Several Ixodes spp. are present in the wild and may occasionally attack dogs and livestock. The brown dog tick is the most widely distributed of all ticks, occurring in most temperate regions of the world, including Vermont. This latter tick is common in fields and woodlands. The brown dog tick infests homes and other buildings harboring dogs. This habit ensures survival during Vermont winters.
Ticks are persistent bloodsuckers.
Loss of blood may be great and mass attack, especially in young animals, results in weakness or death. The ticks attach firmly and are not easily dislodged. Their bites are painful, and some of them carry diseases. The American, but not the Brown, dog tick transmits Rocky Mountain spotted fever and tularemia, which are diseases of man. Adults of these ticks can also cause a form of paralysis in animals and people in RARE instances when they attach over the spinal cord or at the base of the skull.