Many pet owners have to deal with ticks at some point in their lives, but you might be surprised by how many people don’t know what they are or how to get rid of them. Ticks are parasites that feed on the blood of animals and can cause serious health problems when they latch onto your pet’s body, especially if it’s an adult dog with white fur. With these tips on how to get rid of brown dog ticks, you’ll be able to tackle these pests and help keep your pet healthy and happy!
What Are Brown Dog Ticks?
Brown dog ticks are a little bigger than fleas and are very common. The main worry with these little buggers is that they carry disease. While there are treatments for dogs who are affected, it’s always best to avoid them altogether. If you live in an area where ticks are prevalent, you need to take extra care and prevent your pet from coming into contact with tick larvae or adults.
Tips For Identifying Brown Dog Ticks
The first step in eliminating brown dog ticks is identifying them. The easiest way to do so is by taking a close look at your dog. If you notice small dark spots around your pup’s face or eyes, you may have an infestation on your hands. Brown dog ticks are known for crawling into dogs’ ears and laying eggs. Unfortunately, these ticks can also spread Lyme disease – which affects both humans and pets alike. These ticks can become extremely difficult to get rid of – but there are steps that you can take during your inspection that will make controlling them much easier. Here’s how to spot (and eliminate) brown dog ticks:
Brown Dog Ticks live through four stages: egg, larva, nymph, and adult. You can think of them as similar to caterpillars, butterflies, and moths. If you spot an adult tick on your pup, that means that you have at least three more months until you can worry about any eggs or larvae – meaning now is the time to act! During its life cycle, a single tick will consume 3-5 times its own body weight in blood – leaving your pup feeling very weak during infestation periods.
Brown Dog Ticks are small (1/8-inch) external parasites that feed on blood. Adults are reddish-brown and have a white cap or shield on their back. They also have six legs, making them easy to identify. Nymphs are smaller and lighter in color, with an orange-brown cap that covers their bodies and portions of their legs. Both nymphs and adults typically attach themselves to ears, eyelids, lips, feet pads, and other body parts. Young dogs with short coats are more susceptible than adult dogs because of easier access to these areas. If you live in an area where these pests commonly reside, be sure your pet is groomed regularly so they can be found early on when they’re easier to remove.
Getting Rid of Brown Dog Ticks
While My Pest Pros can help to eliminate ticks from your home or yard, we recommend contacting your veterinarian or physician for medical advice.
In order to prevent these pests from laying eggs, kill off all of those adult ticks first. Remember: only female brown dog ticks lay eggs – so if you’re looking for ways to control your tick population, focus on eliminating females first. To identify an adult female brown dog tick, look closely at her abdomen. You should see black stripes along her backside; these indicate that she has fully matured. As long as they’re not filled with blood (yet!), you should be able to see each stripe without too much trouble. If you can’t see any tiny little dots moving around inside, congratulations! That means she hasn’t had a chance to lay any eggs yet. And if she doesn’t mate before dying, her lifespan will be cut short and she won’t even have a chance to reproduce. Unfortunately, it takes just 24 hours after mating for a female brown dog tick to begin depositing her eggs – which are barely visible, about 1/100th of an inch in size.
Make sure you check your pets thoroughly when coming in from outside and make sure none of them have lain their eggs in hidden areas like between toes or around eyes or ears! Once egg deposition begins, brown dog ticks can continue producing new eggs for up to 2 months unless you remove them immediately. Thus, it’s vital that you eliminate all mother brown dog ticks as soon as possible once egg-laying begins. Otherwise, your local environment will become infested almost instantly!
Preventing Brown Dog Ticks in The Future
Brown dog ticks are probably one of the most pervasive pests that can affect a family pet. These little buggers can bite your furry friend, attach themselves to his skin and lay their eggs. They’re difficult to kill and once they are in your home or yard, it’s hard to keep them from coming back. There are some things you can do though, to prevent brown dog ticks from infesting your property and make sure you have done everything you can to protect your dog against these parasites.
Trimming tall grasses and weeds in your yard can help to eliminate attractive habitats for ticks.
- Do not feed wildlife close to your home.
- Wear long sleeves and long pants when outside.
- Reguly inspect pets after they have been outside.
If you need help getting rid of brown dog ticks or getting rid of deer ticks, My Pest Pros' Mosquito and tick treatments to your yard can help reduce and prevent ticks from becoming a problem. Contact us at 703-665-4455 to learn more about how our mosquito and tick program can protect your family, pets, and yard.