As the Southeast slowly eases into warmer weather it is important to check you pets for ticks.

That according to Dr. Trevor Johnson of Clearspring Animal Hospital. He says pets, especially dogs, can become sick because of tick bites, or bring the ticks into your house.

“Your pet can kind of be the bus that brings them into your home and then they fall off. Especially if people have pets that crawl in their beds and on their couches. For myself I have young children, it is my dogs bringing these deer ticks, these lyme carrying ticks and they jump on them.”

Johnson says Lyme carrying deer ticks are prevalent here in southeastern Manitoba. He notes there are a few other diseases ticks can carry but Lyme is the worst one.

“Ticks aren't just a nuisance like they used to be, just kind of gross to get on you, but they actually carry disease. Lyme is one in particular. There are some other diseases as well ehrlichia and anaplasmosis, they can carry those diseases and that can be spread to animals and even into humans.”

Johnson says there are some preventative products on the market that veterinarians use to keep you pet free of ticks before they bring them into your house. He notes one of these is a products that deters ticks from getting on you your pet similar to how mosquito spray works to keep mosquitoes off of you.

“There is actually an oral medication pill that you can use to put a drug in the animals body that sits underneath the skin, and when the ticks start to put their nose into the skin they will get the drug and actually die and fall off.”

Johnson says so far this year he has not seen any ticks on the animals in his office, but he has heard from other veterinarians in the area that they have been finding ticks. He notes as the weather gets warmer the ticks will become very active.