What are Ticks?
Ticks are small blood sucking creatures. They can be as small as a poppy seed, or
having fed, an adult can be the size of a pea or larger. Because they are so small, you may mistake
them for a freckle, or a spec of dirt. They inject an anaesthetic into the skin, so you’re not likely to
feel them feeding. Ticks are blind and
detect the animal through heat and carbon dioxide emitted by the body.
Contrary
to popular belief, ticks do not jump or fly. They tend to either climb or fall on to their
unsuspecting victim. They can hang around for a few hours before starting to
feed, but once they start, they will do so until they are full, which tends to
take between 5 and 7 days.
There
are a number of different species of tick. The most common in the UK is the
deer / sheep tick, while in certain parts of Europe, more dangerous ticks are prevalent.
What’s the Problem with a Tick Feeding off Me or my Pet?
Ticks
can carry a number of infectious diseases and can pass these infections to
their host through their saliva. The
most common tick-borne infection is Lyme disease. Lyme disease infects around
3,000 new hosts in the UK each year.
Lyme disease affects the central nervous system, heart, skin and joints
and symptoms include a bulls-eye style rash, with accompanying flu-like
symptoms. If left untreated, it can
result in arthritis or long term nerve damage.
Babesiosis,
which until this year was regarded as being a foreign virus, appears to have
hit the UK shores. Babesiosis affects the
body’s immune system, causing it to destroy its own red blood cells A number of dogs in Essex have recently
become infected, with at least one having died.
With the relaxation of the EU pet passport rules, there is no longer a
need for family pets to be treated for ticks before returning to the UK. As a result, several species of tick not
previously found in the UK, have started to appear.
There
are a number of other tick-borne viral infections that can have serious and
even fatal results. Symptoms include headaches, stomach and joint pain,
vomiting and flu-like symptoms, and can result in encephalitis, meningitis and
death.
When and Where will my Pet and I be Exposed to Ticks?
Ticks
tend to favour moist environments with thick and dense vegetation or long
grass. This includes woodlands, parks, and gardens, and some species are even
know to breed indoors. Areas where deer,
rabbits, and sheep are found tend to be the most affected, but ticks also
infect birds and rodents, so their spread can be far and wide.
Ticks
tend to come out in the warmer months, so between March and September tends to
be prime season for them. However the mild winters that we have been
experiencing in the UK in recent years, have started to extend the season to
start earlier and finish later. People
and pets most at risk are those that tend to spend more time outdoors in walking
and hiking areas, and those going camping and horse-back riding.
What Can I do to Prevent Tick
Bites?
While
vaccines do exist for infections like tick-borne encephalitis, there are no
vaccines for the majority of tick-borne diseases. So prevention tends to be the best
approach. If you are going walking, it
is best to wear long trousers, socks and closed shoes, and preferably to wear
light colours (making it easier to spot ticks). After being in affected areas, it is important
to wash and inspect your body for ticks, especially in between toes, armpits
hairlines, and other hidden areas.
Your
pets, especially dogs and cats are very prone to receiving ticks. It is
important to wash your pets, and thoroughly inspecting their fur for ticks on a
regular basis. It is also worth ensuring
your pets have an extra layer of protection, so consider using one of the
repellents available in the market. If
you do not like covering your pets or yourselves in toxic chemicals and paint
strippers, then you should look at using an electronic tick repellent. Long Paws supplies a product called TickLess for
both pets and humans. TickLess is an electronic tick repellant that emits ultrasonic
pulses. The pulses numb the ticks’ senses, leaving them unable to detect that they
are in the vicinity of an animal. Ticks then
tend to drop off the animal as they assume they are not going to get a
meal. According to Long Paws, the
company has receives incredible feedback on how well TickLess works. Most clients,
since starting to use TickLess, find that they are not having to remove many,
if any ticks from their pets, even when walking in known infected areas. TickLess is available for pets and for humans.
If I Find a Tick, How Should I
Remove It?
To
remove a tick, you can use fine-tipped tweezers or a specialist tick removal tool. To use one of these, you need to
grasp hold of the tick with the tweezers or tool as close to the skin as
possible, then slowly and firmly pull the tick away from the skin. It is best no to try and suffocate the tick
using ointments like petroleum jelly or to burn the tick, as this tends to
result in the tick regurgitating and further spreading any infection into the
host. Do not squeeze or crush the tick,
for the same reason. Once you’ve removed
the tick, wash your hands, the tool, and the area with soap and water, and
apply a disinfectant to the effected area.
The wound should be monitored to ensure no rashes develop.
Carrying a tick remover,
whether walking with your pet, horse riding, hiking, or playing outdoor sports,
is highly recommended. Long Paws has recently launched their
TickPick tick remover. TickPick can be carried on a keychain, so it’s available
when you need it, and sits inconspicuously with the rest of your keys. TickPick was developed with the help of the
Worldwide Veterinary Service (WVS), an international veterinary charity. WVS tested TickPick both on the smaller European ticks as well as the
larger ticks found in third world countries.
According to James Florence, managing director of WVS, “We are delighted
to have worked with Long Paws on developing TickPick, and are happy to provide
our endorsement of what we think is a fantastic product. With ticks becoming more of a problem in the
UK and on the continent, a tool like TickPick, is an excellent addition to
every pet owner’s keychain.”
According to Long Paws
director, Elan Mansur, “Ticks are becoming more and more of a concern. Having an effective preventative for yourself
and your pets, as well as carrying a tick remover with you when outdoors, is
becoming crucial. TickPick is a
fantastic product to help in the fight against tick-borne diseases. It lives on
your keychain, and is a simple and safe way to remove ticks”.
Long Paws will be donating a
share of the profits from all TickPicks sold to the Worldwide Veterinary
Service. TickPick can be used to remove
ticks from humans and pets of all kinds, including dogs, cats, small animals
and horses. TickPick is available for
sale through Long Paws (www.longpaws.co.uk).
TickPick tick remover -
£3.75 [RRP]
TickLess electronic tick
repellent £17.50 (pets) / £19.50
(humans) [RRP]
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