South Shore experts warn of early tick season, encourage precautions for people and pets

A mild winter and a warm few weeks has meant an early start to a tick season that has experts preaching caution for adventurous people and pets.

"Ticks may go semi-dormant when it's really cold, but they never really go away," Kaitlyn O'Donnell, entomologist for Norfolk County Mosquito Control District, said. "As soon as it warms up a little bit, even if it's just for a day at a time, the ticks are immediately out looking for something to bite."

The first day of spring just arrived, but warmer-than-average weather has lingered on the South Shore for weeks, meaning it's prime time for the tiny burrowing insects. Tick season is usually considered to start in May, but it's already in full swing on the South Shore thanks to New England's warming.

O'Donnell said the seemingly sudden increase of ticks found on clothes, skin and pets in recent weeks is a combination of more active ticks and more active people. Warmer weather means people are already heading outside for walks, hikes and other activities. And on the South Shore, virtually everywhere is tick territory.

"We do see them pretty much everywhere in the suburbs, but if it's more wooded there will be more ticks," O'Donnell said. "People usually think of tall, grassy fields as tick habitat, but those black-legged ticks that carry Lyme disease actually do like to have leaf cover and be on the cooler forest floor."

Mass. an endemic area for ticks

In Massachusetts, two types of ticks reign: black-legged or deer ticks and the less-common lone star tick. Deer ticks are the most prevalent and carry the most well-known type of tick-borne disease, Lyme, as well as Rocky Mountain spotted fever and other diseases. The lone star tick does not carry Lyme disease but does transmit bacteria that can cause other illnesses.

Tick season: What you need to know about ticks, diseases they cause and how to remove them safely

"We are seeing ticks all the time," Dr. Toni Eng of South Shore Health Express said. "We are in an endemic area for Lyme and we do see it fairly commonly in the summer months. It's not uncommon to see a tick bite or a tick concern every shift. ... It's common enough that it's worth it to take precautions."

People and pets that spend time in nature this spring and summer should exercise caution and take preventive measures, experts say. For pets, that means tick prevention in the form of an oral medicine, topical treatment, collar or Lyme vaccine.

"It's really important," said Grace Strake, a veterinarian at South Coastal Animal Health in Weymouth. "We have the ability to prevent almost all tick-borne diseases in dogs. It's really easy to do, and it would be a shame not to utilize it."

For pets that are on tick preventatives, it's not necessary to perform routine checks or worry too much, she said.

"We can protect our pets really well, we have all kinds of products that can kill ticks within hours of latching on to a pet," Strake said. "But for our own protection, there really isn't a whole lot we can do."

Victoria Husser, of Abington, who goes on regular walks with her dog Ruadh, said her husband found 15 ticks on her Hungarian vizsla after a walk this year. The dog wears a tick collar and usually fares just fine in tick season, she said, but she's noticing the creatures more this year than ever before.

"Even just in our backyard I will let my dog out and we immediately have to check him for ticks. He loves to explore but it is annoying because, if we miss one, it can be a problem," she said. "There was one nice day in February and all of the sudden all of the ticks came out."

What you need to know about tick bites

For people, tick checks are much more important. Eng said ticks like to hide in the folds of skin such as behind the knees or in armpits, and that parents should conduct tick checks on children as well. People can prevent a tick latching on by wearing long pants outside and treating clothes with the repellant permethrin, but what's most important is removing ticks as quickly as possible.

"It's really helpful, especially if you're an active person who likes to go outside or if you have pets that could be bringing ticks into your home, to just do a daily tick check," O'Donnell said. "You typically have about 24 hours to catch that tick before it will make you sick."

If you do find a tick, O'Donnell said they can be safely removed by carefully extracting them from the skin with tweezers. If a tick is engorged and someone is worried about disease, there are labs at the University of Rhode Island and the University of Massachusetts that will test found ticks for illnesses.

Eng said people should monitor themselves closely for symptoms of Lyme disease, which start with a tell-tale sign of a bullseye rash around the infection site. If caught early, the disease can be easily treated with doxycycline at local urgent care facilities. If left undiscovered, it can cause serious problems including arthritis, heart problems and cognitive issues.

Click here for South Shore Health's tick resource page

"After you remove a tick, we ask you be vigilant for 36 to 48 hours and really keep an eye out for that rash to develop," Eng said. "If you have been bitten by a tick and start to feel like you're developing flu symptoms, that is something you should absolutely reach out to your doctor about."

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Reach Mary Whitfill at mwhitfill@patriotledger.com.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Early tick season has local experts preaching caution for people, pets