A local veterinarian says it is a good idea for pet owners to start thinking about ticks now that temperatures are consistently above zero.

Dr. Trevor Johnson of Clearspring Animal Hospital says they have started to see more and more ticks over the last few weeks. He notes there are a number of ways that pet owners can handle the problem.

Dr. Trevor Johnson"The most important thing is to get the ticks off and there is basically two ways to do that, one way is to check your dog or cat every day and remove them physically and then there are pharmaceuticals that you can give your dogs that will repel or kill off the ticks and they will fall off."

Johnson says there are a few good products on the market that suit a wide range of pets. He notes removing or protecting your pet from ticks also protects you from getting sick.

"Ticks carry diseases. We all know about Lyme disease, Lyme disease is sort of front and centre in the media and it is also a large human health risk but there are a couple of other pathogens that are spread as well through ticks and we see those in those in these areas as well."

Doctor Johnson says the owners of indoor pets need to be especially careful as their animals can bring ticks from outside into their home.