Vets urge pet owners to prepare for B.C. tick season
Tick-borne diseases have increased over two decades. Prevention treatments now available year-round.
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With tick season underway in B.C., veterinarians are emphasizing prevention as ticks carry more diseases than they did 20 years ago.
Prevention options include monthly chewables, topical preparations, and a newly available injectable. Dr. Karen Ward, chief veterinary officer of the Toronto Humane Society, recommends having tick-prevention products on hand 365 days a year due to warmer temperatures year-round.
Pets can serve as an early warning system for humans. When dogs test positive for exposure to tick-borne diseases, it signals that the same ticks—and the same disease risk—are present in the environment where owners also spend time. If a pet's positive test result comes back, residents can alert their health-care providers if they develop symptoms.
Ticks sense vibration, humidity, carbon dioxide, and heat, living in leaf litter where pets encounter them more readily than humans do. The B.C. government identifies more than 20 tick species in the province, though only three pose danger to humans. The Rocky Mountain wood tick roams the Interior, while the western black-legged tick—the more dangerous species—is present in coastal areas.
The highest tick exposure occurs during spring and early summer.