NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — If you're not careful, you or your pets could get really sick from tick-borne disease.
In Tennessee, experts say there are at least five different types of ticks that carry disease. There are six key species of ticks that live in various parts of our state.
Clinicians like Candice Marbach of American Family Care in Mt. Juliet expect to see tick bites this time of the year.
"It's interesting because ticks have an anesthetic property in their saliva, so when they bite your skin, you don't necessarily feel them biting you," said Candice Marback. "It's super important to check your skin, the skin of your loved ones."
Marbach's removed plenty of tickets from patients' skin and hair using fine-tip tweezers.
This summer, the physician's assistant wants a relatively new tick-borne disease to be top of mind for nature lovers.
"The biggest thing is making sure you remove the tick as quick as possible. That's the thing about this Powassan virus is that the tick only needs to be attached to the body for 15 minutes before the virus can be transmitted," Marbach said.
Deer ticks carry the Powassan virus. So far, at least two people in the U.S. have contracted the virus this year, including one who died.
The best tick-repellent products for people are the ones with DEET in them. They should be reapplied at least every eight hours.
Because ticks tend to target pets, veterinarians suggest all dogs and cats that go outside get on a prescription tick medicine.
Dr. Josie Horchak, the medical director and owner of GoodVets Nashville, says tick and flea prevention alternatives that might be available online don't do as good of a job protecting pets from ticks.
"The alternatives on Amazon are less expensive, but unfortunately they just don't work as well. Although you could be saving a couple dollars you could be very well putting on a product that doesn't work, and then paying more bills down the line when your pet gets sick from a tick-borne illness," Dr. Horchak said.
Dr. Horchak says veterinarians remove a tick a day from a dog or cat. Usually, their owner didn't even know it was on them.
"A lot of times they won't show any signs of having a tick on them," said Dr. Josie Horchak.
The pets and people who get sick might not experience symptoms for a long time. It could take up to one month for people and up to six months for pets. Those who do contract a tick-borne disease often can receive treatment.
