Tick Growth Comparison (see how ticks change appearance as they feed)
American dog ticks are found over most of North America, predominantly along forest edges and in areas with little or no tree cover, such as grassy fields and scrubland, as well as along walkways, sidewalks, and trails. American dog ticks are 3-host ticks (use 3 different hosts in their lifecycle) feeding on people and a variety of animals ranging in size from rodents to livestock. Adult stages prefer medium-sized hosts, including racoons, skunks, cats, dogs and other canids. Larvae and nymphs mainly infest small mammals including mice, voles, rats, and chipmunks. Nymphs and adults can transmit Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and lesser pathogenic spotted fever group germs as well. They also transmit the germ causing Tularemia. American dog ticks can survive for up to 2 years at any given life stage if no host is found.
Adult males and females are active April-early August in most regions, and are mostly found questing in tall grass and low lying brush and twigs. Adult American dog ticks commonly attack humans, typically climbing to the crown of the head. Male ticks blood feed briefly but do not become engorged with blood. After a brief (1-2 day) attachment, males detach and wander on the host in search of an attached feeding female to mate with. Females can take one week or more to completely engorge. Once replete, female American dog ticks detach from their host and drop into the leaf litter, where they can lay over 4,000 eggs before dying. Nymphs and larvae rarely attach to people or pets. Larvae are most active biting rodents in May and June while nymphs are most active in July and August.
Recognizing your dog has mango worms can be tricky, as there are often not any symptoms at first. Your dog may not feel anything after the larvae get onto and in their skin.
Symptoms usually won’t start until the mango worm larvae within the skin start erupting. They need to do this when they mature.
There may be boils or pimples on your dog’s body if they have mango worms. Your dog will probably scratch a lot and try to bite at his skin. He will probably also seem generally distressed.
