Tick season begins with a major infestation for one Okanagan pooch

With warmer temperatures in the Thompson and Okanagan, it's time to get prepared for tick season.

Yvette Trombley of Peachland was walking her dog on the weekend and found herself removing several ticks from the dog’s coat afterwards.

Trombley was hiking in the hillsides above Drought Hill with her partner on April 11. She said she was out for about two and a half hours, and found 17 ticks on her dog afterward, along with five more the following morning.

“We do notice ticks this time of year, especially when we hike in grassy areas. We didn’t find any on ourselves, but we stick to the trails while the dog runs everywhere,” Tombley said in a message sent this morning, April  13.

“I wanted to share this picture with the community so people would know they were out in full force,” Trombley said.

The tiny bugs, about the size of a small pea, feed on blood.

Interior Health says the most common species in the area is the Rocky Mountain wood tick, and while not considered common to the area, the deer tick has been linked to a handful of Southern Interior Lyme disease cases.

Ticks can be avoided by staying on cleared trails wherever possible, wearing light coloured clothing and tucking in your shirt into your pants and your pants into your boots.

Use an insect repellent containing DEET on all uncovered skin and check clothing and scalp, and the fur on your pets, when leaving an area known for ticks.

More information can be found at this Interior Health website.

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