This sunshine has people rushing outside, but it also brought a rush of hungry parasites. Area veterinarians say the warm weather has brought ticks out of their dormancy.
But even though ticks can carry disease, Dr. TJ Niemann of Magrane Animal Clinic says it's rare for a disease to be transmitted.
"Although ticks do transmit diseases, it's something to keep in the back of your mind, but it's not something you have to be [constantly] worried about," he said.
Neimann says you still need to be cautious by keeping your pets up to date on preventatives like Frontline, checking them after they've been outside and removing the tick properly.
"The most important thing is not to use your fingers to remove the ticks," he said. "It's real important to use either tweezers even needle nose pliers, just something to gently roll the tick off the animal’s body."
Neimann says Lyme disease isn't much of a concern in the Michiana area. That's because only deer ticks can carry Lyme disease. The common ticks here are mainly wood and dog ticks, which can carry diseases like Rocky Mountain spotted fever.
