Let Your Fur Babies Live Their Best Life—We’ve Got Them Covered!
Ticks are carriers of several dangerous diseases that can affect both humans and pets. Some of the most common tick-borne illnesses include Lyme Disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and Babesiosis, which can lead to serious health complications if left untreated.
For pets, ticks can cause severe discomfort and even transmit diseases like Lyme disease, which affects both dogs and cats. Pets that roam outside or are in areas with tall grass, wooded areas, or shrubs are at a higher risk of tick exposure.
For children and adults, ticks pose similar health risks, with children often being more vulnerable due to their outdoor activities. Whether it’s a hike, playing in the yard, or walking through grassy areas, anyone spending time outside is at risk of tick bites.
Health Risks of Ticks:
Lyme Disease: This is the most well-known tick-borne illness and can cause symptoms such as fever, fatigue, joint pain, and a characteristic bullseye rash. If untreated, it can lead to chronic issues like neurological problems.
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever: Spread by the American dog tick, it can cause fever, rash, and abdominal pain, and can be fatal if not treated promptly.
Babesiosis: A malaria-like illness, it can cause flu-like symptoms and, in severe cases, liver or kidney failure.
Skin Infections: Ticks burrow into the skin to feed, leaving a small puncture wound. If the tick is not removed promptly and properly, the wound may become infected, leading to further complications.
Understanding the lifecycle of ticks and where they dwell is key to effective control. The typical lifecycle of a tick consists of four stages:
Egg: Ticks begin as eggs, typically laid in the spring and summer.
Larva: Once hatched, the larvae are very small and seek out a host, typically feeding on rodents or small mammals.
Nymph: After feeding, larvae molt into nymphs. Nymphs are more likely to spread diseases as they are more active during the summer months and feed on larger hosts like humans or pets.
Adult: The final stage of the lifecycle, adult ticks are larger and typically feed on larger mammals, including deer and humans. They seek out mates during late fall before dying off or overwintering.
Ticks thrive in areas where they can easily latch onto passing hosts. They prefer:
Tall grasses: Where they can wait for a host to brush by.
Wooded areas: Particularly those with dense underbrush, where they hide and feed.
Shrubbery: Perfect hiding spots for ticks to latch onto people, pets, or animals.
As ticks are most active in the warmer months, typically from spring through fall, it’s important to start your tick control treatments early—ideally in late spring. Proactive treatment helps to reduce tick populations before they become a problem. Our services can target areas where ticks like to hide, such as tall grasses, wooded areas, and shrubbery, creating a barrier that keeps your family and pets safe.