![]() Male hard ticks possess a full scutum that covers their entire dorsal surface, so males do not undergo such a large increase in size and will still appear somewhat ‘flat’ after taking a blood meal.Female hard ticks have a partial dorsal scutum that allows their tegument to expand as they grow as much as 100 times their original weight before they detach from the host.Both males and females attach and feed on the host. Adult hard ticks are characterized by a highly sclerotized dorsal shield (a “scutum”) and anterior mouthparts with a basis capitulum that is visible from the dorsal surface.Unlike most soft ticks, which feed on hosts intermittently and spend much of their time in the environment, Otobius megnini establishes long-term infestations deep in the ear canal of its hosts, first attaching as a larva and remaining through subsequent nymphal molts until finally leaving the host as an adult.Īdults of Otobius megnini are non-feeding and free-living in the environment. The only important soft tick of dogs in North America is Otobius megnini, the spinose ear tick. The soft tick life cycle includes a larval stage and multiple nymphal stages. Once mated and fully engorged, the female will detach, crawl to a suitable environmental location, oviposit a clutch of several thousand eggs, and then die.Īrgasidae (soft ticks) are less common on pets. ![]() Once the nymph has engorged, it drops to the ground and molts to the eight-legged adult, which then must find a third host.Īdult hard ticks may mate on (all species) or off ( Ixodes spp.) a host. The nymph then finds an appropriate host and feeds for several days to a week. The larva must then find a host, feed for several days, and then drops to the ground and molts to an eight-legged nymph. Within weeks to months, depending on environmental conditions, the six-legged larval stage hatches from the egg. Hard tick species common on dogs and cats in North America are all ‘three-host’ ticks, which means that each motile stage (larva, nymph, and adult) will molt off of the host between their requisite blood meals, often feeding on a different host after molting to the subsequent stage.įemale hard ticks deposit a single, large clutch of eggs in the environment. The most common ticks found on dogs throughout North America are the Ixodidae (hard ticks). Ticks infesting dogs and cats include the Ixodidae (hard ticks) and the Argasidae (soft ticks) the life cycles of these two groups are markedly different. The comments here are general in nature to refer to all the common North American ticks of dogs for more specific life cycle information, please see the recommendations for the tick species of interest. Tick distributions are dynamic and ever changing, and practice protocols often need to evolve to meet the growing threat ticks pose to pet health.Ī variety of tick species infest dogs and cats in North America, and each has a unique life cycle and life history pattern. Stay current on tick population shifts and new threats from ticks that develop over time. Recognize that home infestations with brown dog ticks ( Rhipicephalus sanguineus), once established, may take several months to bring under control and that, in addition to consistently treating pets with tick control product, the services of a licensed exterminator are necessary to eliminate the infestation from buildingsīecause ticks transmit a wide variety of disease agents to pets and people and are active throughout the year, tick control must be practiced consistently to protect the health of the pet and to prevent untreated pets from bringing ticks – which may then infest people - into the home ![]() All dogs should be treated year round and throughout their life with tick control products to limit infestations on the pet, reduce the number of ticks in the environment around the home, and prevent establishment of brown dog tick populations in the home
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