Check Me for TICKS!!!

While the wet winter has provided us with beautiful green mountains and serene trails, it some how created a perfect environment for tick breeding.  Many of you have noticed your horses covered with ticks following a trail ride and are looking for ways to prevent tick infestation.  First lets talk about ticks, as they are actually very interesting little bugs.


Ticks are actually from the arachnid family.  One of the most interesting characteristics of a tick is the fact that they actually grow and extra set of legs as adults.  Seed (or baby) ticks start there life with six legs and after they get there first meal they grow another pair of legs.  Seed ticks have been known to swarm onto animals in mass numbers as high as 30,000 at a time.    Ticks do not fly or jump to get on to an animal.   They do tend to climb into bushes or tree and then fall onto there next meal as you or your horse walk past.
It is important to remember that ticks can carry illnesses from one animal to another. In fact, ticks are the primary disease vector in domestic animals. In terms of human illness, only one parasite spreads more illness -- the mosquito. Ticks can spread a wide variety of disease-causing organisms, including bacteria, viruses and protozoa. A freshly hatched tick might be free from disease, but as soon as it takes a meal from an infected animal, it becomes a potential disease vector. In fact, ticks can carry more diseases than any other arthropod in the world. Their efficiency at spreading infection comes from the way they feed. Many tick species feed on at least three hosts before they die. If one host is sick, the tick can carry the infection to the others.


If  you find a tick on your horse's body or yourself then remove it as soon as possible.  Many diseases transmitted by ticks require them to be attached for several hours before the host in infected by the tick.  It actually requires a tick to be attached to its host for nearly 24 hours before lymes disease is transfered to the host. However, forget all the rumors you may have heard about tick removal. Do NOT crush or twist the tick, apply baby oil or petroleum, or "scare" the tick out with a lit match. These methods can cause the tick to regurgitate blood back into your horse, which increases the chance of infection or disease transmission. Worse, the above methods can cause the head to detach from the body, where it will remain beneath the skin.

Instead, use a pair of tweezers to remove the tick:

1. Grab the tick firmly by the head, where it enters the skin
2. Pull - do not yank - firmly and steadily straight away from the skin
3. Dispose of the tick properly in a small jar of rubbing alcohol
4. Wash the attachment site with a mild antiseptic
5. Wash your hands

Unfortunately, ticks can be difficult to kill. Their flat bodies prevent them from being easily crushed. Some have even been known to survive a fire. But once you have removed a tick from your horse's body, you cannot simply release it back into the wild. Doing so almost ensures the tick will return to your horse or another barn visitor. Instead, place the tick in a sealed glass jar that has been filled with rubbing alcohol.


 Unfortunately there is not a perfect solution for repelling ticks.  The company that makes the Frontline product for dogs, used to make a spray on product that worked quite well.  The Frontline plus or Advantix spot on products can be used on horses and will help remove ticks.  The problem with the spot on products is that it takes two-three vials to place in the commonly affect area of your horse and it will only last for two weeks (these products cost about $15 per vial).  Another option is to use a spot on Pyrethrin product such as Equi-Spot. (Here is a link to some on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Equi-Spot-Spot-Control-Horses-tubes/dp/B000WGU92Q).  Another upcoming organic friendly fly repelling option is the use of wax-based catnip oil formulations.