How do you tell if bump on dog is a tick
How to identify and remove a tick on your dog in 6 steps
Familiarize yourself with the common tick species for your area, including information such as what they look like and when theyre most active.
Tick life cycle
Ticks go through four distinct stages in their life cycle:
- Egg
- Six-legged larvae
- Eight-legged nymph
- Adult
Ticks can live anywhere between a few months to a few years, depending on the species. As arachnids, full-grown ticks possess eight legs. However, they only have six during the larvae stage. Thus, it is possible to only find six legs on a tick when you pull it off your dog.
While many dont live long, females may lay between 3,000 and 6,000 eggs. They usually breed right after a full meal and then lay eggs on their host, which is another reason to remove them immediately.
How dogs get ticks
Ticks are more likely found in moist regions with brush, tall grass, and woodlands. They tend to live in vegetation so they can latch onto dogs, cats, or humans as they walk by. Depending on where you live, tick season occurs at different times of year.
On the West Coast, you should look out for ticks all year. In the North and Midwest, tick season tends to fall between spring and fall. Warmer weather and rural living conditions breed a continuous tick season for much of the southern United States.
Thankfully, flea and tick prevention works against all species of ticks. Most veterinarians recommend using flea and tick control year-round just to be safe.
Tick Bites: Identification, Symptoms, and Treatment Options
Tick bites can cause a small bump. If you experience other symptoms, such as a rash, it can indicate an allergic reaction or infection with a tick-borne disease.
Tick bites are often harmless and dont cause any symptoms. However, ticks can cause allergic reactions, and some types can pass diseases on to humans and pets. These diseases can be dangerous or even life threatening when not treated promptly.
Ticks are common in the United States. They live outdoors in:
- grass
- trees
- shrubs
- leaf piles
Theyre attracted to people and pets and can easily move between the two. If youve spent any time outdoors, youve 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 learn what to do if a tick bites you.
Ticks are small, blood-sucking bugs. They range in size from as small as a pins head to as large as a pencil eraser. Ticks have eight legs. Theyre arachnids, which means theyre related to spiders.
Different kinds of ticks 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 gallery for pictures of ticks.
Ticks prefer warm, moist areas of the body. According to the
- armpits
- groin
- hair
- back of your knees
- inside your belly button
- around your waist
- inside and around your ears
However, ticks dont always migrate. If youve 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 attaches to the skin and begins drawing blood. Unlike most other bugs that bite, ticks typically remain attached to your body after they bite you.
Youll likely know if a tick bites you because youll find a tick on your skin. You probably wont feel the bite as it occurs.
An engorged tick typically detaches itself and falls off after a
Ticks can remain attached to the skin for up to
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 resembling a mosquito bite.
A Lyme disease bullseye rash can appear anywhere from 3 to 30 days after youve been bitten. You may also see more than one rash. The rash may get larger over several days, reaching 12 inches wide.
MORE: The 3 Best At-Home Lyme Disease Tests
Symptoms of an allergic reaction to a tick bite
Tick bites are usually harmless and may produce no symptoms. But if youre allergic to tick bites, you may experience:
Symptoms of tick-borne diseases
Ticks 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. This can vary by the specific disease.
Potential symptoms of tick-borne diseases include:
Symptoms of Rocky Mountain spotted fever
People 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:
- vomiting
- a sudden high fever around 102 or 103F (38 to 39C)
- headache
- abdominal pain
- rash
- muscle aches
The most important thing to do when you find a tick is to remove it. This may help stave off a tick-borne illness. Some
Dont remove it if you have an allergic reaction, as this may release more of the allergen and cause a worsening reaction.
After removing the tick, clean the area thoroughly with an antibacterial cleanser or ointment. A doctor may send the tick to a laboratory to analyze its type and determine if it is carrying any pathogens.
Place the tick into a lidded jar or sealed ziplock bag and bring it to your appointment.
Treatment depends on whether youre experiencing an allergic reaction to the tick bite or have a tick-borne disease.
Contact a doctor as soon as possible after youve 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 youre uneasy, seek another opinion about treatment.
Let the doctor know if you were bitten in a location known for severe tick-borne diseases, like the Western or Northeastern United States.
You should also let the doctor know if you developed any of the following symptoms after your tick bite:
If you need help finding a primary care doctor, check out our FindCare tool here.
Preventing tick bites is the best way to avoid a tick-borne illness. Here are some prevention tips:
- Wear a long-sleeved shirt and pants when walking in the woods or grassy areas where ticks are common.
- Walk in the center of trails.
- Use a tick repellent thats at least 20% DEET.
- Treat clothing and gear with
0.5% permethrin . - Take a shower or bath within 2 hours of being outdoors.
- Check skin closely after being in tick-prone areas, especially under arms, behind ears, between legs, behind knees, and in hair.
It typically takes more than
Are tick bites itchy?
A tick bite can cause immediate,
If a tick bite leads to Lyme disease, you can develop lesions on the skin known as erythema migrans (EM). These often dont trigger any further symptoms, but some people report itchiness and burning around the area of the lesion.
Can you get Lyme disease if you dont see a ring around the tick bite?
Yes. The EM rash is often a surefire sign that youve been bitten by a tick carrying Lyme disease. However, not everyone gets the rash. Since it doesnt itch or hurt, getting the rash and not noticing it may also be possible.
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 youre outside hiking or playing, a tick might attach itself to you or your pet. Ticks may stay attached to your pet or migrate to you while youre 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.
What does a tick bite look like?
A tick bite may cause a small bump. Some tick-borne diseases can cause a rash. You may also develop a rash due to an allergic reaction to a tick bite. You may also discover the tick in your skin rather than notice the bite.
