Tick check: How to keep the small, blood-sucking parasites at bay for humans and pets

Outdoor enthusiasts and dog owners have a common enemy in the wild: ticks.

The bloodsucking parasites come in different varieties, but tend to be especially pervasive in certain parts of natural Florida and can have a sudden onset in the spring. At least that’s the case for the most common human-biting tick in the Sunshine State, Amblyomma americanum.

“You see the Amblyomma, the Lone Star tick, comes on really strong in the middle of spring. So there’s definitely a seasonality to when we see the most amount of ticks,” said Dr. Sam Wisely, a professor in the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation at the University of Florida. “They’re very aggressive human biters.”

Though the onset of ticks depends on species and location (the black-legged tick, for example, is more active in the winter), this year seems to have a high presence of Lone Star ticks.

During a recent excursion in Ocala National Forest, Mike Grace counted “easily 30″ throughout his journey.

On a hiking trip in the Florida Panhandle, adventurers Chelsey and Chris Stevens each found at least two dozen ticks crawling on them as they navigated the Torreya Challenge loop. And that’s even after factoring in the steps they took to ward off ticks, such as wearing repellent.

Fellow outdoorsman Dave Beyer fared even worse, tallying almost 40 ticks throughout the course of the hike.

“I have hiked more than 60 trails since 2020 throughout Central Florida and North Carolina. During all these hikes, I had only seen less than five ticks,” he said, noting the trail was overgrown in parts. “I am still on Doxycycline (an antibiotic) from the two bites I received last week. Ticks seem like a minor nuisance, but they should be taken just as seriously as you would a venomous snake or spider on the trail.”

Though researchers are working to understand more about tick populations, they can be hard to study as they’re nearly invisible in the wild when not seeking a human host.

Dr. Cynthia Lord, an associate professor at UF’s Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory, said it’s difficult to predict why ticks might be especially prevalent from one year to the next.

“There’s not been strong evidence for a [multiyear cycle], but that doesn’t necessarily mean there isn’t anything like that happening,” she said.

Attachment style

There are ticks that target livestock and some that seek reptiles, but others are more commonly looking for humans to bite.

“There’s a lot of different kinds of ticks. Here in Florida, we have six or seven that are most apt to be interacting with people,” Lord said.

Ticks can sense carbon dioxide and heat, then use their hooked front legs to attach to hosts. Most ticks have four life stages and once hatched, they generally need a blood meal at each stage to survive.

The parasites are most likely found in tall grass or low shrubs and they’re not limited to rural, wooded areas.

Bridget Baker, an assistant professor and veterinarian in UF’s Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, lives in Gainesville and recently found two deer ticks crawling on her. Ticks can pose just as much of a threat to pets as they do to humans.

“It’s not even just remote places necessarily where people can encounter these nasty, disease-causing organisms,” she said, noting they can be prevalent in parks and urban environments with grass.

Tiny transmitters

While these parasites might seem like an annoying inconvenience, they can have serious health implications. Many tick-borne diseases can affect humans and pets alike.

“We don’t have much Lyme disease in Florida, but it does exist here and dogs can get quite sick from Lyme disease, just like people can,” Wisely said.

Other tick-borne diseases to be wary of include Rocky Mountain spotted fever and Ehrlichiosis.

The Lone Star tick, which is brown and gold and has a single white spot for adult females, can even result in a red meat allergy in humans. This is due to a sugar found in the tick’s saliva, one that’s also prevalent in many red meat types.

In the case of a suspected tick bite, it’s important to first remove the tick completely with tweezers, checking that the head comes out with the rest of the body.

“Try to get as close to the buried head as possible, then pull directly out,” Baker said, noting the method is the same for dogs and humans. “Don’t crush or burst the body, especially if it has had a blood meal.”

Rubbing alcohol or vinegar are both good ways to kill ticks, ensuring they don’t come back to bite again.

Monitoring symptoms is important, especially if a tick has been attached for a day or more.

“You really want to monitor the site of that bite to see if a rash develops. See if it becomes really hot, red and warm,” Wisely said. “If it starts to get the size of a quarter, a half dollar or any bigger than that, you want to go to the doctor.”

In dogs or other pets, tick-borne diseases can yield a number of signs to watch out for.

“A lot of the symptoms can be nonspecific — like the dog is a little bit more lethargic or fatigued or has a loss of appetite,” Baker said. “They can get fevers, weight loss or some muscle and joint pain. Those symptoms are fairly common across all tick-borne diseases.”

Many diseases can be treated quickly with an antibiotic, Doxycycline, especially when detected early.

Prevention is key

It’s imperative to use methods of tick prevention to help ensure these pesky parasites don’t pose a problem in the first place.

When hiking, try to stay away from the sides of a trail that may have tall grass or shrubs. It helps to wear long sleeves and pants if possible.

“Ticks keep going up until they find bare skin. Wear boots, tuck your pants in your socks and tape your pants to your socks if you’re in a really bad tick habitat,” Lord said. “Tuck your shirt into your pants — if you can stand it in Florida in the summer.”

Permethrin can be used to treat clothes, giving a layer of protection that lasts for multiple washes, though this insecticide is toxic to cats. Picaridin spray and lotion provide a way to ward off ticks and mosquitoes in places where skin is exposed.

In the case of dogs, Baker encouraged each owner to consult with their family veterinarian, as many prevention methods target the tick’s nervous system but can vary depending on the breed, location and lifestyle.

After hiking or going for a walk with the dog, it’s imperative to make time for a tick check.

“Sometimes it’s worth checking the next day when one has inadvertently come home or is in my vehicle,” Lord said. “Especially in the smaller stages, the larvae and the nymphs, they can attach and you really don’t see them. They’re easy to be overlooked.”

The same applies for dogs, even if it’s more difficult in the cases of long-haired animals. Common places to see ticks include between a dog’s toes, near the collar, by the tail and around the ears and eyes.

“Because ticks do have such implications for human and animal health, I think the more people are aware of these things, the better,” Baker said.

Find me @PConnPie on Twitter and Instagram or send me an email: pconnolly@orlandosentinel.com. For more fun things, follow @fun.things.orlando on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.