Ticks are a common nuisance that people across the United States and Canada are quite familiar with, especially if they have pets. However, ticks are much more than an inconvenience and can carry serious and even deadly diseases. Some ticks can carry multiple disease, potentially leading to more than one infection that can make diagnosis much more difficult.

Understanding the different types of ticks and what diseases are most prevalent with these ticks is the first step in defending your family and your home from these dangerous pests.

American Dog Tick

The American Dog Tick, also called the Dermacentor variabilis, makes its home in almost all states East of Colorado, as well as Canada, Idaho, California, and Washington. While these ticks are quite small, they are carriers of the common tick-borne illness known as Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Symptoms of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever include arthritis-like joint and muscle pain that makes walking or moving around difficult, as well as neurological problems.

Brown Dog Tick

The Brown Dog Tick, also called the Rhipicephalus sanguineus, are one of the most common types of ticks in the United States and Canada. They live indoors and in kennels, and can transmit three different types of diseases. Canine hepatozoonosis is caused when a dog eats a tick that is infected, and symptoms include lethargy, a reduction in appetite, and significant weight loss. Babesiosis, another disease carried by the Brown Dog Tick that infects dogs, results in lethargy, vomiting, weakness, and weight loss as a result of the disease’s affect on red blood cells. Finally, ehrlichiosis can infect both humans and canines, and symptoms include eye discharge, depression and lethargy, sudden nosebleeds, joint pain, and pain or bleeding in the gums.

Deer Tick

Deer Ticks, also known as Ixodes scapularis or the black-legged tick, is tiny. However, this tick can transmit one of the most feared of all tick-borne diseases — lyme disease. Lyme disease is difficult to diagnose and can be characterized by the reluctance to move (lameness) for 3-4 days following the bite, a red bullseye rash, loss of appetite, depression, and extreme fatigue. The Deer Tick can also transmit anaplasmosis, which results in neck pain, neurological symptoms, weakness, and loss of appetite.  

Gulf Coast Tick

Although the Gulf Coast Tick, also called the Amblyomma maculatum, gets its name from being primarily around the Gulf Coast, in recent years it has migrated to Northern states like Virginia, Kansas, Oklahoma, and has been spotted in Canada. This type of tick can also transmit canine hepatozoonosis, along with the Brown Dog Tick.

Lone Star Tick

The Lone Star Tick, or the Amblyomma americanum, has a distinctive white spot on the back of the female tick’s body, thus giving it the name “lone star.” It is an aggressive feeder and can transmit serious diseases like Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and ehrlichiosis. Recently, it has been discovered that this type of tick can also cause the less serious STARI, or Southern Tick Associated Rash Illness. These ticks can be found on the East Coast, as well as the central, middle South and Southeastern regions of the United States, as well as in Canada.

Western Black-Legged Tick

The Western Black-Legged Tick, or the Ixodes pacificus, lives primarily in California, although it has been recently found in the Western United States and Canada. Like the Deer Tick, the Western Black-Legged Tick also has black legs and is very small. Other than the Deer Tick, it is the only type of tick that can transmit Lyme Disease, but can also transmit anaplasmosis.

How to Protect Your Family, Pets, and Home From Ticks

Having a multi-layer defense against ticks is key to keeping them at bay. Be sure to use a spot flea and tick medication every month on your pet, or as directed by your veterinarian. Additionally, discuss tick control measures for your home and yard with a pest control professional at Colonial Pest to eradicate ticks and keep them away.