This page quotes a published document. Everything below in quotation marks is copied word for word from https://capcvet.org/guidelines/dermacentor-spp/, published by CAPC and retrieved on 2026-09-16. The quotations are excerpts; the document itself is linked and is the authority. Nothing has been reworded.
This page quotes the Companion Animal Parasite Council guideline for Dermacentor spp., section by section: the opening sentences of 8 sections, copied without change and linked to the guideline, which was retrieved on 2026-09-16. The guideline itself is the authority and carries the full text.
The guideline
Companion Animal Parasite Council, Dermacentor spp., at https://capcvet.org/guidelines/dermacentor-spp/. Retrieved 2026-09-16. Each heading below is the guideline’s own, and the quotation under it is how that section begins. The full section, and the species tabs where the guideline gives them, are on the linked page.
Synopsis
CAPC Recommends Year-round use of tick control for dogs and cats Keeping pets treated with acaricides creates a safer environment for pets and people. Pets not maintained on acaricides may bring ticks into the home which can then move to people and other pets, creating a risk of infection.
Species
Canine Dermacentor variabilis (American dog tick) Dermacentor andersoni (Rocky Mountain wood tick) Feline Dermacentor variabilis (American dog tick) Dermacentor andersoni (Rocky Mountain wood tick) Note: Dermacentor variabilis is now recognized to be 2 distinct species with D. variabilis occurring in the eastern United States and the new species, D. similis , occurring in the western United States *Other Dermacentor spp. may on occasion parasitize dogs and cats
Disease
Direct disease caused by tick bite Like any ticks, Dermacentor spp. may cause irritation and pruritus around attachment sites. Secondary infections can develop at tick attachment sites, leading to sepsis.
Prevalence
Dermacentor variabilis is found throughout the eastern United States as far west as Texas, Wyoming, and Montana. Dermacentor similis , once considered to be D. variabilis, is found along the West coast.
Diagnosis
Diagnosis is made on physical examination of host, when attached ticks are recognized and recovered. Key features for identifying adult Dermacentor spp. are the brown scutum with white, variegated ornamentation and short mouthparts.
Treatment
See general tick recommendations . Products may only be labeled against D. variabilis for dogs and cats, but those products can be assumed to be effective against other Dermacentor spp.
Control and Prevention
Because substantial annual, seasonal, and geographic differences occur in prevalence and activity of Dermacentor spp., as well as other ticks, in North America, CAPC supports year-round use of tick-control products on pets. Dermacentor spp. are acquired from outdoors.
Public Health Considerations
Dermacentor spp. that infest dogs and cats also feed on people and can transmit numerous zoonotic agents (described in Disease section). People become infested in the same way as their pets, i.e., by encountering questing ticks in tick-infested habitats.
Continue reading public health considerations on capcvet.org
Sources
- capc-dermacentor-sppCAPC · retrieved 2026-09-16
“CAPC Recommends Year-round use of tick control for dogs and cats Keeping pets treated with acaricides creates a safer environment for pets and people. Pets” (Synopsis)
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