Clear tick infested dog in 10 minutes- Here’s how
Are you struggling with tick infestation on dog? Or have you just spotted a lone star tick on the dog?
If yes, continue reading and you how I managed to clear tick infested dog in 10 minutes.
This article may just be what your sanity needs right now and of course your dog. At least that is how I felt when my dog, sage from TravelingPetSafety.com, was infested by the lone star tick during our hike to Cuivre river campgrounds in Troy Missouri. It was all a beautiful weekend until the infestation happened.
Tools for Lone Star Ticks Removal
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In this article, you will learn what a lone star is, how to identify it and how to clear the lone star ticks from your dog.
To start with, let’s find out what exactly is a lone star tick.
The ziplock bag of filled with ticks were just a few Sage was willing to sit still and let me take off her.
What is a lone star tick?
A lone star tick, Amblyomma americanum, is one of the species of ticks that originate from the Eastern part of the United States. It is also found in the southern and western parts of the United States. Lone star tick has however become so widespread that it is also found in parts of Mexico, Hanover, Minnesota, Duluth, New Hampshire, Missouri, Central Texas and some parts of the Atlantic coast. At least over 100 cases have been reported in these new places.
Lone star tick is a member of the phylum Arthropoda class. It is also commonly referred to as the northeastern water tick, American dog tick or the turkey tick.
Lone star bites painlessly and it can go for as long as a week without the host noticing it. You will only see it when it is fully engorged with blood.
Lone star tick location
- You will often find the lone star tick in animal-resting places as well as thickly wooded areas, especially where you would find the white-tailed deer. These deers are a favorite host for the adult lone star ticks.
- You will also find them in high-grassy areas (grassland ecosystems). It uses the high grass to attach itself to a host. The tick climbs up the edge of the grass and spreads its leg forward to reach the host. It then moves around the host to find a suitable feeding ‘joint’.
- Other favorite places for the lone star tick include the meadow margins, cane breaks, hedgerows and areas with marginal vegetation along riverbanks and streams.
Lone star ticks do not necessarily need a host to survive. So long as the habitat feels safe for them, they will live comfortably until a host comes by.
The life cycle of a lone star tick
Stage 1- Larva
A female lone star tick lays 3000-8000 eggs. She then deposits the eggs in a protected place wither in the soil litter or under leaves for incubation to take place. This takes about 30 days, but it can be longer.
For hatching to successfully occur, a temperature of 10° C (50° F) and above must be maintained.
The lone star ‘newborn’ will then feed on a host for 4 to 9 days until it is fully engorged after which it will fall from the host. It can survive without a host for about six months so long as the temperatures and humidity are favorable.
It then takes another 9-27 day to shed its skin to molt into a nymph. A larva measures between 0.5mm to 1.0mm long and has six legs.
Stage 2- The Nymph
The nymph, 8-legged at this stage, moves on to its second host and feeds on it for another 38 days. It then detaches itself to rest for 13 to 45 days before it then starts shedding its skin to move to an adult lone star tick.
Nymphs can survive for almost six months without feeding on a host.
Stage 3- Adult
During the adult stage, the lone star tick attaches on dog for 6-24 days. Once it is fully fed, it drops again.
You will find an influx of adult lone star ticks in May all the way to end of June. This unfortunately leads to tick infestation in dogs and other mammals mentioned earlier.
The two key determinants in the life cycle of a lone star tick are the humidity (relative humidity of greater than 65 percent is required for egg hatch and larval survival until host attachment.) and temperature levels.
Lone star ticks transmit pathogens to both animals and humans. These pathogens cause rickettsiosis, tularemia, Heartland virus, Bourbon virus, ehrlichiosis, and theileriosis. Lone star tick disease can have serious effects and can even cause death. I am jumping ahead, let’s stay on track I’ll get into further in the article.
So how can you differentiate a male lone star tick from a female lone star tick?
It’s pretty simple. A female lone star tick has a distinctive star on their outer shell that is silver in color.
Female Lone star tick
Male ticks, on the other hand, have a dark brown shell with cream colored to whitish decorations around the festoons.
Male Lone Star Tick
A female lone star tick is bigger than a male in size. When a female tick is engorged it measures up to 7/16 inches long and changes to a slate grey color.
Life cycle activity
Adult lone star ticks are most active from early January to February and sometimes peak between March and May.
Nymphs have the longest activity period; from April all the way to June. For Larvae, on the other hand, it is between June and August
Favorite hosts for lone star tick
For the larvae, their favorite hosts include the cottontail rabbit, raccoons, cotton cats, gray squirrel, gray fox and birds that nest on grounds.
