Why ticks are so dangerous to humans and pets — Iwinosa’s student essay

The similarities humans have with ticks make ticks much more of a threat because of the fact that they can spread diseases to humans. Ticks are also harmful to pets such as dogs. When a tick bites and starts sucking on the blood of the dog it can leave red marks that can also be irritating and “Although rare, ticks can consume enough of your dog’s blood to cause a deficiency called anemia. Certain female ticks can also cause a rare paralysis in dogs as a result of a toxin they produce while feeding.”” (https://www.petsandparasites.org/dog-owners/ticks/). Like humans, pets can also get a disease as a result of tick bites. Common tick-borne disease pets can get from tick bites is Lyme disease. There are diseases that can kill dogs that come from tick bites. Canine babesiosis is a disease that is caused by a parasite that is similar to malaria. This can cause dogs to have low energy, pale gums, dark urine, discolored stools, weight loss, fever, and an enlarged abdomen. But even when dogs are getting treated they could still die from low blood pressure and shock. Another Disease is Canine Anaplasmosis which causes pain in the joints, fever, lethargy, and a loss of appetite. It can cause seizures and kidney disease which can result in the death of the dog, although it is rare. Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RSMF) is a disease that affects dogs and humans. This also causes appetite loss, cough, pinkeye, joints, and legs swelling, seizures, skin lesions, and renal failure. (RMSF) can kill dogs if it is left ignored and untreated. ticks can hide in places on pets so they aren’t easy to detect immediately. In dogs, for example, Ticks can hide around the eye and eyelid. Ticks can also hide under the collar of a dog and ticks can also hide under the harness on a dog too.