American Eskimo Rescue and Sanctuary of Iowa Presents:

 Information about Flea and Ticks     

Back to American Eskimo Rescue and Sanctuary of Iowa

These are Deer Ticks, The picture is a bit misleading as they are only the size of a pin head. They are very hard to see on most pets and yourself. These are the parasites that may transmit Lyme disease to your pet.

These are the American Dog Tick and is the most common in the States. They are about the size around as a #2 pencil eraser when adults. They can reach a spherical ½" full of Blood before exploding

These are pictures of what an American Dog Tick, full of blood looks like, shortly before it explodes.

Here is what an American Dog Tick might look like on your Eskie. The best way to remove them is to use  tweezers and reach all the way down and applying pressure to the skin around the tick and pulling the tick out. If the head is left in a topical antibiotic should be applied in that area.  We treat our American Eskimo dog residents with "Frontline plus" Flea and Tick treatments and treat our 4 acre site on a monthly basis. It  is important to the health of all pets, their outdoor habitat and home to be to be treated with flea and tick products and given heartworm treatments on an a regular basis before it becomes a problem. Thanks for the pose Abby Rhoads     Would you help us pay for our flea and tick and heartworm treatments by making a tax-deductible donation?  Click on the Donate Button to Make a Secure, Tax Deductible Donation Thru Pay Pal

Please be sure you have your pet tested for heartworm every year. 
Use only high quality heartworm preventatives and Flea and Tick treatments on your pet, in your house and in your yard.

A few more tips on pest control.

• Pest control products vary in price and quality, both traits are usually relative to each other. 
• It is best to check with your Veterinarian as to what flea and tick preventative product they recommend for your pet.
• Do not leave standing/stagnant water inside or outside your house, this is an invitation for fleas and ticks
• Always spray trees, brush, shrubs, under decks and shaded areas well.
• Use pest control products that have insect growth regulators (IGR) like Methoprene or Nylar® is a registered trademark of McLaughlin Gormley King Company
• Flea and tick control in your house should include both perimeter and area treatments be sure to give special attention to bathrooms and basement areas.
• Keep your pet clean and brush them regularly. Check vulnerable areas like ears and back.

Scientific definitions of Fleas and Ticks

Iowa State University dept of entomology links (some with videos) I.S.U. dept of entomology home

Deer ticks 

Dog Ticks (common)

Fleas

Back to American Eskimo Rescue and Sanctuary of Iowa

Tick

Tick, common name for members of a group of mitelike arachnids that are bloodsucking parasites on mammals, birds, and reptiles. Ticks are found in most parts of the world but are generally limited to woods, tall grass, and shrubby vegetation. Ticks are generally larger than most other mites. The adult tick has four pairs of clawed legs. The mouthparts consist of a paired anchoring organ, covered with backward-curving hooks and a pair of sharp mandibles. Once on a host, ticks sink their mouthparts into the flesh and begin to feed. When full, they drop off the host.

Ticks are divided into two families: hard ticks and soft ticks. Hard ticks (family Ixodidae) are parasites primarily of mammals but are also found on birds and reptiles. The American dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis) is a familiar hard tick. The deer tick (Ixodes dammini), which transmits Lyme disease to humans, is also a hard tick. Soft ticks (family Argasidae) are generally parasites of birds, but some feed on other hosts. Other diseases transmitted by ticks to humans and domestic animals include spotted fever, relapsing fever, and some forms of encephalitis.

Scientific classification: Ticks belong to the suborder Metastigmata in the order Acari, class Arachnida, phylum Arthropoda.

Flea 

Flea, common name for small, bloodsucking, wingless insects. Adult fleas are surface parasites on the skin of human beings and other mammals and, less often, on birds. Fleas are found all over the world. Adult fleas, which are slightly more than 0.3 cm (more than 0.1 in) long, have broad, rather flat bodies, short antennae, and piercing and sucking mouth parts; their eyes are either minute or absent. Their long, powerful legs enable them to leap relatively high into the air.

Several flea species infest household pets and domestic animals. The dog flea (Ctenocephalides canis) and the cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis) are two of the most common species, both of which are parasites also on human beings, poultry, and livestock. The human flea (Pulex irritans), the species frequently found most on people, is distributed throughout the world, but is uncommon in the United States. The rat fleas, in the tropics (Xenopsylla cheopis) and in Europe (Ceratophyllus fasciatus), are important carriers of bubonic plague.

Scientific classification: Fleas constitute the order Siphonaptera.

Pictures of fleas and ticks will be a regular page in our pest control series.

 If you have flea and tick photos or information on control or the infestation of please e-mail us for consideration.

Page one of flea and tick photo