Adults ticks feed on humans as well as foxes, dogs, cats, wild turkeys, and white-tailed deers.
The nymph lone star ticks often prey on both the hosts for larvae and adult ticks.
What happens if you or your dog get bitten by lone star tick?
Plenty of people and animals get bitten by lone star ticks annually. In a report by the CDC- Center for Disease Control, it was noted that in 2004 there were 27,000 cases of mosquito, fleas and ticks diseases. In 2016, the number tripled to 96,000. And out of the figure, 60% of the diagnoses were from tick-borne diseases. This goes to show that ticks are becoming more harmful by the day; both to humans as well as animals.
keep an eye out for Amblyomma americanum tick symptoms
A lone star bite may not be a serious itch in itself. You will experience redness around the bite site and some slight swelling.
However, if you experience other symptoms such as the ones listed below, you should rush to the hospital. You could be having an infection from the bite.
- abdominal pain
- fever, loss of appetite
- vomiting
- diarrhea
- Even skin or eye ulceration.
lone star tick disease meat allergy and reactions
Lone star tick causes a serious meat allergy to humans. Just one bite of your favorite red meat like steak can cause a serious allergic reaction. Also, if the meat that you eat is infected by lone star tick disease can be life-threatening.
The allergy is a delayed one, it occurs between one to six hours after ingestion. You will experience severe stomach cramps, dizziness, or breathing difficulty accompanied by itching, hives or rash.
Diagnosis can only be done through a blood test. However, there is no actual cure for red meat intolerance, you’ll have to avoid red meat for three years. Three years is usually when signs of the allergies disappear, so your doctor will just help you deal with the symptoms. He might also test you for other illnesses that may be related to a lone star tick bite such as the ones mentioned earlier.
If you don’t want to develop a sudden beef intolerance or even crunchy slices of bacon, your best bet is to protect yourself when you are out in the woods or where there is a heavy tick infestation. Ensure that you wear long pants and long-sleeved shirts. When walking your dog in areas with long grass.
The video below is from a segment about lone star tick disease meat allergy by CBSNEWS.com. The video goes into great detail about allergies develop from lone star tick bites.
Of course, not everyone becomes allergic to the meat, but thousands do. According to a study published by the Current Allergy and Asthma Reports, there have been an increase ranging in the thousands in the last decade and a half across Southern and Eastern United States. More concrete research is however yet to be established.
Take precaution when outdoors with pet 
There are insecticides that either repel ticks or kill them on contact, Like Advantage ii tick treatment. Get it especially if you are a regular hiker or live in tick-infested area. Also, keep to the hiking paths.
How do you know that your dog has been infested by a lone star tick?
Well, the first thing you will notice is obviously the scratching. It will be more than usual. The dog will also frequently shake his head. If you look closely, you will see the ticks crawling on the dog’s skin.
Other signs that you are likely to notice include:
A tick in your home:
If you come across a tick in your home it may be a sign your dog is infested. Take a closer look at it because It is either you or your dog brought it home.
Lone star dog tick symptoms that you should pay attention to!
High fever:
If your dog has a fever whether mild or high-grade chances are very high that it is infested by a tick. Other signs that will accompany the fever is a general weakness, shivering, loss of appetite and unusual panting.
Scabs:
Your dog may develop unexplained scabs. This may cause them to continuously lick, nip or scratch the same area (bite site)
Small bumps:
When petting your dog, you will feel small bumps which is obvious signs your dog has a tick. Do not ignore any bump, check it out to see what it is. Whether it’s a tick or not it is worth checking out.
Besides the obvious signs, how else do you go about inspecting your dog for lone star ticks?
First, run your hands through their fur gently pressing your fingers to feel any bumps. Check in the following areas:
- Around the eyelids
- Round and under the collar
- Around the chest and back areas
- In and around their ears
- Between the toes, back and front legs
- Around the tail
- Anus and genitalia area
If your dog spends a lot of time outdoors, then you should check for ticks every day. Consider using a tick comb to inspect your dog for any lone star ticks. Run it through from the head to the tail in just one sweep.
You should also check for ticks in their favorite resting area, the carpet, and their sleeping place.
Checking for lone star ticks on your dog is pretty simple once you know how the tick looks like. Check out the picture below and revisit the physical description of the lone star at the beginning of this article.
Tick in dog picture
What I did to kill ticks on my dog in 10 minutes
So here goes my secret on how I managed to kill ticks on my dog in 10 minutes. I first used Advantage Shampoo Flea and Tick Treatment to wash my dog.
- You will need a dry towel.
