S2E7 Lyme Disease and the Canadian Tick Situation with Dr. Katie Clow

The abundance and distribution of tick populations in Ontario, as well as the whole of Canada, has changed dramatically over the last decade. With unusually warm winters and other shifts in our climate, some pet owners are finding ticks on their animals in months outside the typical tick season. This is a concern, as ticks carry many infectious and zoonotic pathogens, one of which is Lyme disease. The question then becomes, do veterinarians need to alter their tick prevention recommendations to match these changes? To address this, Dr. Tiffany Durzi sat down with veterinarian and OVC One Health specialist, Dr. Katie Clow. We began by discussing Dr. Clow's recent study on tick prevalence and Lyme disease across Canada, and how this information can be beneficial in developing effective prevention protocols. Dr. Clow provides insight into the risk of tick-borne diseases now, and in the future, as well as what the literature says are the most effective prevention methods. We hope this podcast gives you extra confidence in making recommendations to pet owners about tick prevention this season.