By Courtney Almeida

Ticks

Tick season and how to stay safe

Jun 4, 2019 | 5:27 PM

The change in weather is bringing out the tick population.

Tick season begins as soon as the weather reaches above 4 degrees Celsius. “They actually hibernate through the winter, so they don’t normally die unless it gets really, really cold, for a long period of time,” says Bailey Nadeau, Veterinary Technologist at Animal Medical Centre North.

Generally, Northern Alberta does not see a high volume of ticks but there has been an influx in the population of the insect within the last few years.

As a precaution, after spending extended time outdoors, especially in overgrown forest areas, you should always do a quick check of your body. A tick can climb on you at any point in time, even just by leaning against a tree.

Pets living on acreages or near bush are more susceptible to getting ticks, as ticks tend to live in areas with long grass or plants before they latch onto a host.

Nadeau notes that the Medical Centre has even seen cases of some that came in after pets being in Muskoseepi Park.

Preventative measures for humans include using DEET repellent spray or by wearing tick-repellent clothing treated with permethrin, which can help kill ticks after just five to 30 seconds of exposure. Regular long-sleeve tops or bottoms are effective too.

Tucking your socks over your pants is also a good preventative tip.

There are lots of flea and tick preventatives. They usually come in the same tablet or pill,” said Nadeau.

“We do not have a lot of diseases up here that are carried by ticks, we do very infrequently get Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and something called Powassan Fever but it’s very rare because most people haven’t even heard those names before,” says Albert de Villiers Medical Officer of Heath for Alberta Health Services.

De Villiers notes that the disease most people are familiar with that’s associated with ticks is Lyme Disease. “There are about 10 to 20 confirmed cases of Lyme Disease in Alberta from ticks every year and with a new season of ticks, there is a chance that statistic can fluctuate.

Pets can get Lyme Disease too but there have been no cases confirmed in Alberta.

“If they have multiple ticks or they’ve had a tick long enough, ticks will actually release a toxin called tick paralysis over time. It affects the nervous system of the pet and causes them to lose the ability to walk properly. It can actually lead to death if it’s not treated,” said Nadeau.

If you do become infected by a tick, the symptoms are much like that of the flu, explains De Villiers. you’ll experience symptoms like tiredness, headaches, sore muscles and joints, and fever. He also recommends for people to see a physician if experiencing these symptoms after a bite.

After being bitten, another symptom people may begin noticing is a rash in the shape of a bull’s eye.

“When it bites you, there’s a white spot in the middle of it and a ring circle around it. That’s the tick that if it bites you, can cause Lyme Disease,” said De Villiers. He notes that in this case, you should see a physician as soon as you notice the rash coming on in order to get tested.

However, even if the tick does carry Lyme Disease, it must be on the host body for at least 24 hours before it can transmit an infection.

De Villiers explains that ticks tend to crawl into dark spaces and folds in your arms or behind your knees.

The most common place to find ticks on your pets are between the toes or tucked underneath collars. Just behind the ears or in the ears. They can sometimes end up in the armpits or the base of the tail or even in their gums. “Which is rare, but we can see it,” says Nadeau.

If you do catch a tick on you, De Villiers says that to take off the whole tick with a tweezer and remove the head and everything.

However, Nadeau warns that this removal needs to be done very carefully because, “if they pull it out wrong, they might actually end up squeezing some of the toxins in and causing more issues.”

The Alberta Tick Surveillance program is a free service offered on behalf of the Provincial Government to help track ticks.

“They determine the species of the tick and test it for Lyme Disease and other diseases,” says Nadeau. The testing is done for all ticks found on both pets and humans and results get put into the provincial system to help track disease information province wide.

To report a removed tick, click here.