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Ticks, although they are small insects, are harmless from nothing. They lodge in the skin of warm-blooded mammals and suck the vital fluid. The problem is that they don't just suck the vital fluid, they can also infect and transmit various types of diseases, which in case they are not treated correctly, can become serious health problems. Ticks do not fly, live in tall grass and crawl up or fall on their hosts.
If you spend a lot of time outdoors with your pet, keep reading this PeritoAnimal article about diseases that ticks can transmit, many of them can affect you too.
What are ticks?
ticks are external parasites or larger mites that are part of the arachnid family, being cousins of spiders, and that are transmitters of diseases and infections to animals and people.
The most common types of ticks are the dog tick or canine tick and the black legged tick or deer tick. Dogs and cats are attracted to open spaces with lots of vegetation, grass, accumulated leaves or bushes, and this is precisely where ticks are found, having a greater incidence in hot seasons.
Lyme disease
The most feared but common disease transmitted by deer ticks is Lyme disease, which is spread by ticks so small they cannot be seen. When this happens, the diagnosis is more difficult to make. Once a tick of this type bites, it produces a red, circular rash that doesn't itch or hurt, but spreads out and creates tiredness, severe headaches, inflamed lymph nodes, facial muscle and neurological problems. This disease can occur more than once in the same patient.
This condition is a largely debilitating infection but it's not deadly, however, if it is not properly diagnosed and treated, it can develop problems such as:
- Facial paralysis
- Arthritis
- neurological disorders
- Palpitations
Lyme disease should be treated with different types of antibiotics prescribed by your veterinarian.
Tularemia
the bacteria Francisella tularensis it is the cause of tularemia, a bacterial infection transmitted by tick bites and also by mosquitoes. The animals most affected by this disease that a tick can transmit 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 appears symptom chart:
- Fever and chills.
- Painless ulcers in the contact zone.
- Eye irritation, headache and muscle pain.
- Stiffness in joints, difficulty breathing.
- Weight loss and sweating.
human ehrlichiosis
This disease that a tick can transmit is contagious through the bites of ticks infected by three different bacteria: Ehrlichia chaffeensis, Ehrlichia ewingii and Anaplasma. The problem with this disease occurs more in children, because usually the symptoms start in 5 to 10 days after the bite, and if the case becomes severe, it can cause serious brain damage. For both pets and people, part of the treatment is the administration of antibiotics and other medications for a period of at least 6-8 weeks.
Some of the symptoms are identical to those of the flu: loss of appetite, fever, pain in muscles and joints, headache, chills, anemia, decreased white blood cells (leukopenia), hepatitis, stomach pain, severe cough and in some cases rash skin.
tick paralysis
Ticks are so versatile that they can even cause loss of muscle function. Interestingly, when they cling to the skin of people and animals (mostly dogs), they release a toxicant that causes paralysis, and it is during this blood removal process that the toxin enters the bloodstream. It's a double winning game for these little mites.
The paralysis starts from the feet and goes up throughout the body. Also, in most cases, it causes flu-like symptoms: muscle pain, tiredness, and difficulty breathing. Intense care, nursing support and insecticide baths will be needed as treatment. As mentioned, the most affected of paralysis by a tick bite are dogs, however, cats can also suffer from it.
anaplasmosis
Anaplasmosis is another disease that a tick can transmit. It is also a zoonotic infectious disease, which means it can infect people as well as pets. It is produced by an intracellular bacterium 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 most affects white blood cells. Elderly people and people who have a weak immune system are more sensitive and develop severe symptoms that can be life-threatening, in which case immediate antibiotic treatment is necessary.
Patients exposed to the disease agent have problems being diagnosed due to the non-specific nature of the symptoms and because they present suddenly 7 to 14 days after the bite. Most are headaches, fever, chills, myalgia and malaise that can be confused with other infectious and non-infectious diseases and viruses. Also, don't miss our articles on dog fever and cat fever to learn how to act.
This article is for information purposes only, at PeritoAnimal.com.br we are not able to prescribe veterinary treatments or perform any type of diagnosis. We suggest that you take your pet to the veterinarian in case it has any type of condition or discomfort.