Dog lovers all know that fleas or cattle ticks are bad bugs for dogs, because fleas and ticks feed on the blood of mammals, and they can cause diseases or allergic reactions in dogs.
Today we will discuss the difference between cattle ticks and fleas. How can they be treated when they are both infected?
How to distinguish between two kinds of insects?
cattle tick
- member of the order Arachnida (i.e., spiders and mites)
- There are over 100 species of ticks in different colors, including brown, black, gray, red, yellow, etc.
- Length from 1/8 inch to 1/2 inch
- The body is flat but becomes rounded when filled with blood
- Adults have four pairs of legs, but the larval stage has only three pairs
- There are eight powerful feet that can easily catch prey
- When sucking, it bites the prey and buries its head into the skin.
- Ticks are nomads that move from host to host as they please
flea
- A tiny blood-sucking insect that prefers dogs and cats
- Usually dark reddish brown to black
- Has a flat, wingless and hard body
- About 1/8 inch long, with three pairs of legs
- When sucking blood, the needle-like mouthparts penetrate the skin, and the secretions can cause itching and swelling.
- Move very fast
- Reproduce rapidly
- Generally attached to one host for life
- With strong jumping ability and powerful hind legs, they can easily jump up to six inches high. It is 150 times its own height, which is equivalent to a person jumping to the top floor.
How do cats and dogs become infected with cattle ticks/fleas ?
Cattle Tick - Waiting for the Rabbit
It usually waits patiently on the tips of shrub plants, which can take up to weeks or months, to make contact with the host as it brushes against the plant.
Jumping lice ~ take the initiative
When it matures, it will actively detect the host through vibration, sound, body heat, carbon dioxide and other data.
Both cattle ticks and fleas like warm, moist and dark places, so there are a lot of grass, bushes and wooded areas in spring. Therefore, the dog must check for the owner after playing in the grass.
Different symptoms after a dog is bitten:
tick bite
Drowsiness, muscle weakness, loss of appetite, difficulty breathing or vomiting
flea bites
The bites may cause itching and loss of hair or fur. Usually flea bites do not cause serious health effects, but tick bites are a different story.
Ticks are the vectors for most transmitted diseases, the most common being Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever.
Rocky Mountain spotted fever (cattle tick fever)
Symptoms include fever, lethargy, weight loss, and symptoms related to inflammation of blood vessels, such as swelling, rash, and pain, which can be life-threatening in severe cases.
Lyme disease
The most common symptom is lameness, but some dogs may also develop kidney disease, and if left untreated, the dog may eventually suffer from kidney failure.
Because tick-borne illnesses can easily go undiagnosed and have long-term consequences, it’s important to seek immediate medical attention if you suspect your dog has been bitten by a tick, is feeling unwell, or is exhibiting strange symptoms.
How to avoid cattle ticks
- Check yourself and your pets before entering the house
- Try to avoid getting close to grass and corners
- Reduce time to go to the countryside during spring warm weather
How to remove cattle ticks
- Gently pull away the dog's hair around the tick to expose the skin near the tick
- Find the head of the tick, use fine-tipped tweezers to grasp it as close to the skin as possible and squeeze it gently, as if licking the black head, and wait until the head of the tick loosens slightly.
- Pull outward in a straight direction until the pressure pulls the tick's head out
- Do not twist the tick as this can break the head
- Do not grab the tick's body as this will increase the risk of backflow of the tick's blood into the dog's body
Source:
https://www.familyhandyman.com/article/flea-v-tick/
https://www.familyhandyman.com/article/here-is-how-to-remove-a-tick-and-what-not-to-do/