P.E.I.'s warm weather means early start for fleas, ticks

Islanders may be welcoming the warm weather, anxiously anticipating the start of an early spring, but pets may not be so eager to see the end of snow.

The warm weather and green grass means fleas and ticks will be on their way earlier than usual.

"As soon as the snow goes and the temperature's above zero ... then those parasites can indeed wake up, if you will, and pose a problem," said veterinarian Dr. Claudia Lister.

Lister says in a typical year, vets typically start to see an animal on a flea preventative by the end of April or thebeginning of May.

"This year, if the weather continues to be like this, I probably would be inclined to push that up by a whole month," she said.

Pet stores preparing

At Blue Ribbon Pet Supply in Charlottetown, staff say they have already heard talk of fleas.

"People are taking them out on trails more, so they're going in areas where the fleas are more active, where they can pick them up a lot easier, especially ticks," said Colin Scales. "I think it's going to be a little bit worse of a year than last year."

Staff at the pet store say they've ordered more treatment lotions and shampoos to keep up with demand.

Lister advises owners tokeep an extra eye on their pets this season.

"If they do see any scratching, then they definitely should be checking, and they should be checking all of their pets," she said. "Not just the pets that go outdoors."