Ticks are becoming an issue for pets on the Front Range

I didn't have my glasses on, and thought maybe the brown bump on the edge of my dog Stering's eye was a growth that sprouted quickly. I'd seen bumps like that on other dogs. I went about my day, but puzzled over it. How could I miss something like that when I look into Sterling's sweet brown eyes all the time? Better get out the glasses.

Eww! It was alive! A tick had latched on to the corner of his eye. I was horrified that I let it go for even a couple hours. But it truly never occurred to me that he'd get a tick down here on the Front Range. I'm always on the alert for ticks in May and June in the mountains. That's when they're common up there. But I never worried down here.

There are 27 different species of ticks in our state, according to information from Colorado State Extension Service, some that prefer lower elevations. Some species die within a year, but most go through a two to three-year life cycle, according to CSU. They overwinter by feasting on deer or hiding under leaves before emerging in spring.

Dr. Nancy Bureau, veterinarian and owner of Left Hand Animal Hospital in Niwot, says vets are seeing more ticks here and all over the country. "One thought is that things are getting warmer," Bureau said. She said ticks are most common during the warmer, damp weather that we get in Colorado in March through May. But, she said they can linger into August, especially in wetter years.

Sterling and I walk the trails around Niwot or the Open Space in Boulder County every day. He is an avid detective, burying his nose into the grasses along the paths to figure out what critters have passed by. He especially loves sniffing the ghost trails where wild animals travel regularly to get a drink from the creeks and ditches.

Turns out the grasses and bushes that are found on so much of our Front Range open space are prime springboards for ticks. The hungry blood suckers scale the vegetation and wait until they sense vibration, warmth or carbon dioxide exhaled from passing mammals. When an animal (or human) brushes by, they extend their front legs and latch on.

I was so surprised by the tick around Sterling's eye, that I figured it was a rare incident. After all, this isn't the Midwest or East where ticks are rampant. But a couple of days later, I found three more ticks on his head and neck. I'm pretty sure they were a new crop since I had checked him carefully after the eye tick.

Because the ticks shocked me on both occasions, I immediately grabbed them with my fingers and snatched them out of his eye and off his head and tossed them in Tupperware before smashing them. Apparently, panicking isn't the best way to handle it.

Breathe, get tweezers, grab the little devil as close to the skin as possible and pull straight back. That's the way the CSU experts say to do it. Make sure you get the head. If the tick is still squirming, you got the whole thing. I was lucky.

The sooner you find them the better. It takes 12-24 hours for ticks to burrow in and start sipping blood, according to CSU. That means there is time to do a tick check at the end of an outdoor adventure for your dog (and you if you've also been tromping through the grass.)

"If you know that a tick has been on your pet, take a picture of it and put the pet on watch for 30 days," Bureau said. "Watch for malaise, lethargy or joint pain. If you see that, then go see your vet." There is no point in getting the dog tested sooner since it takes at least a month for diseases to show up on tests, she said.

Ticks carry bacteria that can harm your dog, but Bureau says that most of the time the disease is treatable.

Colorado is fortunate to be one of a handful of states that doesn't have homegrown cases of Lyme disease, which can cause severe illness in pets and people. We don't have the species of tick that carries it, according to CSU.

Another concern is that some species of ticks have become resistant to over-the-counter medications such as Advantix and Frontline, Bureau said. We don't have the resistant ticks here either but some of those species have been making their way north as the climate warms.

So far, tick bites from those found in Colorado are deterred by over-the-counter products that are applied monthly to the dog's skin. Bureau says flea and tick collars can also work, though they can be toxic to cats and also if chewed by dogs or children. There are also oral and injectable medications available through veterinarians. Bureau recommends those for people who are uncomfortable with topical treatments or who may be traveling with their pets outside of Colorado.

Last spring I checked with Left Hand Animal Hospital and decided to put Sterling on an over-the-counter medication. He's on it again this spring. I'm not crazy about putting the meds in his system, but it has kept him free of ticks.

The medication prevents the insects from biting, but it doesn't necessarily stop them from hitching a ride back to your home. It can be tempting to use DEET, but that can be toxic to pets, according to the ASPCA. I have sometimes used a natural spray that claims to repel ticks and there are other homemade remedies which I haven't yet tried.

As ticks become more common, pet parents can also reduce the risk by avoiding tick habitat in spring and checking their dog after an outing. Just be sure to put those glasses on if you need them!