Ticks don’t quit in the fall: what to check after a brisk walk outside

The first frost doesn’t mean you can stop checking for ticks. In Nova Scotia, adult blacklegged ticks, the kind that can carry Lyme disease, are most active in the spring and fall, and the province says they stay active until temperatures are consistently below 4°C.

That keeps leaf raking, trail walks and dog walks squarely in tick season this month. Ticks don’t need summer heat, either. The Public Health Agency of Canada says they can be active whenever the temperature is consistently above freezing and the ground isn’t covered by snow, and at any time of year when conditions are right.

It’s cool out. You probably won’t feel one. Tick bites are usually painless, so the only way to know is to look. Ticks can be very small, and the province notes that not every blacklegged tick actually has black legs.

They aren’t only in the deep woods. Ticks live in leaf litter, long grass and shrubs, but also in urban parks and gardens, and the federal agency lists piles of leaves among the places to watch. All of Nova Scotia is considered a risk area.

After a walk or an afternoon in the yard, check your ears, armpits, belly button, groin, waistband, and your hair and scalp. Check your pets too, since they can carry ticks into the house. A shower within two hours of coming inside helps you find ticks, and putting your clothes in the dryer on high heat for at least 10 minutes kills any you missed.

Timing is on your side. A tick usually has to be attached for at least 24 hours, and often 36 to 48 hours, before it can pass on Lyme disease. If you find one, grab it with tweezers as close to the skin as you can and pull straight out, slowly, without twisting or squeezing. Then write down the date and where the bite was.

You don’t need the ER for a bite. Pharmacists in Nova Scotia can assess a tick bite and, if it meets the criteria (a blacklegged tick attached for at least 36 hours and removed within the past 72), prescribe a single preventive dose of the antibiotic doxycycline. A Dalhousie University study released in September found tick bites dropped from 0.70 per cent of visits at three Nova Scotia emergency departments to 0.35 per cent after pharmacists took this on.

Lyme symptoms usually show up 3 to 30 days after a bite and can include a rash, fever, chills, headache and fatigue. If you have questions after a bite, you can call 811 to speak with a registered nurse, 24 hours a day.

More:

RCMP looking for armed robber who pointed gun at lone clerk in Blockhouse store

RCMP looking for armed robber who pointed gun at lone clerk in store