Mild winter, early spring could mean more ticks in Georgia

CHEROKEE COUNTY, Ga. — The mild winter and early spring this year could mean more ticks around north Georgia.

Doctors say ticks can be a problem for any mammal. The ticks usually wait for a host on bushes and shrubs.

“They do sense warmth and they sense vibration. As soon as a mammal of any sort walks by, they release and try to drop on that mammal,” said veterinarian Dr. Sherry Weaver.

The tick then goes to a dark warm spot -- on animals, typically the ears; on people, typically their private region. %

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Weaver says Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever come from ticks; however, illness from ticks can be low-grade for a long time.

“They really don't cause much of a problem, until they do,” said Weaver.

Dog owner Devon Moree says he is constantly checking his dog Cooper's coat.

“Because of the mild winter that had definitely enabled more ticks to be in the brush and in the trees,” he said.

Weaver says the best way to get them off is calmly with tweezers or a paper towel.

“You just grab the tick, gently traction until he comes off,” Weaver said.

Once you gently remove the tick, flush it or put it in alcohol to kill it. However, Weaver warns, don't put the alcohol on the tick before it's removed, because that makes its defenses kick in, grab a better hold of the skin and inject its disease-carrying saliva into the host.

Cox Media Group