How to protect yourself this tick season

As the weather continues to warm up, the risk of contracting a tick bite increases.

Tick Maps show elevated tick activity across Waterloo region and Guelph as we round out April and head into May.

“I found a tick on Tiny, like right here,” one Kitchener dog owner told CTV News on Monday.

She noticed the pest recently after visiting a farm.

With the help of some peroxide, alcohol and tools, the small dog was freed.

“I just used tweezers and got all of it out and just kind of kept it clean, kept an eye on it and now it's just a little scar,” she said.

HOW TO AVOID TICKS

With tick season here, Tiny isn’t alone.

Public health officials are reminding people not to take tick bites lightly – whether it’s you or your pet who gets one.

“The key thing with ticks is that unfortunately when they attach to someone, as part of how they get their meal, they can pass on certain kinds of bacteria – including the bacteria that causes Lyme disease, for example,” Dr. Matthew Tenenbaum, with Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health said.

Tiny, who's recovering well after her brush with a tick, is pictured here at a Kitchener dog park. (Spencer Turcotte/CTV Kitchener)

While people are encouraged to enjoy trails, experts suggest staying toward the centre and away from the brushy areas where ticks live.

Wearing long sleeves and pants to limit the amount of skin exposed also reduces the risk

“Doing tick checks can help detect ticks that have attached early on and can be safely removed. Your risk from that exposure is very low,” Tenenbaum said.

“It’s when ticks go unnoticed for hours and days at a time that the risk for these [diseases] increases.”

If Lyme disease isn’t treated, it can affect the heart, nervous system and joints.

Early detection is what helped save Tiny – who was basically unbothered by the whole ordeal.

In fact, her owner says she actually liked the attention.

“She was enjoying her grooming, her brushing.”