Several people noticed far fewer fleas and ticks on their pets this year compared to years past. THV11 set out to see if there was any truth to it.
"We have not noticed a single flea on our dog this year,” said dog owner Christopher Miller.
Several folks at the Murray Dog Park in Little Rock shared similar experiences but none were "camera-ready."
So we took the question, "Are there fewer fleas and ticks this year than in years past" to Dr. Bob Hale at Briarwood Animal Hospital.
"In Little Rock, we don't seem to be having that much of a problems with fleas and ticks,” Hale said.
That may not be true for areas in the country or with different climates.
So we asked Dr. Bob, why he thinks there can be such a swing from year to year.
"I think what's happening is people are keeping their pets on flea and tick preventatives," said Hale. "Therefore, you're just not seeing the population out of control.”
Fleas and ticks are at their peak during the summer, he added. But that doesn't mean you can let your pet's prevention slack during fall and winter.
"The further north you go, the less problems you're going to see with fleas and ticks," he said. "In Arkansas, we just don't have that hard of a winter, so some of these fleas and ticks are going to survive and you're going to continue to have a problem."
It's not just the ticks, but the owners as well. If you want to get out and enjoy this beautiful fall weather, maybe go for a hike, make sure you're doing flea and tick preventative measures as well.
"What we have seen this year are some tick diseases,” Hale said.
While the numbers may be down, the ticks they are seeing, are some bad mamajamas.
"The most common for us in Arkansas is going to be Lyme, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and Anaplasmosis," he said. "The trouble with some of these tick bites and transmission of some of these diseases is there's no symptoms. until maybe a week or two later. The symptoms are fever, no appetite, arthritic symptoms, something like that. And they're hard to diagnose.”
His advice: Stay persistent and on your guard. The measures you take now can impact flea and tick season next year.
The University of Arkansas Ag Extension said flea and tick populations can vary from neighborhood to neighborhood. Even livestock are affected.
They also said cold spell mixed with the rain we have just had, could mean a resurgence in the pesky pests before the cold comes.