Pet owners should be on the lookout for ticks this spring. Local veterinarian offices normally see an increase in ticks in the spring and fall, but now they are starting to treat for ticks all year round.

One local vet says the number of cases is regional and a lot depends on type of foliage. It is also more likely that people will be bitten by ticks in areas where humans have taken over wildlife habitat.

"The geographical area that ticks normally inhabited has been expanded," says Dr. James Simmons, a clinical veterinarian. "Ticks that we used to only associate with in the south are now moving northward."

As far as humans contracting diseases from ticks, the Virginia Department of Health says 39 cases of Lyme disease have been reported so far this year, and only one case was in the southwest region.