An uptick in ticks: Milder weather contributes to longer tick seasons

A southern New Brunswick veterinarian is advising dog owners to be on guard for ticks even earlier than some might think necessary.

Dr. Sara Pridham of Stoneybrook Veterinary Services in St. Martins recorded three cases of Lyme disease in dogs and one case of anaplasmosis, also spread through tick bites, before March 18.

"Last year, we didn't have our first case until April, and we had our first case this year on Jan. 17," said Pridham.

She said a few factors could have contributed to this. But the main one, she said, is that winter in the Maritimes was particularly mild this year. 

Whenever it gets to around 4 C, Pridham said, ticks and other parasites are active.

Ticks are parasitic arachnids that feed off their host and can spread diseases. Infected blacklegged ticks, also known as deer ticks, can spread lyme disease, which is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. Similarly, anaplasmosis is a tick-borne illness caused by the intracellular bacterium Anaplasma phagocytophilum.

Vett Lloyd, a biology professor at Mount Allison University and the head of the Lloyd Tick Lab, said ticks were out earlier this year and were also out later into the fall, and those bites would now be showing up as Lyme disease.

She said there was less snow cover this year and less melting, so even though there have been some cold days recently, the ticks would have still been out on the mild ones.

"The ticks don't go away and they don't die over winter," Lloyd said. "They just go into the leaf litter and just sort of wait till it gets warmer. So the moment you get a warm day, they're up at it, and they're hungry."

Even just a few days ago, Lloyd said, she pulled a tick off her own dog.

While she said it varies year to year on when the ticks start to come out, there has been a steady increase in tick numbers and extended tick seasons over the last few years.

"This was a particularly mild year, so we're seeing an enhanced case of it," Lloyd said. "But I think overall, it's going to follow the general climate trends.

"So we're going to be seeing more of this."

Lloyd said it is best to remove a tick as soon as possible. She said there is no safe time for the transfer of a disease, such as Lyme disease, but the longer a tick feeds, the greater the risk.