Deer ticks should be considered dangerous to humans and pets, because they transmit Lyme disease. Feeding only two to three times during their lives, once when they molt from the larval to the nymph stage, once from nymph to adult and once more, if female, to lay their eggs. While deer ticks can contract the Lyme disease bacteria from an infected host at any of these feedings, they can only transmit the disease after contracting it, or during the second and/or third feeding.

In order for deer ticks to transmit Lyme disease, they must stay attached to their hosts for a 24-hour period
Discovered in 1975, by scientists in Lyme, Connecticut, Lyme disease can be debilitating but rarely fatal. Often misdiagnosed, because the initial stages of Lyme disease resemble the flu, with body aches and pains, fever, headaches and fatigue, sometimes a bull’s-eye-shaped rash slowly spreads from the tick bite site, but not always. Victims should seek immediate medical attention if a tick bite is suspected.

Lyme disease, can be treated and managed with antibiotics but if left untreated, victims can develop any number of health issues including severe headaches, neurological disorders, heart palpitations, arthritis and chronic fatigue issues.

Prevention is key
Some of the best ways to prevent deer ticks and Lyme disease include:

• Practicing diligent tick-checking measures after hiking, walking in wooded areas and through tall grassy areas.
• Tick-proofing your pets with oral or topical products available at retail stores or from your local vet’s office.
• Pest-proof your home with Truly Nolen’s Four Seasons program or contact us for a free flea and tick inspection.

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