The Canadian Pet Tick Survey was a national study that collected ticks from pets from 94 participating veterinary clinics from April 1, 2019 – March 31, 2020.
This study was generously funded by the Ontario Veterinary College Pet Trust.
Study Summary
In total, we received over 2800 submissions (1 submission = 1 pet) totalling over 4500 ticks. Here are the high level findings:
-
Ticks species from were six genera (large groupings of different species): Ixodes, Dermacentor, Haemophysalis, Amblyomma, Rhipicephalus and Otobius spp.
-
The majority of ticks were either Ixodes scapularis (blacklegged tick) or Dermacentor variabilis (American dog tick).
-
The most common 'invasive' tick species submitted was the brown dog tick (Rhipicephalus sanguineus). Tick bites of this species occurred when animals travelled or were imported from abroad.
-
Ticks were submitted during every month of the year, with clear seasonal patterns of activity observed in different geographic regions and for different tick species.
-
85% of submissions were from dogs and 15% were from cats.
We will continue to update this page as we analyze the data.
Regional Infographics
We have prepared infographics by region to share the key findings of our study. Veterinary clinics can use these infographic to post on social media or print them for posting in a clinic (size 19.75" by 13.25").
Please click on the name to download a PDF. They are ordered from west to east.
This map shows the distribution of the 94 veterinary clinics enrolled in the study. (In order to maintain anonymity of some clinics, the dot is placed to a precision of one decimal place for latitude and longitude and therefore does not reflect exact clinic location).