The southeast is well into tick season, which has veterinarians calling for pet-owners to take prevention measures.
Dr. Amritpal Baath, a vet with Clearspring Animal Hospital, says the season starts as soon as temperatures are above freezing.
Based on what he's seen at the animal hospital already, he says the outlook for the season is tick-heavy.
"We have already seen a number of dogs and cats that are affected by ticks this season. Ticks are out, they are active," he says, and can be found almost anywhere.
That includes wooded areas, locations with tall grass, piles of leaves, bushes, shrubs, gardens, parks, and backyards, Baath says.
He urges pet owners to take action sooner than later.
The danger: Lyme Disease and Anaplasmosis
Baath says there are two kinds of ticks: those with a soft shell, and those with a hard shell. He says most hard shell ticks carry diseases.
Deer ticks in particular are infamous for carrying Lyme Disease, he says.
"Lyme disease basically affects the joints and the kidneys. The clinical signs we see include a fever, lethargy, inappetence, vomiting, and sometimes weight loss as well," the vet says.
Another disease that's commonly transmitted by ticks is Anaplasmosis, he says, which targets animals' blood cells.
"It can cause a significant decrease in their platelet count, resulting in bleeding disorders. That can include bleeding from the nose, blood in their diarrhea, bruising on the skin, bleeding from their gums... dogs can get severe anemia as well," Baath says.
How to protect your pet from ticks
Baath says there are various preventative medications pets can take, that will target ticks's physiology, and kill them if they manage to latch onto unsuspecting furbabies.
"Once the tick gets attached to the pet, there's a 24 to 48 hour window when they can transmit a disease. If the tick is engorged, you can tell its been a while," he says.
"Tick preventatives kill the tick before that 24 hour mark...it falls off, and that basically breaks the cycle of disease transmission."
There are both oral and topical options, he says, adding your veterinarian can help determine which may work best.
He says it's also good to check pets over for any stowaways after walking them, or even just letting them onto grass.
"Check the elbows, shoulders, behind their ears, around their eyes, their groin area, and in between their toes," Baath says.
What to do if you find a tick on your pet
Should someone find a tick on their pet, Baath says—despite what may seem like a good idea at the time—don't rip it off with bare hands.
"Always wear gloves. Use tools such as fine tipped tweezers or tick twisters to remove the tick, because you can contract infectious agents... simply by handling ticks," he says.
Clearspring Animal Hospital recommends submitting tick photos to etick.ca to help identify them.
For those that are worried about their pet following an encounter with a creepy-crawly, Baath says Clearspring Animal Hospital offers a test that can detect most common tick-borne diseases.
"We can do a test, and it's for your peace of mind...if it comes up positive for anything like Lyme Disease or Anaplasmosis, that can be treated," he says.