The onset of warm weather also marks the resurgence of the tick population. Don't take things for granted because these small parasites can carry diseases that may kill your dog.
A good example of a disease that is conveyed by ticks is the Rocky Mountain Spotted fever. Other diseases and the bites of the ticks themselves can kill or paralyze a full grown dog.
A few decades ago in Singapore, British war dogs began to die. Their deaths were attributed to disease carrying ticks. In the Vietnam War, 300 American K9 dogs met their demise when they were infected with Canine Hemorrhagic Fever and Tropical Canine Hemorrhagic Syndrome. After intensive investigations, the blame was rested solely on the miniature ticks.
When a tick is referred to, it is often a generalization of the tick as a whole species. Ticks are actually many kinds of ticks; but whatever their names are, ticks have exhibited a very strong resistance to the effects of pesticides. They are very hard to eliminate. It sometimes takes consecutive bathing days to make some headway against the ticks that infest your dog.
A female tick has it within her to lay 5,000 eggs in one sitting. They often lay their eggs in kennels and under objects like carpeting. Surprisingly, ticks won't lay their eggs on the dog. The eggs have a 30 day maturation period that precedes their hatching. Once they do hatch, approximately 5,000 tick larvae join the battle for survival and strive to latch onto a dog to feed on its blood. After one feeding, the larvae drop off and keep themselves as unobtrusive as possible.
After a maximum of 23 days, the molting stage will begin. The larvae will shed their outer skin and come out of it equipped with eight legs. This third stage in the life of a tick labels them as nymphs. Why they are called nymphs is a great mystery since it totally destroys both childhood and manhood illusions. At any rate, the nymphs will suck on your dog's blood and drop down again to hide. After 29 days, the nymph is ready to shed skin again and will emerge this time as an adult.
The new adult tick will climb onto the dog and stay there this time to feed. During their stay on the dog motel, male and female will find each other and mate in the hopes of producing another batch of 5,000 eggs. In less than 5 months, the tick would have gone through a life cycle. Seeing as they are striving so hard for your dog makes you think that they may really love your dog.
Without dogs, ticks will stay on trees and plants and lie in ambush for a dog to victimize. The bad news is ticks can live without feeding on a dog for two years. This means that they can stay anywhere inside your house without you knowing it.
A to Z Dog Breeds
