Ticks in Florida - Protect Your Fur Babies

Living in the beautiful Sunshine State, especially the Greater Tampa Bay area, has lots to offer. One that tops the list is being able to enjoy the outdoors year-round with our furry friends.

While enjoying the outdoors with our fur babies, we need to be mindful of ticks, yes ticks. People often think that ticks are problematic in the Northeast, but ticks can be found in Florida year-round and dogs are very susceptible to tick bites and diseases.

Tick Species in Florida

Ticks, both in the adult and nymph stage, can carry and transmit diseases. The risk of disease from nymphs is even greater as they are small and harder to detect. If not removed, they can cause disease, sickness and may even be fatal. Some of the species of ticks that call Florida home include:

Brown Dog Tick

This tick loves to feed on dogs and can be found in areas where dogs play outdoors, whether it’s your backyard, the dog park, nature / hiking trails, parks, etc. This tick can transmit Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (“RMSF”) which is considered to be the most severe tick-borne disease with the highest mortality rate.

American Dog Tick

This tick attaches itself to both dogs and humans and is highly present from March through September. This species is especially dangerous to small children and dogs and may cause temporary paralysis until it is removed, or worse yet RMSF.

Gulf Coast Tick

As the name suggests, this tick is common to southeastern states, including Florida. This species can also transmit RMSF.

Lone Star Tick

The name may sound deceiving, but this tick is a common biter of humans and are present in Florida from February to October with the highest population in the summer months, particularly July.

Deer Tick

The dreaded deer tick, also known as, a the black-legged tick, is also present in Florida mostly during our ‘winter’ months. This tick is especially dangerous and is mostly known for transmitting Lyme disease.

Actions for Prevention & Tick Removal

There are actions you can take to prevent tick-borne illness in your pets and the common ones include vaccines, medication and tick collars. However, you can also take additional preventative actions to protect your fur baby which include:

Property Maintenance - Keeping your property neat and tidy will help reduce the tick’s habitat. Clear brush along paths and walkways and maintain landscaping to avoid overgrowth of brush and weeds.

Check for Ticks & Remove Them - After enjoying the outdoors with your furry friend, check them for ticks and pay close attention to their ears, eyelids, under their collar, between legs and toes and don’t forget their tail. Quick identification and removal is critical to reduce tick-borne disease and illness. To remove the tick, use tweezers and pull it straight out applying firm pressure.

Monitor Behavior – As ticks and bites on dogs may be hard to detect, especially nymphs, monitor your pet for signs of tickborne disease which may not appear for 7-21 days or even longer after a bite. Look for any changes in their behavior, rashes, bumps even loss of appetite.

If you suspect that your furry companion has been bitten by a tick, if you are having difficulty in removing the tick in its entirety, or has contracted a tick-borne disease, contact your veterinarian to seek immediate treatment.

What Else Can You Do?

The best course of action is prevention. In addition to vaccines and flea and tick collars, contact Mosquito Squad of Tampa Bay as our treatments not only eradicate mosquitoes, fleas, flies, spiders and ants – it kills ticks too!

Mosquito Squad offers both routine barrier treatments and automatic misting systems. We offer both traditional and all-natural solutions.

No contracts are required and you will be charged on the date of service, after the application has been completed. Think about that, no up-front costs, long-term commitments or contracts.

Mosquito Squad can be reached via email at tampabay@mosquitosquad.com or by simply calling 813-502-0505.

Don’t delay, contact us today to help you and your fur babies prevent and FIGHT THE BITE. This way you can enjoy your outdoors with peace of mind knowing that you, all family members, including our furry companions, are protected.