There are several diseases that can be spread by tick bites from various types of ticks throughout the United States. Dogs, cats and humans are susceptible to them. Lyme disease, which exists mainly in the Northeast, is the most common and can be potentially dangerous to long-term health. Another very common concern is heartworm in dogs and cats. Ticks can be easily picked up while walking in rural areas and through woods and grasses. Tick charts can help you properly identify a high-risk tick, which can help you get yourself or your dog on proper medication as soon as possible.
Things You'll Need
- The tick in question
- Tick chart
- pointy tweezers
Instructions
Remove the tick from the human or pet it is feeding on. To do this, grab the tick firmly at the head with tweezers, and slowly pull it away from the skin without breaking it.
Measure the tick and compare it to the scale on the chart.
Hold the tick up to the chart and determine which picture it looks most closely like. Notice the size of the body, the head shape, and the proportion of the leg size to the body size. Also, notice specific patterns, like a white dot on the plate under the tick's head, which is characteristic of the Lone Star Tick.
Send the tick out to a lab to test it for diseases if it is a high-risk species. You can take your bitten dog or cat with the tick to the vet to do this. If the tick has bitten you, take it to the doctor's office with you to be tested.