New 'Lone Star' Tick Prompts New Concerns for Pets This Season

By CHARLENE ARSENAULT (Patch Staff)

WILMINGTON, MA –The Bay State basically had a flinch of a winter, seeing only a handful of snowfalls, and warmer temperatures this past season. With the warmer temps bouncing to cold snaps, it drove up the population of a pest known as the "Lone Star" tick.

For several years, these ticks have been moving steadily from their native Texas, according to veterinarians at the MSPCA’s Angell Animal Medical Center in Boston.

The Lone Star tick now joins other common ticks that carry Lyme disease, including the Wood (American Dog) tick and the Deer (Blacklegged) tick. The Lone Star tick, however, travels three times as quickly as the Deer tick, has excellent vision—unique among ticks, most of which have no eyes at all—and attacks in swarms, making them especially dangerous to pets, said the MSPCA.

According to Dr. Virginia Sinnott of Angell’s Emergency & Critical Care Unit, the threat is escalating because the number is growing.

“During the fall-winter of 2015 we treated 87 dogs for suspected or confirmed tick-borne illness, and that number jumped to 196 during the same period in 2016—a 220 percent increase in just one year,” Sinnot said in a statement. “These ticks are on the move and we need to be proactive about protecting our pets.”

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, a sudden illness that produces severe flu-like symptoms, and can be fatal, is also spread by ticks.

Prevention Tips from the MSPCA:

According to Dr. Sinnott, the establishment of the Lone Star tick in New England means pet owners must take extra precautions to safeguard the health of their animals.

“The Lone Star tick transmits very serious diseases in addition to spotted fever, including Ehrlichiosis, an infection of the white blood cells that can lead to joint pain and lameness in dogs, and can be fatal if untreated,” she said in an announcement. “It’s essential to keep ticks out of our homes as their bite can infect us just as they can our dogs.By protecting pets we’re protecting ourselves as well.”

• Use an over-the-counter tick preventative all year long such as Frontline or Advantix for dogs—and keep cats exclusively indoors (which is safer for them generally, and all but eliminates their risk of tick-borne illness)

• Walk dogs on hard surfaces or well-worn paths. “Dogs love going into the woods and that’s a stimulating exercise that we should not deny to them—but keeping them out of the bushes, where most ticks reside—will significantly reduce their exposure,” said Dr. Sinnott

• Keep the edges of your property free of debris such as piles of leaves and brush, which offer safe shelter to ticks of all varieties

• Learn how to remove embedded ticks. “This can be tricky and the key is to ensure no part of the tick remains under the skin,” said Dr. Sinnott. Her instructions are as follows:

• Use tweezers to grasp the tick very close to the skin and, with one steady motion, pull the tick’s body away from the skin. Try not to crush the tick as this can lead to infection.

• After removing the tick, clean your pet’s skin with soap and warm water and dispose of the tick by placing it in alcohol or flushing it down the toilet

• Have your pet tested annually for tick-borne diseases—and have urine protein levels evaluated if your dog is or has been positive for Lyme disease. “This is an added cost for pet owners, but nipping these diseases in the bud is not only much healthier for pets but less expensive than treating disease in an advanced stage,” said Dr. Sinnott.

• Know the primary signs of most tick-borne illnesses: flu-like symptoms, lameness, decreased appetite and generally seeming unwell. If any of these symptoms are present, call your veterinarian immediately.

For more information about keeping pets safe from ticks click here. For more information about Angell Animal Medical Center’s Emergency and Critical Care Services click here.

Photo via Wikimedia Commons and MSPCA