PA Tick Research Lab

There are many options for topical and oral treatments to prevent ticks and keep your dog healthy! This can be difficult to navigate, especially for first-time owners. Always check with your vet before starting any new preventative products.

Dogs spend lots of time outdoors playing and exploring, which makes them highly suspectable to tick exposure. Awareness and making tick checks for your pet is key. Dogs with long, dense, and/or dark fur are often at the highest ticks of having ticks go unnoticed.

Happy Friday! As tick activity continues to reach peak numbers, many of you may be opting to stay indoors to watch basketball or soccer! In honor of the world cup, did you know that the tick genus of Ixodes, which blacklegged deer ticks (Ixodes Scapularis in the east coast) are a part of can be found worldwide, even in the coast region of Antarctica!

In 2024-2025, our lab only received 59 submissions of groundhog ticks. These ticks are part of the genus Ixodes, the same as blacklegged deer ticks (Ixodes scapularis) and western blacklegged deer ticks (Ixodes pacificus). While these ticks are less common to find on humans and pets, they can still carry and transmit the following pathogens!

Lonestar ticks can be found in PA but are generally more common in the southeastern U.S. Females are easily identifiable with a yellow-white dot on their backs, while males lack this feature and appear to have a reddish-brown appearance. These ticks are most known for causing Alpha-gal Syndrome. This allergy can potentially occur from tick bites, as the alpha-gal molecule is in their saliva. Not everyone who is bitten by these ticks will develop Alpha-gal Syndrome. For more information on tick identification and Lonestar ticks, visit: https://www.ticklab.org/lone-star-tick

American dog activity is currently high. American dog ticks are generally the second most common tick we receive at our lab. These ticks are larger than blacklegged deer ticks, making them easier to spot on yourself or pets! While non-deer ticks do not carry or transmit Lyme disease, they can carry other pathogens that are listed which can cause illness in humans and pets.

Have you heard of this invasive tick species? They are native to east Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. The first reported sighting of this tick in the U.S. was in 2017 in NJ on a sheep farm. Currently, they have been found in 22 states. If you live on a large property, own livestock, and/or close to forest edge watch out for this tick!

Happy first week of June! As the weather continues to warm up and you enjoy the outdoors, watch out for high nymph tick activity and make daily tick checks part of your routine! Stay cool and tick-free!

June is peak season for nymph blacklegged deer ticks. Due to their small size, they often go unnoticed for several hours or even days before they are removed. At this point of their lifecycle, they can already be carriers of Lyme disease or other pathogens. Nymph ticks are difficult to spot with the naked eye, and may appear as a black dot, similar to a birthmark, on skin or clothing. Make sure to do daily tick checks for nymphs and remove them as quickly as possible using tweezers or a tick removal tool!

Happy Friday! Tick numbers have remained steady since last week. Enjoy the nice weather this weekend, and stay safe!