Ticked off about ticks? Count yourself among millions of other dog owners in the United States. This year was one of the worst tick blooms in recorded history. Tick bites are also more dangerous than ever: they’re carrying diseases like Lone Star, Lyme, and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever in record breaking numbers.
Researchers kicked investigations into high gear in an attempt to determine what has ticks so proliferate, and more importantly, what we can do about it as dog owners. What they discovered was sometimes surprising, especially when it comes to statistics and sheer volume.
2017 Tick Facts & Stats
Statistics were the most surprising factor for many pet owners this year. Tick numbers were up, but so, too, were the number of bite incidents and trips to the veterinarian because of them. This is likely a result of increased publicity and education surrounding tick removal, bite care, and bite response.
Nearly half of all US counties reported rapidly-expanding populations of more than one tick this year, including those that carry disease. Out of these areas, states on the western, eastern, and Gulf coasts were most likely to experience expansion.
A total of around seven different ticks now pose a risk to Americans and their dogs by carrying dangerous or harmful zoonotic diseases.
2017 also saw a massive increase in diagnosed canine (and human) Lyme cases. The CDC estimates around 300,000 people will be diagnosed with Lyme this year alone.
Unfortunately, because the northeastern black-legged tick is exceptionally common this year, pet owners all along the northeastern coast thus have an increased risk for Lyme incidents.
Nearly 30 to 40 percent of all ticks identified and tested in a laboratory setting now test positive for Lyme disease. That means your dog has somewhere between a 1 in 3 and 1 in 2 percent chance to be exposed if he gets bit by a tick carrying Lyme.
Frighteningly, the lone star tick has been identified as far north as the Canadian border this year. One Canadian news outlet reported at least three incidents in southern Ontario, meaning that lone star disease is almost inevitably a risk for all states east of South Dakota.
Ticks by State
Concerningly, tick habitats are expanding, too. Rather than only identifying ticks in the deep woods, pet owners are now identifying canine bites after time in city yards, trips to the dog park, and even strolls down the street, especially on the western and eastern coasts.
Because most people don’t anticipate ticks in these new areas, they often don’t consider the possibility of a bite and may confuse early disease symptoms as the flu (be it human or canine). That significantly increases the risk for dangerous disease outcomes.
Except for a single vertical line of half-states stretching from Montana to New Mexico, nearly every state in America is home to at least one species of tick. Scientists have identified a pattern in that tick populations increase as you approach either coast, identifying a total of 14 high-risk states:
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Minnesota
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New York
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Wisconsin
Next, let’s take a look at where specific ticks are most likely to reside:
- American Dog Tick (Dermacentor Variabilis): CA, OR, ND, SD, NE, KS, OK, TX, LA, AR, MO, IA, MN, WI, MI, IL, IN, KY, TN, MS, AL, GA, FL, SC, NC, VA, WV, OH, PA, DC, MD, DE, NJ, NY, CT, MA, VT, NH, MA
- Black-Legged Tick (Ixodes Scapularis): AL, AR, CT, DE, FL, GA, IL, IN, KS, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MO, MS, NC, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, VA, VT, WI, WV
- Brown Dog Tick (Rhipicephalus Sanguineus): Every state except for Alaska and Hawaii. Most zoonoses occurs in the southwestern U.S. and along the U.S.-Mexico border.
- Gulf Coast Tick (Amblyomma Maculatum): AL, AR, FL, GA, LA, MD, MS, NC, OK, SC, TX, VA
- Lone Star Tick (Amblyomma Americanum): AL, AR, DE, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MD, MO, MS, NC, NE, NJ, OH, OK, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, WV
- Rocky Mountain Wood Tick (Dermacentor Andersoni): CA, CO, ID, MT, NV, OR, UT, WA, WY
- Western Black-Legged Tick (Ixodes Pacificus): AZ, CA, NV, OR, WA
Remember that these locations aren’t concrete; states bordering these areas may also be at risk of tick bites, too, though the overall frequency is generally much lower. No matter where you’re located, you should still assume that the potential for a dangerous bite exists.
