Clinton Parkway

Ticks in Kansas

CPAH Video on Ticks and Your Pet

American Dog Tick

American dog ticks (Dermacentor variabilis) are common throughout Kansas. In the typical developmental cycle of the American dog tick, larvae usually feed on small mammals such as rats and mice. Nymphs can be found on cats, dogs, opossums, rabbits, raccoons, and other medium to small sized mammals. The male tick feeds sparingly and does not engorge. Females engorge on blood and increase markedly in size, often up to 3/4-inch.

American dog ticks are of importance because they can transmit Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever to dogs, cats and humans, and Cytauxzoonosis – an often fatal blood parasite to cats. The American dog tick can also cause tick paralysis.

Interesting Images of the American Dog Tick:

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Image of head of female tick

Lone Star Tick

The lone star tick (Amblyomma americanum) has become common in the eastern half of the state. It occurs most commonly in woodland habitats with dense underbrush. The white-tailed deer is considered a prominent host for the lone star tick, because larvae, nymphs, and adults will all feed successfully on this host. The wild turkey is another host. Adult ticks can also feed on a variety of hosts including cattle, horses, dogs, cats, and humans.

Interesting Images of the Lone Star Tick:

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Image of head of tick}

Brown Dog Tick

The brown dog tick (Rhipicephalus sanguineus) is the only species of tick that infests human dwellings and kennels in North America. Infestations can occur in heated buildings any time of the year. Infestations of homes are distressing to pet owners and are difficult to eradicate. The brown dog tick can spread Ehrlichiosis and Babesiosis

Interesting Images of the Brown Dog Tick:

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Black legged tick

The black-legged tick (Ixodes scapularis) is also referred to as the deer tick or Lyme disease. The distribution of the black-legged tick is linked to the distribution and abundance of its primary host, the white-tailed deer. Importance of this tick is increasing across eastern Kansas. Adults feed primarily on white-tail deer and occasionally on coyotes, dogs, raccoons, and other wildlife. The black-legged tick is the vector of Lyme disease in the central and eastern United States.

Interesting Images of the Black-legged Tick:

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Head of female tick

Ticks on Dogs and Cats

Rapid tick kill or prevention of attachment and feeding is important in the prevention of tick-transmitted diseases. Ticks transmit diseases by consuming blood and injecting salivary proteins with infectious agents. Once a tick finds a host it must attach, and then initiate feeding. Feeding activates the pathogen that is then released from the tick to the bloodstream of the host. This typically takes 24 to 48 hours. If ticks can be repelled, prevented from attaching or killed outright during this period, then disease transmission is likely prevented. Fronline Plus is the most effective tick control product available.

Tick Removal

Ticks can be removed manually by grasping as close to the skin as possible with fine forceps or tweezers. The tick is then pulled slowly straight away from the skin, using slow, steady pressure. The tick should not be twisted or jerked out of the skin because this might cause the head to become detached and left in the skin. Use of a lighted match or covering the tick in vaseline or nail polish are not recommended.

Website Resources:

Geographic Distribution of Tick-Borne Diseases