As we transition to the warmer weather that comes with the spring season, many insects will be making their return, and that includes ticks; a bother for both humans and their pets.

Ticks are typically out from early spring until October, and can be found in tall grass, brush or wooded areas. While the risk of contracting Lyme disease from ticks is low in Saskatchewan, there is still a chance of getting bitten by a wayward bug.

Thankfully, there are some easy ways to keep ticks off of you.

Methods include:

⦁ Wearing pants and long sleeved shirts to keep your skin covered

⦁ Pulling your socks over your pant legs to prevent ticks from crawling up your leg

⦁ Wearing lighter coloured clothes so that ticks can be easily seen

⦁ Showering or bathing as soon as you return from outside to wash off any loose ticks

⦁ Doing a full body check on yourself and others when you come back inside

Humans aren't the only ones vulnerable to ticks, however, as dogs and cats are quite prone to getting bitten.

Some ways to keep your animals safe from ticks and lyme disease are:

⦁ Taking regular care of your yard, which will make it less attractive to ticks.

⦁ Performing daily checks for ticks on your animals. Feel around for bumps on the skin, and pay extra attention to under the legs, around the neck, and inside their ears.

⦁ Talk to a vet about getting a lyme disease vaccine for your pet.

⦁ Keep yourself tick free as well, as ticks can jump from you to your pet.

Most ticks found in Saskatchewan are the American dog tick, which is not capable of transmitting Lyme disease to people. 

For more on how to help with the identification of ticks, visit etick.ca .