Skip to main content
March is National Tick Awareness Month, a client-education initiative introduced in 2016 by the CVMA in partnership with Merck Animal Health.
Thanks to the enthusiastic response of the Canadian veterinary community to the campaign, a growing number of pet owners across the country are now aware of the risk of exposure to ticks year-round, and are taking measures to protect their pets and their families against these parasites and the diseases they can carry. In fact, ticks can be active every season - any day when temperatures reach 4°C and above.
The veterinary community may not be able stop tick expansion, but there's still a great deal we can do to help change public perceptions and behaviours when it comes to tick control.
2023 National Tick Awareness Month
This year’s campaign, kicking off on March 1, 2023, reminds us that we have all the tools we need to Outsmart Ticks! Anytime. Anywhere.
Recent survey results from a study performed by the CVMA in collaboration with the Public Health Agency of Canada, Narrowing the Knowledge Gap in Tick and Tick-Borne Disease Awareness and Prevention: The Roles of Canadian Veterinarians, revealed there is generally good awareness of Lyme disease and the risks ticks pose to human and animal health, but there remain gaps in knowledge concerning awareness and adherence to appropriate tick preventative behaviors for both people and their pets, and understanding Lyme disease in animals.
Despite the significant impact the veterinary community is making by educating our clients and protecting our patients against ticks, there is an opportunity to further ‘fill the gaps’ in pet owner understanding. When our pet owners are armed with this knowledge, they can Outsmart Ticks! Anytime. Anywhere.
2023 National Tick Awareness Month Tools for Veterinary Teams
The 2023 NTAM campaign will provide clinics with updated posters, combining imagery from previous campaigns, to display in waiting rooms to assist your educational efforts. As well, social media posts have been developed to help you reach clients outside the clinic to allow for ongoing pet owner learning. As always, tools from previous campaigns are still available on ticktalkcanada.com including informative videos, social media posts, posters, and local tick forecasts.
Ticktalkcanada.com, the National Tick Awareness Month official website, reinforces key messages regarding tick awareness and control. The season page provides information on tick activity during the year. The geography page details which tick species are commonly found in each province and territory. Finally, the prevention page provides useful advice on how Canadians can protect themselves and their pets against ticks and the disease-causing pathogens they can transmit.
2023 National Tick Awareness Month Pet-owner Engagement Tools
As in previous years, the CVMA, in partnership with Merck Animal Health, has created engaging communication materials and support tools to assist veterinary teams in their efforts to educate pet owners about ticks and tick-borne diseases.
- Video: “Outsmart Ticks! Anytime, Anywhere”
- Ready-to-use social media posts
- Fillable tick risk calendars
- Updated TickTalkCanada.com website
2023 National Tick Awareness Month Kick-Off Webinar with Dr. Scott Stevenson, DVM, MSC
Dr. Scott Stevenson delivered a webinar on March 1, 2023 sharing how veterinary teams can target the knowledge gaps which are preventing our owners from providing optimal protection for their pets.
Click here for the recording (Please register to view the recorded webinar and receive your CE certificate).
Related Documents
Related Resources
Related Links