Larval Ticks: Are They Dangerous?

Larval Ticks: Are They Dangerous?

by Dr Gretta Howard, Senior Veterinarian

What are larval ticks?

Larval ticks are also known as grass ticks and are essentially baby paralysis ticks, which are endemic to our local area.

The natural hosts of paralysis ticks are our native possums and bandicoots, which live amongst our community within the Ku-Ring-Gai region. They have a year-long life cycle, consisting of eggs, larvae, nymphs and adult paralysis ticks. The eggs are laid in the grass and bush scrub and when they hatch, the larvae wait for an animal (or human!) to brush past and then jump on at the first opportunity, often in large numbers all at once! Larval ticks are usually not visible without magnification, though after a few days of feeding, they can sometimes be visible as a tiny dark speck attached to the surface of the skin.

After the larval ticks have fed for a few days, they jump off, turn into nymphs (the next stage in the paralysis tick life cycle) and wait for another unsuspecting victim to walk past to get another meal. Nymph ticks are slightly larger than the larvae and can cause clinical signs of paralysis in some animals. They are usually about 1-2mm when engorged.

Once the nymph ticks have a feed from their temporary host, they jump off and develop into adult paralysis ticks. These are prevalent from around September to March, so mainly the spring and summer months. Adult ticks can sometimes be found at other times of the year.

Adult paralysis ticks can be fatal in cats and dogs and any pet with a tick present showing even mild signs, such as vomiting, incoordination or a change in their bark or meow, should be treated by your veterinarian urgently as it does not take long before respiratory paralysis can set in.

Can larval or nymph ticks endanger my pet?

During the season of autumn, vets see many cases of dogs and cats presenting with a sudden onset of intense scratching, irritation or chewing of the body and the feet. Larval ticks are tinier than a pin-head, so often a diagnosis needs to be confirmed by your vet under the microscope.

It can be very uncomfortable for pets experiencing a larval tick infestation, because many ticks can attach simultaneously by burying their mouthparts into the skin. They feed on a blood meal for around seven days after which they promptly jump off and molt to the next stage of their life cycle, the nymph stage.

While larval and nymph ticks do not usually cause paralysis symptoms in adult dogs and cats, kittens and puppies may become quite sick, due to their small size and immature immune system. So, it is important for your veterinarian to treat these larval ticks promptly to rid your pet of the irritation as quickly as possible, particularly in younger animals. Usually, your vet will either use Frontline Spray (dogs and cats) or Permoxin tick rinse (dogs only) initially. If the reaction is causing irritation, anti-inflammatories and sometimes anti-histamines will be needed either in the form of an injection or tablets.

In a small number of cases, signs of tick toxicity will develop, requiring more intensive management including administration of tick anti-serum.

Tick prevention should be applied to your pet all year round to protect your pet from life threatening tick toxicity. Our tick product recommendations can be found here:

So, watch out for these little critters!!