York Region, Ontario: Vet urges caution following tick discovery
By Amanda Persico
Dec. 16th, 2013
While tick season is usually in spring and fall, when temperatures are above 4C and there is no snow, the warm spell we had at the beginning of the month could have spurred a tick storm, according to a Markham veterinarian.
And blacklegged ticks can carry lyme disease.
At the beginning of the month, a local resident brought in to the Wellington Veterinary Hospital in Markham a tick found on its family cat.
The tick was sent to a lab for testing against about a dozen common parasites, of which lyme disease is one, veterinarian and owner Cliff Redford said.
Blacklegged ticks or deer ticks can carry bacteria known to cause lyme disease, he added.
While lyme disease isn’t dangerous for cats, it can be very serious for humans and for dogs.
“The warms days we had in early December was a tick wakeup, a tick storm,” Mr. Redford said.
So his advice to pet owners, check your pets for ticks. You can use specialized tick combs to comb through pet hair as well.