HUTCHINSON, Kan. — An unusually mild winter has led to an early and active tick season in Kansas, prompting veterinarians to urge pet owners to begin prevention measures sooner than normal.
Dr. Jon Austin of Hutchinson Small Animal Hospital said ticks have been especially active since early February, weeks earlier than many Kansas pet owners typically expect.
“Once the nights stop freezing, they come out,” Austin said. “The people that live in the sand hills to the north, where they’re really prevalent, have been seeing them since early February.”
Austin said a hard freeze, with temperatures near 18 degrees, could temporarily reduce tick activity, but he said the warm winter has allowed pests to emerge sooner and in greater numbers.
“Anyone who’s born and raised here like I was knows this is not a normal winter,” Austin said. “We’ve had way too many beautiful days, way too many 60- and 70-degree days through this winter. That’s wonderful for us, but it doesn’t let the normal cycles of nature happen the way they should.”
He said extended cold stretches typically help control weeds and insects, benefiting both people and pets. Without that cold, Kansas conditions can begin to resemble southern states where fleas and ticks remain active year-round.
“When we have this warm weather, we begin to start to have environments a whole lot more like South Texas or Louisiana, the places where we have fleas and ticks year-round,” Austin said.
Austin said older over-the-counter flea and tick products may no longer be as effective because pests can develop resistance over time. He encouraged owners to consult veterinarians about newer prescription options, including oral medications, topicals and longer-lasting injectables.
“The products that were the first generation of the good products, like Frontline, those products still work, but they only work for about a week,” Austin said. “They don’t work for a month anymore.”
Austin said veterinarians now have options that last from one month to three months, and an injectable product introduced late last year can provide protection for up to a year.
Tick-borne disease remains a concern in Kansas, he said, though Lyme disease is not the most common diagnosis seen in dogs locally. Austin said his clinic more frequently finds ehrlichia, a tick-borne illness that can damage the liver and kidneys if left untreated.
“We certainly see more ehrlichia than we do Lyme disease,” Austin said. “Thankfully, it’s treatable. If you don’t treat it, it can be a slow-burn disease.”
Austin said his clinic tests dogs annually for heartworm and four common tick-borne illnesses, including Lyme disease, ehrlichia, anaplasmosis and Rocky Mountain spotted fever.
He said the best defense is consistent annual veterinary care, blood testing and reliable preventatives.
“Heartworm prevention, flea and tick control, and your animal won’t have any issues,” Austin said. “Go see your veterinarian every year, get that physical, get that blood test, and then use the good preventatives.”
Beyond tick concerns, Austin said his clinic has also seen an unusual increase in gastrointestinal illness in both dogs and cats over the past several months, with cases involving unexplained vomiting and diarrhea.
“This has been kind of an unusual last four months,” Austin said. “We’ve just seen a heightened frequency of kind of unknown vomiting and diarrhea for dogs and cats.”
He said most pets recover with supportive care, including fluids and nausea control, though some cases have been severe enough to involve bloody stools. Parvovirus tests have been negative, leaving the cause uncertain.
Austin also used the radio appearance to remind pet owners about broader responsibilities, including pet-proofing homes, grooming long-haired animals appropriately, spaying and neutering pets, and planning for long-term care.
“It’s a lifetime commitment,” Austin said. “It changes your daily schedule. It requires time every day to address the needs of that animal, just like if you were having a child.”
Austin, who has practiced alongside his father at the East 30th Avenue clinic, also said veterinary medicine remains a strong career path, especially in rural Kansas, where both veterinarians and veterinary technicians are in short supply.
He said scholarship and loan-forgiveness programs can help students willing to serve in underserved rural communities.
“It’s a wonderful profession. It’s an honorable profession,” Austin said. “We need more people to do it.”