The tick we are discussing here is the Brown Dog Tick (Ripicephalus sanguineus). Brown dog ticks are very common in coastal Queensland anywhere north of Rockhampton. Brown Dog Tick infestations can be a VERY BIG household problem in all Townsville suburbs. It is important to point out here, before going any further, that the common Brown Dog Tick that we have trouble with in Townsville is quite different to the kangaroo tick, the cattle tick and the scrub tick.
There are all sorts of myths and misinformation about dog ticks. Unfortunately frequently, self styled “experts” on this subject, talk nothing but rot. This article may be a bit lengthy, but now is the time to get it all sorted out – before “tick time” catches up with us (as it always does) towards the end of the calendar year.
Brown Dog Ticks (BDTs) are active all year round, but they are most active in the summer months, especially after rain. Big hatch-outs and stage-moults occur in response to atmospheric conditions. Dog owners with sudden tick infestations happening at home are often surprised and bewildered by the event.
Once they gain a firm foothold, it is a very big task to get rid of BDTs. Unless dealt with thoroughly, they will (quite literally) breed up more quickly than you can kill them.
- Contrary to popular opinion, certain Townsville neighbourhoods are not particularly tick prone. If you have a BDT problem, this is not because you live in a “ticky” locality - it is because someone has been careless in the past and ticks on the dogs have been able to breed up.
- It is a very big mistake to think that just a couple of ticks now and then don’t matter. A couple of ticks now can easily translate into a couple of thousand for years to come. All tick stages can “rest” for months (and sometimes years) to “flush out” later on and take everybody by surprise.
- The most commonly noticed life-cycle stages of these ticks are the adult males (like small flat brown spiders), adult females (fat, softer, bluey grey – small legs up the front) and the nymphs which are dark blue/black and about 2-3mm in size. The first life-cycle stage is so tiny as to be most often not seen at all – these are the larvae which have just hatched from the eggs.
Brown Dog Ticks can kill dogs. Infestations of all stages and combinations of stages can be so bad that in just a couple of days all the dog’s blood is sucked out! It happens! Brown Dog Ticks can also transmit “tick fever” (Babesiosis) which causes malaria type symptoms in dogs. It is important to know that:
- Each fully engorged female lays 3 000 eggs.
- The eggs hatch out in batches but only when the humidity and temperature is right.
- Some years are worse for ticks than others. It depends on the weather and the “resting” burden carried over from the year before.
- Tick eggs are resistant to pesticides. Because of this, the ticks often seem to keep coming back despite area treatments that you think should be working better.
- Ticks are arachnids… they are not insects. Ordinary insecticides are not effective.
- The number of ticks on the dogs at any one time is just a tiny fraction of the overall population. Ticks actually spend most of their time off the dog between blood meals.
- “Off dog” ticks find the smallest of cracks and crevices to “lie up” in. They can survive for many, many months without shifting. They also climb really well! Under bricks, between pavers, behind skirting boards… even in the roof!
- You will never beat a tick infestation with the old “dog dip once a week” routine.
If you have a dog tick problem…. it is beatable, but you have to get onto it properly.
Current WSVC approach:
- Recommend all or part of a 3 way treatment combination (depending on the severity)
- Everything basically on a 4week interval routine
- Compliance is critical – you have to keep up all three till they are all gone
- Even when all the ticks seem to be gone - you have to be ready for renewed reinfestation when the next “hatchout” occurs
- Even when using the best measures possible, it can still take 12-24mths to permanently eliminate an established tick infestation
Call the clinic if you think you have a tick problem… If you are serious about getting it sorted out, we can do that for you.