How do you tell if a bite is from a tick?
A tick bite can look like another insect bite. But you may identify the tick in your skin If you live in or have traveled to an area where ticks are common.
When should I worry about a tick bite?
If you live where tick-borne diseases are common, you may want to talk with a doctor after a tick bite, even if you do not have any symptoms. They may be able to
What does a tick bite with Lyme look like?
Some people develop a bullseye rash, erythema multiforme, with Lyme disease. However,
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, its vital that you ask a doctor about the next steps.
You can prevent tick bites by using 20% DEET or 0.5% permethrin, wearing long-sleeved shirts and pants in tick-prone areas, and staying away from the edges of any walking trails where ticks hide.
11 FAQ About Tick Bites on Dogs
Fleas get their share of attention and awareness as pesky nuisances that can plague dogs, but ticks are often overlooked.
Did you know that ticks are not even insects? Ticks are actually arachnids, similar to scorpions, spiders and mitesthey have four pairs of legs as adults and no antennae. Adult insects, by comparison, have three pairs of legs and one pair of antennae.
Unlike biting insects, ticks dont bite and fly away; they remain on their hosts, feeding for days before they crawl off. Heres what you need to know about ticks and their bites.
1. What does a tick bite on a dog look like?
A tick bite on a dog looks like a small red bump, similar to a mosquitobite. These bumps often appear at the site of atick biteortickremoval and resolve themselves over a few days.
2. Can a tick bite become infected?
Yes, just like any skin wound, tick bites can become infected. Tick bites arent typically itchy, so if you find your pup scratching at an old tick bite wound, it is a sign that an infection may have developed. Other signs include worsening, or continued, redness and weeping or oozing around the wound.
Tick bite wounds can be cleaned gently with over-the-counter chlorhexidine solution. An over-the-counter triple antibiotic ointment or spray can be applied after cleaning. If it worsens or doesn't show signs of initial improvement in 1-2 days, seek care from your veterinarian.
If you suspect that your dogs tick bite is infected, contact your veterinarian immediately.
3. Can ticks bite without attaching?
No, a tick must attach itself to feed. Ticks will also take several days to complete a feeding.
4. Can tick eggs live on a dog?
In theory, yes, tick eggs can live on dogs. In actuality, however, female ticks lay their eggs on the ground. Most dogs get ticks when individual tick adults or nymphs crawl onto the animal.
5. Can ticks jump?
Ticks do not fly or jump in any life stage. Thats right, ticks dont actually jump. To find a host, many tick species use a strategy called questing, where they identify well-used paths and wait on the tips of grasses and shrubs for a host to pass so they can latch on.
Theyll use their third and fourth pairs of legs to hold onto leaves or grass, and will then try to grab onto a passing host using their first pair of legs.
6. What are the different types of ticks?
There are two groups of ticks, sometimes called the hard ticks and soft ticks. Hard ticks have a hard shield just behind the mouthparts (sometimes unknowingly called the head). Hard ticks that have not fed are shaped like a flat seed. Soft ticks do not have the hard shield, and they are shaped like a large raisin.
There are over 15 species of ticks in North America, but your dog is most at risk for four of these:
American dog tick or wood tick (Dermacentor variabilis)
Lone star tick (Amblyomma americanum)
Deer tick or black-legged tick (Ixodes scapularis)
Brown dog tick (Rhipicephalus sanguineus)
7. How do you prevent tick bites on dogs?
To prevent tick bites in tick-infested areas, take the following precautions:
When in the woods, walk on cleared trails. Avoid walking through tall grass and low brush in wooded areas. Also avoid walking under low-lying vines and branches.
Thoroughly check pets for ticks after spending time in tick-infested areas. Remember to check all areas, including between the toes and inside the ears. If one tick is found, check for more.
Insect repellants containing DEET are highly toxic to dogs (and cats); make sure to NEVER use them!
Put all pets in your household on a tick preventative. There are many different tick preventativessome are over-the-counter, while others are prescription. Your veterinarian can help you choose the right one.
8. How do you check for ticks on dogs?
The best way to check your dog for ticks is to brush your fingers through your dogs fur, applying enough pressure to feel any small bumps. If you feel a bump, pull the fur apart to identify it.
An embedded tick will vary in size, from as tiny as a pinhead to as big as a dime. They are usually black, grey or brown. Depending on the size and location of the tick, its legs may also be visible.
9. How do you remove a tick from a dog?
If youve discovered a tick on your dog, it should be removed immediately to avoid a skin reaction and to reduce the likelihood of developing a tick-borne infectious disease. Diseases can be transmitted to your dog in as quickly as a few hours.
Follow these tips to safely remove a tick from a dog:
Grasp the head of the tick with a pair of flat or curved forceps or tweezers. They should be held as close to the skin of your dog as possible. Avoid squeezing the tick!
Using steady, gentle pressure, pull the head of the tick away from the skin without twisting.
The site of the bite should be cleaned with soap and water.
You can save the tick in a container with a tight-fitting lid if you would like to have it identified by your veterinarian.
10. Can you drown or squish a tick?
Its not necessary to drown a tick. If you decide to squish it, make sure to wear gloves or protect yourself. If theyve already fed, they will be messy and bloody.
11. Should you burn a tick to get it to release?
Definitely not. Burning a tick as a way to get it to release from its host is a myth. Burning a tick will irritate it and cause it to release more toxins and diseases that it may be carrying into your pets body. It is somewhat similar to causing an adrenaline release in usthe tick will release everything that it has inside of them.
By: Laci Schaible, DVM, CVJ
Featured Image: iStock.com/Jess Wealleans
