Unleashed Curiosity: Dog & Cat Health, Nutrition & Vet Advice by Vital Pet Life
Aug 25, 2026 · 12 min · 8 segments
"I found a tick on my dog and I feel terrible" - if that's you every summer, Dr. Amber Da Silva has good news: it's not on you. She joins Donie Yamamoto to explain what actually drives tick and flea…
Amber DaSilvaHost
Donie YamamotoHost
Dr. Amber, every summer we get the same message from listeners, "I found a tick on my dog, and I feel terrible." Why does it feel like this time of the year is just an open season?
Um, ticks and fleas are driven by temperature and humidity, so once it's consistently above about 45 degrees Fahrenheit, then the tick activity picks up.
They thrive anywhere warm and humid, which is most of the country for most of the summer.
And there are some climates, you know, like in the South where it never gets really, really cold, where you can have flea and tick activity year-round, not just in the summer.
And so, you know, we don't have a lot of fleas here, but we're seeing more ticks for sure.
So, you know, sometimes it's just the [laughs] the environment is right and the, the temperature's right to make them more active.
Well, so this isn't just a yard problem or you let your dog run through the wrong patch of the grass problem, you know?
Ticks live in tall grass, leaf litter, and brush, and they just wait for a host to walk by.
And then fleas can hitch a ride from another animal, a shared trail, or even a neighbor's yard.
A dog can pick up, you know, either one on just a five-minute walk around the block.
Dr. Amber, every summer we get the same message from listeners, "I found a tick on my dog, and I feel terrible." Why does it feel like this time of the year is just an open season?
Um, ticks and fleas are driven by temperature and humidity, so once it's consistently above about 45 degrees Fahrenheit, then the tick activity picks up.
They thrive anywhere warm and humid, which is most of the country for most of the summer.
And there are some climates, you know, like in the South where it never gets really, really cold, where you can have flea and tick activity year-round, not just in the summer.
And so, you know, we don't have a lot of fleas here, but we're seeing more ticks for sure.
So, you know, sometimes it's just the [laughs] the environment is right and the, the temperature's right to make them more active.
Well, so this isn't just a yard problem or you let your dog run through the wrong patch of the grass problem, you know?
Ticks live in tall grass, leaf litter, and brush, and they just wait for a host to walk by.
And then fleas can hitch a ride from another animal, a shared trail, or even a neighbor's yard.
A dog can pick up, you know, either one on just a five-minute walk around the block.
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