Ticks on horses: identification, removal and prevention
Written by Bo | Content Specialist |
Ticks are not only found on dogs and cats. Horses can also be affected by these small parasites. Because horses spend a lot of time in pastures and natural areas, ticks have plenty of opportunity to attach themselves to the animal. It is therefore important to know how ticks occur in horses, what happens during a tick bite and how to safely remove a tick.
How do you recognise a tick on a horse?
A tick is a small spider-like parasite that attaches itself to your horse’s skin. Ticks have a flat body and eight legs. When they have just attached, they are usually small and dark in colour.
As a tick feeds on blood, its body becomes larger and rounder. This makes the tick more visible on the horse’s skin over time.
What happens during a tick bite in a horse
When a tick ends up on your horse, it looks for a warm spot with a thin layer of skin to latch onto. The bite itself is usually not painful for the horse. Sometimes the skin around the bite may become slightly irritated.
Although a tick bite often causes few immediate symptoms, ticks can transmit pathogens. These enter the horse’s body through the tick’s saliva.
Once a tick has attached itself, it begins to suck blood. The tick’s saliva inhibits blood clotting, allowing it to feed for a longer period. This saliva may also contain pathogens.
It is often said that pathogens are only transmitted by a tick after about 24 hours. In reality, transmission can sometimes occur earlier. However, for many pathogens, the risk increases the longer the tick remains attached. This is because it can take time for the pathogen to be transmitted from the tick and to be present in sufficient quantities to cause an infection. That is why it is important to remove ticks as quickly as possible.
How do you remove a tick from your horse?
If you discover a tick on your horse, it is important to remove it as quickly and completely as possible. It is essential that no parts of the tick remain in the skin.
Using a special tick remover gives you the best chance of removing the tick in its entirety. Place the tick remover as close to the skin as possible and then carefully pull or twist the tick loose.
After removal, it is best to clean the area where the tick was attached with some alcohol.
It is not recommended to treat the tick with alcohol or other substances beforehand. This can actually increase the risk of transmitting pathogens.
