Winter Ticks

Happy Holidays! All of this week’s posts will be themed around the winter holiday season. Today’s path rounds are on 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬!

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐭?
𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬 are more scientifically known as 𝐃𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐥𝐛𝐢𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐬, and are a species of tick that spend their time hanging out on 𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐬 (deer species).

𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐭?
Any cervid can become infested, however we most commonly see this condition in moose.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐭?
Dermacentor larvae will climb onto a moose in the summer, where they slowly develop into adult ticks by winter. The female ticks will take a blood meal from the moose, mate, then fall off the moose to lay their eggs. And thus, the cycle continues. These tick infestations can be extremely severe, with one moose having a record 𝟏𝟕𝟖 𝟎𝟎𝟎 ticks found on its body!

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦?
Having your skin absolutely infested with ticks is not a pleasant experience… so these poor moose try to itch, rub and bite these ticks to get them off. Because the adults are present in the winter, this can lead to severe damage to the animal’s winter coat. Not only does this reduce that animal’s ability to withstand a harsh winter, they can also spend so much time itching that they don’t eat enough food, leading to starvation. In some cases, having so many adult ticks feeding at once can also cause 𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐚 (reduced red blood cells), which can cause death in severe cases.

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐠𝐧𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝?
This infestation is pretty easy to diagnose, even from far away! Affected moose will have areas of 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚 (hair loss) over their withers, back and tail.

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝?
For captive cervids, typical 𝐚𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞 (anti-tick) medications work on these little friends. However, wild cervids don’t often go to the vet clinic! Unfortunately, these cervids will usually have to deal with the infestation without treatment.

𝐏𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐨𝐬
1-3) Moose showing alopecia over their withers from winter ticks.
4-6) Up close and personal with some tick friends!