The rise of ticks

Lone star tick. (Photo: ondreicka/Adobe Stock)

“The confluence of environmental, ecological, sociological, and demographic factors has created a near “perfect storm” leading to more ticks in more places,” said Kathryn E. Reif, PhD, MSPH, quoting a statement from the Entomological Society of America, during her session “No Room for Roommates: Kicking Ticks and Other Parasites to the Curb,” at the Fetch dvm360 Conference in Nashville, Tennessee.^1,2 With tick populations rapidly expanding throughout North America, including in the United States, these parasites are increasingly posing a risk to pets year-round.

“This is especially true in our own states and even more local in our own neighborhoods, our own communities,” continued Reif.¹ “Tick species that we may not have had to think about—or their associated pathogens—10, 20 years ago, [these] ticks are on the move, and they're moving into our neighborhoods and communities, posing new risks to our pets and to ourselves as well.”

Getting to know ticks

Ticks live an average of 3 years, explained Reif during her canine-focused lecture on various parasites and their treatment options.¹ The adult tick commonly found on dogs is the largest on average, with an age of 2 to 3 years old.

Ticks have 3 main life stages: they hatch from eggs as larvae, molt into nymphs, and then molt once more into adults. At each life stage, the parasite takes one blood meal, which equates to approximately feeding once over several months to once every year. The 4 major tick species consist of the lone star tick (Amblyomma americanum), American dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis), brown dog tick (Rhipicephalus sanguineus), and Black-legged tick or deer tick (Ixodes scapularis).

An aggressive tick species, the lone star tick is expanding quickly throughout the US. “This is a very aggressive tick species that's rapidly expanding out from the southeast part of the US, expanding westward, now moving very aggressively northward,” said Reif. “This is a tick on the move.”

According to Reif, the lone star tick is now present in the southern part of the Great Lakes of North America up to Maine. It has also been spotted in southern Canada.

This parasite, as Reif explained, will “bite anything with a pulse.” “If you are alive and you have blood, consider yourself fair game for this tick species,” Reif said. She also emphasized that this particular tick species is one of the most difficult ones to kill and advises veterinary professionals to look at the data or label number on tick control products to ensure that that specific product is effective against lone star ticks.

Like the lone star tick, American dog tick populations are also expanding across the US, with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reporting a higher number of counties in the eastern half of the country with established American dog tick population.^1,3 This tick species is most frequently found in tall, grassy meadows; open words; and open fields in agricultural areas.⁴

“Certainly, the most infamous tick we have in the US is the black-legged tick, or the deer tick,” said Reif of this other major tick species. These ticks are most known for being vectors of Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterium responsible for Lyme disease.

Meanwhile, the brown dog tick sets itself apart from the other 3 tick species by living inside and around homes. “They can cause massive infestations in homes and kennels. They live in your walls. They come out. You go to sleep one night, it's a normal night, the next day, you wake up, the wall is crawling black. That's what these ticks do,” said Reif.

A knack for colder temperatures

During her session, Reif emphasized that ticks are now posing a risk to pets throughout the year, including during the colder months. This is especially true for certain species.

“Some tick species even thrive when it's cooler or colder,” noted Reif. She explained that the adult life stage of black-legged ticks “thrive” during cooler or colder temperatures and hibernate during warmer weather. According to Reif, the life stage in black-legged ticks most associated with Lyme disease and Anaplasmosis transmission in dogs is their adult stage.

“So, we really do have temperatures that foster tick activity. Thus, our pets are at risk for tick activity, maybe not 365 days of the year, but certainly 12 months of the year,” Reif said.

References

1. Reif K. No Room for Roommates: Kicking Ticks and Other Parasites to the Curb. Presented at: Fetch dvm360 Conference; Nashville, TN. May 30, 2025.
2. ESA position statement on tick-borne diseases. June 27, 2019. Accessed May 30, 2025. https://www.entsoc.org/sites/default/files/files/Science-Policy/2019/EntSocAmerica_PolicyStatement_TickBorneDiseases-2019.pdf
3. American dog tick surveillance. US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. May 15, 2024. Accessed May 30, 2025. https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/data-research/facts-stats/american-dog-tick-surveillance.html
4. Where do we find ticks? Companion Animal Parasite Council. Accessed May 30, 2025. https://capcvet.org/guidelines/ticks/americanum.