Ticks, although they are tiny insects, are far from harmless. They lodge in the skin of warm-blooded mammals and suck the vital fluid. The problem is that they not only suck the vital liquid, but they can infect and transmit various types of diseases, which if not treated correctly, can become in serious he alth problems. Ticks don't fly, they live in tall grass and crawl up or down on their hosts.
If you spend a lot of time outdoors with your pet, continue reading this article on our site about the diseases that a tick 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 to spiders, and that they 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 attract them from open spaces with a lot of vegetation, grass, accumulated leaves or bushes, and they become more agitated in hot seasons.
Lyme's desease
The most feared but common black deer tick-borne disease is Lyme disease, which is spread by ticks so small they may not be seen. When this happens, the diagnosis is more difficult to make. Once a tick of this type bites, it produces a circular red rash that is neither itchy nor painful, but spreads and causes fatigue, severe headaches, swollen lymph nodes, facial muscle and neurological problems. This disease can occur more than once in the same patient.
This condition is a highly debilitating infection that is not fatal, however, if not diagnosed and treated properly can develop problems such as:
- Facial paralysis
- Arthritis
- Neurological disorders
- Palpitations
Lyme disease, whether it causes heart or brain problems or arthritis, will be treated through various types of antibiotics prescribed by the veterinarian.
Turalemia
The bacterium Francisella tularensis is the cause of turalemia, a bacterial infection transmitted by tick bites and also by mosquitoes and borriquera flies. The animals most affected by this disease that can be transmitted by a tick are rodents, but humans can also be infected. The goal of treatment is to cure the infection with antibiotics.
After 5-10 days the following appears symptom chart:
- Fever and chills.
- Painless ulcers in the contact area.
- Irritation of the eyes, headache and muscle aches.
- Joint stiffness, shortness of breath.
- Weight loss and sweating.
Human Ehrlichiosis
This tick-borne disease is spread 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, symptoms begin 5 to 10 days afterof the bite, and if the case becomes Severe can cause severe brain damage. For both pets and people, part of the treatment is the administration of antibiotics among other medications for a period of at least 6-8 weeks.
Some of the symptoms are similar to the flu: loss of appetite, fever, pain in the muscles and joints, headache, chills, anemia, low white blood cells (leukopenia), hepatitis, pain upset stomach, severe cough and in some cases rash.
Tick paralysis
Yes! Ticks are so versatile that they can cause up to loss of muscle function The interesting thing is that when they adhere to the skin of people and animals (mostly dogs), they release a toxin that produces paralysis, and it is during this process of blood withdrawal that the toxin enters the bloodstream. It's a double game for these little mites.
The paralysis starts from the feet and works its way up the whole body. Also, in most cases, it produces flu-like symptoms: muscle pain and exhaustion and shortness of breath. Intensive care, nursing support and insecticide baths will be necessary as treatment. As we mentioned, the most affected by paralysis due to a tick bite are dogs, however, cats can also suffer from it.
Anaplasmosis (human granulocytic ehrlichiosis)
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 petsIt 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 disturbances and in most cases it affects white blood cells. The elderly and people who have a weak immune system are more sensitive and develop severe symptoms that can be life-threatening, in which case immediate treatment with antibiotics is necessary.
Patients exposed to the disease agent often have difficulty being diagnosed due to the non-specific nature of the symptoms and their sudden onset 7 to 14 days after the bite. Most are headaches, fever, chills, myalgia, and malaise that can be confused with other infectious and noninfectious diseases and viruses. Do not miss our articles on fever in dogs and fever in cats to know what to do on the way to the veterinary center.
