Ticks carry serious diseases with long-term effects. Year-round prevention is crucial to keep you and your pets safe.
The tick life cycle comprises four stages: egg, larva, nymph, and adult. Ticks require a host to survive, molt, and reproduce.
The larva hatches and attaches to a host, often a small bird or rodent, where it can pick up deadly diseases and become a carrier.
After feeding, the larva drops off the host, lies dormant, molts, and becomes a nymph.
Adult ticks find larger hosts, mate, feed, and transmit diseases. The male tick falls off and dies after feeding.
When feeding, ticks regurgitate digestive enzymes to prevent host's blood from clotting. During this process, ticks transmit diseases to the host.
Tick prevention is critical to keep pets safe year-round. Medications are designed to kill the tick or cause it to drop off its host before disease is transmitted.