Warmer Temperatures Mean More Ticks, Local Vets Say

By Tom Darcy

Warmer temperatures and decreased snow cover during the winter season is changing the way pet owners need to approach flea and tick prevention, one local veterinarian said.

“Definitely seeing more and more animals coming in for flea and tick treatment now,” Dr. Kristen Blumenstock Blumenstock, of Lloyd Animal Medical Center in Stoughton, said. “Fleas not as much, because they die off in the cold weather. Ticks, on the other hand, stay dormant during the winter and then come out once it gets warm.”

For example, Angell Animal Medical Center saw an almost 200 percent jump in tests for tick-borne illnesses from 2011 to 2012, conducting 1,445 tests within the first three months of 2012 compared to 511 tests in 2011, according to MSPCA.org.

Due to stretches of unexpected warm weather during this winter, ticks have been coming out more often, Blumenstock said.

“This year in particular we have an increase in the number of ticks on animals that come in,” Blumenstock said. “Over the last 10 years there has been a shift of ticks going from coastal areas to inland, so it’s just as much a problem here now compared to places with warm weather year round.”

This increase shows that flea and tick prevention is no longer seasonal, and local pet owners should consider keeping pets protected year round, Blumenstock said.

“We are seeing fleas and ticks year round now. Pet owners should really consider prevention for the whole year, because you don’t want to run the risk of your pet getting a disease,” Blumenstock said.

The problem has also been noticed at local animal shelters.

“We haven’t seen a dramatic increase in regard to fleas, but he have noticed a significant increase in the number of ticks in the area,” Nadine Killion, volunteer at the Taunton Animal Shelter said. “The ticks have come out earlier. As a result of this, we have noticed an increase in the number of dogs who end up testing Lyme Positive and need to be treated for this with antibiotics.”

The use of flea and tick protection year round has made a difference for animals at the shelter, Killion said.

“We do use flea and tick protection on the shelter dogs starting in early spring and go through the winter. However, many dogs come in as strays and surrenders that are already Lyme Positive because of the increase in ticks the past few years,” Killion said.

The fear of ticks has also affected dog owners who bring their pets to Stonehill for walks.

“We have had kind of an inconsistent winter weather wise, so I have been playing it safe and staying on the sidewalks and trying to avoid the woods when we walk at Stonehill,” Scott Lawes of Franklin, Mass said.

The most important thing for many local pet owners is that their pets are safe and happy.

“We want to do whatever we can to make sure our dog Bailey is protected from things like ticks, because they can be deadly to pets,” Bob Kelso of Bridgewater said. “If a little more precaution is required to do that, it’s definitely worth it.”

The spring season in recent years has yielded a higher amount of ticks than ever before due to mild winters, so much so that 2012 was deemed “The Year of the Tick,” according to PestWorld.org.

The recent stretch of cold weather and snow has some pet owners hopeful that ticks will not return as early or in such high numbers now that spring has arrived.

“Last year I probably used tick protection because the winter was so mild, but I stayed away from it this year because it has been colder,” Stonehill farm manager Bridget Meigs said. “I’m hoping that this will keep away some of the ticks and bad insects and leave room for the good ones that help the farm.”