- Wet your dog and smear a generous amount of shampoo from head to tail.
- Wash in a circular motion for five to eight minutes
- Then do the first rinse
- Apply another layer of shampoo but this time around, scrub the tick areas gently for a few minutes.
- Then do a final rinse and watch the lone star tick infestation disintegrate
After bathing, the next step is to dry your dog off then apply the tick treatment. We used the Advantage ii tick treatment. Apply the treatment behind the neck and the spine area.
Comb through with a tick comb to remove the dead ticks that are still on your pet.
What we loved about the Advantage Shampoo Flea and Tick treatment
We loved that it kills both the ticks and the fleas upon contact, therefore, giving you instant results. This is how I managed to clear ticks in my dog in just 10 minutes. It is such an affordable tick control solution for great results.
It is however for dogs and puppies who are over 12 weeks.
Combine this product with the Advantage ii tick treatment for even better results.
What are the other ways to remove ticks on your dog
- Use a tweezer
I bet you have the normal household tweezer which is often blunt and has a large tip. No, that won’t work. Instead, get the small, fine-pointed tweezers, they do a perfect job in removing the ticks.
Once you identify the tick on the skin, spread the fur to make the tick visible and also to give space for the tip of the tweezers. Gently and in slow steady motion, pull the tick straight up. This will ensure that you remove the whole tick. The idea here to be cautious not to break the tick and leave its mouth embedded on the dog’s skin.
While doing this, you should be careful not to tear the tick as this could spread infections on the bitten area.
Once you are done, clean the tweezers with a disinfectant and rub the bite site with a dab of alcohol.
- Use a tick remover
There are countless tick removing devices on the market, check them out. Using a tick remover is, of course, less of a hassle. Simply pat the fur and place the prongs on either side of the tick. Then twist it upward to remove the tick. Clean up the bite area with a good disinfectant wash.
Remember to wash your hands with a disinfectant after cleaning your tick infested dog. Also, dispose of the dead ticks properly by either using chemical substances for such jobs or burning them off. This will prevent re-infestation.
You can find a great tick set on Amazon. The kit comes with a tick comb, tweezer, and tick remover, this kit should help clear a tick infested dog in a breeze!
Five Quick Facts You should know about Ticks
- Ticks are not insects. There are closer to spiders than they are to insects
- Ticks only breed when they are feeding
- A female tick lays up to 5,000 eggs
- Ticks can survive in a wide range of climate
- Ticks require a blood meal from the host to survive
This article at a glance …
- Lone star ticks are found in most parts of United States- eastern, southern and western.
- Lone star ticks feedings on both mammals and humans. Although they feed on different sizes of mammals at different stages.
- To prevent yourself from tick bites, you must wear long pants and long-sleeved shirts. Using an insect killer or insect repellant also helps you protect yourself from tick bites.
- Lone star ticks can cause a serious meat allergy
- Lone star tick transmits pathogens causing diseases to both humans and animals. It can cause your dog to have tick-borne diseases such as Lyme disease, Bartonellosis, Ehrlichiosis, Anaplasmosis, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Ehrlichiosis Babesiosis, and Hepatozoonosis.
- You will need an effective shampoo to help get rid of the lone star ticks such as the one we used- Advantage Shampoo Flea and Tick Treatment. For even better results, follow it up with the Advantage ii tick treatment. This two will kill ticks on your dog in just 10 minutes.
- You can use tick removal devices or tweezers to remove the ticks before the shampoo and the tick treatment.
Conclusion
American dog ticks can have catastrophic consequences if not taken care of right away. If you follow my advice you won’t ever worry over tick infested dog again. My technique should be used in emergency tick infestation. I know Killing ticks in 10 minutes is seductive but I don’t suggest using this method each time you give your dog a bath. Remember, tick bites can be irritatingly itchy and can cause you and your beloved dog tick-borne diseases.
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- dog breathing problems,
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- best harness for pugs.
- 20 Safety Tips that’ll make taking dog to the beach a Breeze
This article contains links that lead to Amazon.com. All products have 2-day delivery with Amazon Prime.
- BWOGUE Premium Tick Remover Kit for Dogs Cats
- Advantage Shampoo Flea and Tick Treatment
- Bayer Advantage II Topical Flea Treatment for Large Dogs
If you do not already have a Prime membership, click the link and try Amazon Prime for a 30-day trial absolutely free! The program offers special benefits including:
- Access to Prime Wardrobe
- Instantly watch thousands of movies and TV episodes
- Stream thousands of music
- Borrow Kindle books
Get unlimited FREE two-day shipping (no minimum order size)
