EGG STAGE
Female ticks lay eggs in secluded areas where vegetation is dense and several inches high. Adult females of some tick species lay about 100 eggs at a time; others lay 3,000 to 6,000 eggs per batch. Regardless of species, tick eggs hatch in about two weeks.

LARVAL STAGE
After hatching, the larvae move into grass or shrubs in search of their first blood meal. If you or your pet passes by, they attach themselves and crawl upward in pursuit of an area of the skin that they can feed from. Then they drop off the host, back into the environment.

NYMPHAL STAGE
After finding their first blood meal, the larvae molt into the nymphal stage and begin searching for another host. Nymphs are small in size and often go undetected, increasing the chance for disease transmission.

ADULT STAGE
Once the nymph has had its blood meal, it molts into an adult. Adult female ticks feed on a host. In some cases, they will increase to 100 times their original weight while feeding. After feeding, the female will mate, fall off and lay her eggs in a secluded place – beginning the life cycle again.

FRONTLINE^® Brand Products kill ticks in all blood-feeding stages of their development. They also provide continuous control against ticks with easy, once-a-month applications.

 

 

The following are warning signs that your dog or cat may have a disease that was transmitted by a tick:

•	Fever		•	Sudden onset of pain in your pet's legs or body
•	Lameness		•	Arthritis or swelling in your pet's joints
•	Loss of appetite		•	Lethargy or depression
•	Cough

Contact your veterinarian immediately to schedule an examination and a blood test if you believe that your pet has been bitten and infected by a tick. If you remove any ticks from your pet, save them in a bottle – your veterinarian may want to examine them in order to determine what type of ticks they were. Remove ticks with tweezers, never with your hands.

To control ticks on your pet, ask your veterinarian for FRONTLINE^® Brand Products - the Vet's #1 choice against both fleas and ticks.

Diseases transmitted by tick bites may affect your dog's or cat's health in the following ways:

Lyme Disease

A bacterial infection that infects both people and dogs, Lyme disease is carried by the deer tick. Signs include lameness, fever, loss of appetite, fatigue and enlargement of the lymph nodes. The signs of Lyme disease often resolve quickly with antibiotics.

Babesiosis

Acute signs may include fever, loss of appetite, and anemia. Shock, coma or death may also occur, especially in puppies. The infection responds to a variety of drug treatments. Blood transfusions and other supportive care may be necessary in some animals.

Ehrlichiosis

* An infectious blood disease that attacks your pet's white blood cells. Signs include fever, depression, lameness, and loss of appetite. Antibiotic therapy often results in dramatic improvement within 1-2 days.

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever

* Often transmitted by the American dog tick and the wood tick. Signs include fever, loss of appetite, coughing, bruising, lameness, depression, vomiting and diarrhea. If untreated, permanent damage and even death may occur.

Cytauxzoonosis

An acute, usually fatal disease in cats. Signs include loss of appetite and depression, followed by 1-3 days of fever. Death may follow in another 1-3 days.

If you believe that your pet is suffering from any of the above ailments, consult your veterinarian.

Prevention

FRONTLINE Brand Products are gentle and have been used successfully in dozens of countries and on millions of pets. In addition to applying FRONTLINE products regularly, the following steps can also be taken to help prevent ticks from harming your pet:

Yard Work - You can remove tick habitats from your yard by keeping tall grass clipped, removing any mulch or leaf litter and trimming bushes.

Avoid Tall Grass Or Brush - Keep your pet far away from these tick breeding grounds.

Examine Your Pet - Examine your pet thoroughly every day for ticks. Although ticks prefer attaching to your pet's head, neck and paws, you should still try to examine as much of your pet's body as possible.

Reference: Greene CE - Infectious diseases of the dog and cat. 3rd edition, St. Louis: Saunders Elsevier, 2006.