Halifax-area clinic tells pet owners to be vigilant after removing 85 ticks from one dog

A Nova Scotia clinic removed 85 ticks from a single dog.

A Halifax-area emergency veterinary clinic is warning pet owners to stay vigilant after staff removed 85 ticks from a single dog that had gone missing for about a day.

Metro Animal Emergency Clinic medical director Dr. Taylor Whitcombe said the dog was otherwise healthy when it arrived at the Dartmouth clinic, but the sheer number of ticks stood out.

“Eighty-five ticks were removed by the team there that day,” Whitcombe said.

Whitcombe described the case as unusual, but said veterinarians are seeing more pets coming in with ticks attached, even when owners are using preventative treatments.

“We have seen a number of staff pets over the course of just the last two weeks that have had sort of five to six ticks found on them, even in the face of using tick preventions and tick treatment,” he said.

While the clinic does not formally track tick numbers, Whitcombe said there appears to be a growing number of tick-related cases and more diagnoses of Lyme disease in pets.

“Essentially any dog in particular that comes through with any signs of limping or lameness or any mobility concerns, they all get tested for Lyme disease,” he said.

Whitcombe added that veterinarians are also seeing more cases involving other tick-borne illnesses, including anaplasmosis.

Tick expert Vett Lloyd, based in Sackville, N.B., said conditions over the winter likely helped tick populations survive and emerge early this spring.

“We had a good winter for the ticks,” Lloyd said. “While there was more snow than usual, that actually surprisingly helps the ticks because it insulates where they’re hiding.”

Lloyd said warmer temperatures and fluctuating weather conditions allowed ticks to become active earlier than normal across the Maritimes.

“Usually it’s into May or the latter part of April before we start seeing a lot of ticks,” she said. “This year, it was really early.”

Although experts do not have exact numbers showing how many ticks are in the wild, Lloyd said evidence suggests populations are increasing year over year.

“No one really knows how many ticks are out there in the wild, because they’re so small,” she said. “We do track the ticks that end up on humans and pets.”

Lloyd said ticks can spread several diseases beyond Lyme disease, including anaplasmosis and babesiosis.

She encouraged people enjoy the outdoors while taking precautions, including using tick prevention products on pets, wearing repellents and doing thorough tick checks after spending time outside.

“For humans, the approach is we’re supposed to be able to look at our bodies and check for ticks,” she said. “They’re small and they’re sneaky and they’re dangerous.”

Some dog owners in Halifax say they are becoming increasingly cautious.

One pet owner said her dog had seven ticks after a single walk last year and now checks her dog carefully after outings.

“You have to inspect your dog after a walk outside,” he said. “Check the dog visually and then feel the fur.”

Whitcombe said tick prevention may increasingly need to become a year-round routine in the Maritimes as winters continue to warm.

“I’d suggest we’re getting pretty close to the point where it’s just year-round tick and flea control,” he said.

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