails where ticks hide. Last medically reviewed on March 30, 2022
These creepy crawly beasts or Ectoparasites, are large enough to notice on your dog’s body. Varying in size ranging from 1mm to 100mm long and with 8 legs. They won’t jump or fly, but will fall or climb onto your dog’s fur when brushing past the tick’s habitat or location. When you return from a walk, smooth your hands over your dog’s fur and check for any noticeable lumps. A bite, with an attached tick, will feel like a small bulge on the dog’s skin. Belonging to the arachnid family – they are parasites that feed on the blood of your pet. They spread infectious diseases from one host to another, be it animal or human. How to recognise a tick bite on your dogAn “unfed” tick, which is very difficult to notice, are smaller, cream in colour and less noticeable. A bite on your dog will usually have a larger tick attached to the area. This parasite will show a deeper brown colour, and its abdomen will be swollen with blood. Once the tick has consumed enough blood, it will turn a silver-blue colour. If a tick is still attached to your dog, it’s important to remove it immediately. Using a special removal tool, or tweezers, grip the tick around the head. Go as close to the dog’s skin as possible, then slowly remove the tick by pulling upwards, without squashing it. Wash your hands and the area around the bite location. Identifying a tickYou will not normally see a rash around the bite location, as you would possibly observe on a human. A canine tick bite location will usually show some slight inflammation. The tick’s body will normally be oval in shape, and you may notice tiny legs. If you’re not sure it’s a tick, continue to observe the lump, as it will get larger the more it gorges on your dog’s blood. This lump, or granuloma, is a reaction to the venomous fluids that the tick has secreted when feeding. Other symptoms that may alert you to a tick bite on your dogIt’s not always easy to spot a tick bite in your dog’s fur, and these troublesome pests can cause your pet a number of problems. Stay alert, and if you notice any of these other warning signs, your dog could have sustained a bite. If you notice a tick in your house – chances are that your dog brought this mite into your home. If you discover a tick on the floor, carpets or in the dog’s bedding, make a closer examination of your pet. Does your dog have a fever – after a tick bite, your pet may show symptoms of fever, shivering, loss of appetite that may last for just one day, or several weeks. Of course, he may be suffering from something other than a tick bite, but always make a further examination. Difficulty when eating – a dog infected by a tick bite may eat in a haphazard, messy way and experience a problem picking up food with his mouth. More serious health complications can arise, such as food aspiration and difficulty swallowing. Check for any scabs – a tick that is embedded in the dog’s skin, will annoy him and make him lick excessively, or nip at the site of the bite. Conduct a closer inspection of his skin for scabs or ticks. Constant head shaking – is a sign that your dog may have a tick nestled in his ear canal. A tick will bite an area of warm, damp skin, so check under his front legs, his groin and ears. Use a torch to investigate inside the dog’s ear. A lump or bump on your dog’s skin – this is usually the first tell-tale sign of a tick bite. When petting your dog, if you feel a bump, make a further investigation for an attached body. Should you suspect at all that your dog has a bite from a tick, or is showing signs of paralysis, it’s vitally important that you call your Vet immediately. When administered early, an anti-venom medication can be quite effective. Be sure to check all other pets in the same household to make sure there is no cross-contamination. |