Tick Season is Here | College of Veterinary Medicine

Did you know?

Ticks can be as small as a poppy seed. Larval ticks (young stages) can be so tiny, they are almost unnoticeable with the naked eye
Ticks can be carried into your yard or playground on wildlife like deer, rabbits, and squirrels
Ticks do not jump or fly; they move around by crawling
Ticks can be difficult to identify based on photos
Ticks can harbor pathogens in their bodies that they are unable to pass on in their bite
Most ticks do not carry pathogens that will make you sick;most pathogens that are transmitted via a tick bite require more than 24 hours of tick feeding to pass the pathogen on to the host

REMOVE THE TICK PROMPTLY: pull the tick off with tweezers, grasping as close to the skin as possible so that the mouthparts are removed from the skin. Thoroughly wash around the bite site with soap and warm water.
KEEP THE TICK; place the tick in a sealable container with rubbing alcohol or just in a plastic baggie in the freezer. This is useful because the dog/cat/host could be tested for a more specific list of pathogens transmitted by the tick species identified. Your veterinarian will determine if testing the pet is necessary and which pathogens to test for.
MONITOR THE ANIMAL BITTEN FOR SYMPTOMS: symptoms can include a reaction at the bite site, rash, fever, muscle aches, and fatigue. Seek veterinary care at the first presentation of the symptoms , and bring the tick with you. Your veterinarian can send the tick to our lab for identification.
DO NOT PAY HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS TO TEST THE TICK ; although there are many kits on the market that advertise tick testing, the true quality of these kits can vary dramatically, and it is always better to test the host rather than the ticks since ticks can “store” some viruses and bacteria that they cannot pass on through their bite. Ticks have to be attached for longer periods to transmit some of these infections.

WEAR APPROPRIATE CLOTHING WHEN OUTSIDE AND SPRAY YOUR CLOTHING WITH TICK REPELLENT CONTAINING PERMETHRIN THE NIGHT BEFORE. Wear light-colored long-sleeved shirts and pants and duct tape long light-colored socks pulled up over your pants legs. Follow label application of appropriate tick repellent for your skin.
CONDUCT TICK CHECKS WHEN LEAVING A POTENTIALLY INFESTED AREA. Use a mirror or ask a partner to check hard areas to see, such as behind the ears, on the neck, or back, and in the hair.
REMOVE CLOTHING IMMEDIATELY UPON RETURNING HOME AND PLACE DIRECTLY INTO THE DRYER. High heat from the dryer will kill any ticks that are residing on the clothes.

Amblyomma americanum, the lone star tick
Dermacentor variabilis, the American dog tick
Ixodes scapularis, in East Tennessee, is called the black-legged tick, but it has many common names