Experts are warning cattle producers and pet owners to be on the alert for ticks as unseasonably warm autumn temperatures are extending their activity.

Key points: Ticks thrive in warm temperatures

Ticks thrive in warm temperatures An unseasonably warm autumn along the east coast means ticks have remained alive and active for a lot longer than usual

An unseasonably warm autumn along the east coast means ticks have remained alive and active for a lot longer than usual The biggest threat from ticks is Theileria, a blood-borne parasite spread by ticks to cattle, causing anaemia

While the drought has curbed the tick activity in more western parts of New South Wales, areas on the east coast which have been receiving rain continue to experience high numbers of paralysis and bush ticks.

They have been particularly active at night, when the humidity was high and temperatures have still been relatively warm.

Shoalhaven-based vet Anthony Turner, a specialist in livestock treatment, said the biggest threat from ticks was Theileria, a blood-borne parasite spread by ticks to cattle.

Theileriosis caused the destruction of red blood cells, resulting in anaemia in cattle.

If left untreated it was fatal and if one cow has the disease, it could mean others in the herd could catch it too.

Dr Turner said the amount of cattle being treated for the disease has been steadily rising.

"The disease in its current form was introduced seven or eight years ago," Dr Turner said.

"There is preventative products being developed for livestock but is not available on the market yet.

"I've treated two or three thousand cattle for this disease just on the south coast."

A bush tick which carries Theileria. ( Commons )

The largest risk was when farmers introduced cattle from areas which were not prone to Theileria as the animals will not have immunity.

Currently, due to warmer-than-usual weather, the recommendation was to not introduce cattle from outside the area.

He said if farmers do need to bring cattle in, they needed to be on the lookout for the disease.

"I treated a herd which came from Victoria two weeks ago," Dr Turner said.

"We have spent a lot of time educating farmers about the disease.

"We aren't seeing as many cases now because farmers know not to import while ticks are most active."

Pet owners should be on alert

A female paralysis tick biting the skin of a human. ( Supplied: Stephen Axford )

Pet owners might think they too are out of the woods when it comes to ticks at this time of year, but according to experts this was not the case.

Henry Lydecker, a tick researcher at the University of Sydney, said ticks were always around in coastal areas and more active in warmer weather like the east coast was experiencing now.

He said dog owners in particular needed to be alert.

"The potential problems dogs can get from tick paralysis is very severe," Mr Lydecker said.

Tick researcher Henry Lydecker from the University of Sydney. ( Supplied: Henry Lydecker. )

"We're working on tools for pet owners, so they can know when ticks will be more active," he said.

Mr Turner said he treated animals for ticks all year round, however with dogs and cats if they were on appropriate preventative medications, they should not have any problems.

"We have seen the number of dogs and cats being brought in with paralysis lessen significantly because the medication is so good now," he said.

"I would advise they stay on that medication all year round here," he said.

Risk to humans

Mr Lydecker said allergic reactions and developing meat allergies were the main risks to humans, but more research into how common these allergies was still being done.

"In Australia we do have a couple of infectious diseases you can get from ticks but so far no one has found anything like Lyme Disease which you can get in North America," Mr Lydecker said.

Tick facts: There are 70 species in Australia

There are 70 species in Australia Ticks are small eight-legged arthropods

Ticks are small eight-legged arthropods Mouth parts resemble a barbed sword and jab through the host's skin

Mouth parts resemble a barbed sword and jab through the host's skin They inject saliva, which contains toxin, into their host when they feed

They inject saliva, which contains toxin, into their host when they feed Paralysis tick Ixodes holocyclus is the most common

Paralysis tick Ixodes holocyclus is the most common The paralysis tick is found on the east coast of Australia from Victoria to far north Queensland

"Allergic reactions are rare and we don't really understand them," he said.

Mr Lydecker said there was controversy surrounding the best way to remove a tick, but if the person was not pre-disposed to an allergy, it was fine to remove them with tweezers.

He recommended where an allergy was present, it was best to remove the tick with a wart removal product to stop any more toxins being released into the body.

Above all though, all the experts said the best way to avoid being bitten was to stay away from areas where the ticks were likely to be.

That included warm and humid areas such as thick grass, leaf litter and ferns.