Mild winter weather might mean longer walks for you and your four-legged friends, but it also means the risk of ticks is higher than normal for this time of year.
The Guelph Animal Hospital recently posted on social media warning pet owners of the heightened risk, sharing a map with a “pretty alarming” number of ticks at risk of carrying Lyme disease found in the area since the beginning of January.
“In our part of Southwestern Ontario, the flea and tick season is entirely dependent on our weather, which seems to be getting milder by the year,” said Guelph Animal Hospital veterinarian Dr. Renee Fleming in an email to GuelphToday.
Typically, she said ticks will start to seek a host when the weather reaches four degrees, even just for a short period of time.
“However, on more than a number of occasions, we have seen ticks on pets where the environmental temperatures are lower,” she said. “Tick season is really starting to become a 12 month concern, given that we routinely have temperature variances between the minus and plus zone of ticks needing a host.”
Ticks only become a lesser concern when we get a few months of consistently cold weather, with the temperature staying below zero every day, she said.
Even fleas can make unexpected appearances in February and March, “when pet owners have stopped prevention yet the weather is mild, allowing for exposure,” she said.
“So our rule of thumb for flea season is from first thaw to first frost… even if that happens multiple times of a season.”
Beth Stevenson, a registered veterinary technician with the Highway 24 Veterinary Clinic, told GuelphToday there are a “huge number of options for preventive medication – everything from topical solutions placed on the skin between the shoulder blades, to flavoured chew tabs, even collars.”
The cost for protections varies depending on factors like the size and weight of the animal and the type of product.
“In general, for the cost of less than a cup of coffee a day, a cat or small breed dog can be protected against fleas and ticks,” she said.
Although dogs and outdoor cats might come to mind as the most at-risk, Stevenson said it’s important to treat indoor cats with preventative medication as well.
“While it is rare for fleas or ticks to come into the home without a host to catch a ride on, a tick will actually bite onto a human and go wherever that human goes until it's either removed or releases its grip voluntarily,” Stevenson said. “Fleas, while they don't really like the taste of humans long-term, will certainly jump on and hitch a ride long enough to be carried inside from the yard.”
Stevenson said year-round prevention would be the gold standard, but Fleming is not so sure that's necessary just yet.
"While I don't think it's harmful to use prevention year round, I think that the ultimate goal is to consider both the pet and its environment. I'm not ready (at this time) to make a blanket statement that every pet that goes outside needs year-round prevention, but I do think it should be on our radar, as pet owners and veterinary professionals, to be vigilant," she said.
