Spring is in full swing in our region, and you might be excited to get outside with your four-legged friend, but warm weather also brings out ticks.Health officials are warning you to take extra precautions when outdoors to keep every member of your family safe.”We’ve seen on the Vermont Department of Health’s website that the numbers are already starting to increase,” said Jessie Leyse, an infectious disease doctor at the Central Vermont Medical Center.With warmer temps getting many of us outside, ticks are back too, especially the black-legged deer ticks, which can carry illnesses like Lyme disease.”You really want to be careful when you’re out in high grass or in the leaves, or in woods, to make sure that you take tick precautions,” said Leyse.To protect from tickborne illnesses, the Vermont Department of Health advises wearing long sleeve shirts, pants, and high socks when you go outside, checking your whole body when you come back in, removing ticks as soon as you can, and watching for any symptoms of illness if you do find one on yourself.”One of the common ways that people get bitten are your animals go outside, bring a little tick in with them that drops off and attaches to a person in bed or on the couch,” said Leyse.In fact, the VT DOH said you’re more likely to find a tick on you if you have a pet, and you should keep your eyes peeled when they come back inside.”There are actually several studies out there, one in particular that I know of that show that pet owners who sleep with their dogs and cats or sit on the couch with them are more likely to find ticks crawling or attached on themselves,” said Natalie Kwit, the state public health veterinarian with the VT DOH.That’s why the state recommends talking to your pet’s veterinarian about tick prevention products.”We do want you to speak with your veterinarian to talk about what proper tick prevention products you might want to use for your dogs and cats,” said Kwit.Many of those prevention products can be found at your local pet store with a mix of name-brand and generic products.”I do a topical. I started one of the natural ones this year, tried that out,” said Erin Curtis, a supervisor at Pet Food Warehouse. “So far, so good, only one tick, but we are out almost every day. And on top of that, I like to use a natural spray that I can spray on herself as well as me, which is really nice, nice and safe.”Curtis said pet stores can be a good option to help you find the right product for your furry family member after getting a recommendation from the veterinarian.

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