Ticks in cats

A tick is a spider-like parasite with eight legs. The tick bites itself firmly, nests in the skin and sucks blood. It doesn't necessarily bother the dog. There is a chance that a tick can transmit Lyme disease. The most common places where the tick nests are the neck, ears, head and paws. When the tick has fed itself, it will let go of its own accord and fall in the immediate vicinity of the dog.

What is the life cycle of a tick?
The adult female tick lays eggs. Six-legged larvae hatch from these eggs. After biting an animal, the larva turns into an eight-legged nymph. This nymph is often seen on dogs. It feeds on blood and grows into an eight-legged adult tick. The adult tick can become very swollen after sucking up a lot of blood.

What are the symptoms of a tick?
A red swelling may appear at the bite site. After a few days, the swelling subsides. Symptoms of Lyme disease include sudden lameness and joint pain, fever, loss of appetite, dehydration, lethargy, swollen lymph nodes, kidney damage, and arthritis.

How is a tick diagnosed?
Ticks are a seasonal problem that we mostly see in spring and fall. A tick can be clearly seen with the naked eye. It is a small black tip (scab) that cannot be scratched off. As the tick gets larger, it will lighten in color and eventually turn gray.

How to treat a tick
In general, you can remove a tick yourself without having to go to the vet. It is best to use special tick tweezers for this. Some people say you can remove the tick by marking the spot with lemon juice. But you shouldn't do that. The tick is suffocated by the lemon juice and can transmit pathogens such as Lyme disease. After the tick has been removed with a tick remover, the area should be disinfected with alcohol, denatured alcohol, or chlorhexidine.

You can remove the tick at home. However, if a piece of the tick breaks off, the skin can become inflamed. To do this, take tick tweezers and carefully twist them out. If you use a tick repellent, the tick will be killed and fall off within 24 hours. However, this increases the risk of contracting Lyme disease. You can have the tick sent in for examination. Then it is examined whether the tick was a carrier of Lyme disease.

Are tick bites preventable?
Ticks live in tall forests and bushes. Avoid these if possible and check your dog for ticks after the walk. You should remove a tick as soon as possible to minimize the risk of contracting Lyme disease.

There are a number of flea treatments that also protect against ticks.

Is a tick a zoonosis?
A zoonosis is a disease that can be transmitted from humans to animals and vice versa. A tick itself is not a disease and therefore not a zoonosis, but it can transmit diseases between humans and animals. Lyme disease is a zoonosis that can be transmitted by ticks.

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