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National Tick Awareness Month 2026 Reminds Us That The Tick Threat Is Unpredictable – But Protecting Your Patients Shouldn’t Be
February 20, 2026
National Tick Awareness Month (NTAM), spearheaded by the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) in partnership with Merck Animal Health, focuses on key components of tick awareness to help protect pets and their people.
Tick risk continues to evolve quickly, influenced by environmental factors like fluctuating temperature and weather extremes; ecological factors like tick expansion, and endemic and emerging tick-borne diseases; and social factors like pet travel and owner compliance challenges.
With all these factors at play, we can’t reliably reference last year, last month, or even last week to help us predict the risks to our patients today. It is more important than ever to protect pets for the entire risk period … but determining exactly when that is has become a challenge!
That’s why the 2026 NTAM Campaign delivers the message: WHEN YOU CAN’T predict, protect.
“I think we can all agree that the situation with ticks has changed dramatically in the last 10 years,” stresses CVMA president, Dr. Tracy Fisher. “And it feels like every year there are more ticks in more places, and new diseases to consider and educate clients about.
“We know that the Ixodes scapularis is active when temperatures are 4oC and above, but when we’re living in a climate that can’t seem to make up its mind, and ticks keep expanding their range so fast, it’s hard to accurately predict when a pet needs tick protection.”
Our 2026 NTAM campaign kicks off on March 2nd with a webinar featuring Dr. Victoria Wagner (Faculté De Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal) and Dr. Scott Stevenson (Thousand Island Veterinary Services). They will highlight how unpredictable tick risks require consistent and predictable protective measures and share information related to implementation of a comprehensive approach to tick control strategy, and best practices to maximize pet owner compliance and minimize gaps in protection.
There will be a new in clinic poster to reflect the 2026 which will be provided to all clinics across Canada. As always, ticktalkcanada.com will house these new resources and valuable previous year’s NTAM educational tools and resources that are easy for veterinary clinics to access.
Dr. Fisher adds, “I really think our 2026 campaign sums up the action we can take as veterinarians and educators to inform our pet owners. When we can’t predict what the risk is going to be, we must be sure to consistently take action to protect our patients.”
To register for the NTAM 2026 Kick-Off Webinar:
NTAM 2026 tools and resources
Please visit the CVMA website at canadianveterinarians.net/veterinary-resources/practice-tools/national-tick-awareness-month/ for more information on National Tick Awareness Month, to access NTAM resources, and register for the live webinar launch.