The mild winter has one local vet recommending clients start their flea and tick prevention early.

Doctor Mark Hanks with Kindred Spirits Veterinary Services in Orrington says he usually doesn't expect to see ticks until mid-April but has already seen some in the animals he treats.

Hanks says most of his clients are being pro-active and using the proper products.

Hanks says there are a few different kinds of ticks.

But the most common in Maine are the deer ticks.

Which are small with long legs and have a reddish tint.

These ticks also carry Lyme Disease.

Hanks says it's important to not freak out if you find a tick on your pet.

" If they find a tick put some alcohol on the tick directly and then grab with tweezers and roll toward the skin and grasp right to where the skin meets the tick. They usually pop right out."

Hanks says it is not true that if you don't get the head out it will get into the bloodstream or grow a new tick.

He also says that even if your dog tests positive for Lyme Disease, around ninety percent never become sick.