KENT COUNTY, Mich — After a long winter, Michiganders are ready to spend time outdoors each summer, but there are plenty of things to watch out for this time of year.
FOX 17 got advice straight from Dr. Lauren Snyder, a Family Practice Physician at Corewell Health, on how to celebrate summer safely.
Beach Hikes
If you're heading to the lakeshore, keep an eye on where you're walking, especially if you're going for a hike with your pet.
"We've got a lot of poison ivy and poison oak, and anytime that you are out in the dunes or in the woods, you are going to be at risk of getting exposed to that," Dr. Snyder explained. "If you have your dog with you, and your dog is running through the woods, they can run back, and they can expose you as well."
If that happens, you will know.
"We get a lot of rashes with blisters as the most classic sign, and they tend to be in long lines because you rub up against the plant or your pet comes and brushes against your legs," she said. "They are very itchy, they are painful, and they can really make you quite miserable."
Dr. Snyder says you can treat the rash with over-the-counter medications, such as antihistamines and topical steroids.
Don't forget to wash your pet- and your clothing- to avoid re-infecting yourself.
"We had a lot of people who think that their poison ivy is spreading, but really they're just getting re-exposed to the same oils from the plant, from their pet, or from their clothing," she explained. "You can scratch those blisters open and put yourself at risk of infection. So it's really important to make sure that you're treating the itching."
If the rash does not improve, seek out a doctor.
Bug Bites
Mosquito bites aren't the only concern as more people head outdoors.
Tick bites could put you at risk for Lyme disease.
"Ticks can really be anywhere. And the ankles tend to be where they will jump up if you're in the yard. But really ticks, they will brush up against you or fall onto you wherever they are. So they can be anywhere," Dr. Snyder said. "Wearing long pants is the last thing you want to do, but light colors and wearing socks when you're on those hikes in the woods, and then looking for ticks after you've been outdoors is really important."
If you find a tick on your body or realize you've been bitten, get help.
"Anytime you get a tick bite, it's important to reach out to your doctor. There are different guidelines to know if they've been on you for a certain number of hours or a certain type of tick," Dr. Snyder said. "If you don't have a doctor, you can reach out to an urgent care doctor, or even a virtual Urgent Care... And it's really better to be safe than sorry, because you can just get one dose of an antibiotic to prevent the Lyme disease from taking hold, and because it's such a serious condition, it's really better to be safe than sorry."
Don't forget to protect your pets as well.
"Checking your pets is helpful, but really important to make sure that your pet is on preventative tick flea and heartworm medicine through your vet, because your pets have way too much fur to be able to do any meaningful tick checking on them, and they should be going outside a lot of times every day, so that prevention with tick medicine is important for them," she said.
Bike Rides
If you're planning to ride a bike this summer, don't forget your helmet and a fit check.
"It doesn't matter how good you are at biking, there is going to be something unpredictable that you could run into," said Dr. Snyder. "The helmet should fit snugly on your head. You should be able to get the chin strap around your neck, and you shouldn't have it be shaking back and forth. But it's really common for kids to have a helmet that fits one year and then the next year it doesn't fit so well, so you may need to get a new bike helmet for your kid."
Dr. Snyder also recommends uses marked bike paths and bike lanes.
Check out Dr. Snyder's food safety tips for summer gatherings here.
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