Diseases That Impact Your Dog
One of the biggest changes throughout the first half of 2017 lies in tick borne diseases. While Lyme was the largest culprit for illness before this year’s tick season, it is now far from the only disease to seriously impact Americans. The most common ticks can potentially carry a number of different diseases:
- Anaplasmosis
- Babesiosis
- Bartonella
- Colorado tick fever
- Ehrlichiosis
- Hepatozoonosis
- Lyme disease
- Q fever
- Red meat allergy
- Relapsing fever
- Rocky Mountain spotted fever
- Tick paralysis
- Tularemia
Most of these diseases are zoonotic, meaning that not only are they a risk to your dog, but they’re also a risk to you and any other animals in the home, too.
It’s worth mentioning that symptoms for each of these diseases usually start out the same. Dogs and humans alike usually experience flu-like symptoms including joint pain, headaches, exhaustion, nausea, “feeling off,” fever, stiffness, rashes, and lack of appetite. It’s easy to mistake symptoms like these for the flu, a cold, or even just a long day.
Be aware that symptoms may not always be obvious. If your dog experiences symptoms like these, or if something just seems “off” and you can’t quite put your finger on it, see the vet. It’s better to spend the money to hear good news rather than to wait until your dog becomes severely ill.
Why 2017 Was Especially Awful
What exactly qualifies 2017 as “the worst tick season we’ve had in years?” The sheer volume of disease diagnoses and bites. Researchers are seeing more instances of Lyme, canine tick paralysis, babesiosis, ehrlichiosis, and other canine tick-borne diseases than ever before.
Exactly why it’s happening is a topic of hot debate. Most entomologists and infectious disease experts agree that climate change is a significant cause; changes in weather create new habitats with the perfect conditions for ticks, sometimes where they didn’t exist before. Resistance may also play a role. Pet owners may misuse products like Bravecto or Revolution, allowing ticks to grow accustomed to fighting off the medication. This is a situation we also see in flea populations.
Finally, scientists also noticed an increase in short-move migrations. They aren’t exactly sure why this is happening; it could be climate change, changes in the land itself, changes in common host populations (like rodents and birds), or even something completely unrelated to ticks altogether we haven’t yet identified. One researcher from Cedars-Sinai, Dr. Audrey Khatchikian, Ph.D., summed the situation up nicely in an article for Science Daily.
“From the point of view of human disease, it doesn’t really matter where they come from; the point is that they’re here.”
Tick Control & Prevention
Ticks are significantly more dangerous for humans than they are for dogs, at least from a purely statistical viewpoint. But dogs are much more likely to encounter a tick bite than we are because of their natural behaviors.
Your dog has a smaller body and walks on all fours, so she spends more time close to the ground, rolling around, laying down in the grass, and generally engaging in most of the behaviors researchers tell us to avoid to prevent tick bites in the first place.
Unfortunately, tick transmission to humans from dogs is remarkably common. You can dress appropriately and even use DDT containing sprays to keep yourself safe and still receive a tick bite from a tick that comes off of your dog hours later after you head inside. That’s why it’s vital to check both human and furry family members carefully each time outdoor playtime ends.
You can significantly reduce the risk of tick bites by ensuring that your canine buddy is protected at all times. Use a reliable 30-day spot-on treatment year-round, even in off-seasons.
Additionally, know that not all spot-ons are the same; grocery store or dollar store versions may be extremely unsafe and downright dangerous, if not totally ineffective. Most experts now suggest Bravecto, a newer-generation preventative, but your vet will know which medicine is right for your dog.
If you do find a tick, follow safe tick removal strategies to remove it or bring your dog to the vet for removal instead. Draw a circle around the bite mark with a pen or marker, then observe it for approximately seven days. Any expanding rashes, bullseye rashes, swelling, infection, heat, or acute pain is a sign of concern, as are flu-like symptoms.
Many vets advocate that dog owners seek veterinary advice for every bite. Whenever possible, try to have the tick identified while still alive. Place the tick in a Ziploc bag and transport it to the vet. Your vet’s office can identify the tick and recommend whether the situation warrants prophylactic antibiotics.