Tick Season 2026: Lyme Disease, Prevention & Safe Tick Removal (Canada Guide)

Published June 2026 · ~7 min read

Ticks used to be a problem for somewhere else. Not anymore. Over the past two decades, milder winters and warmer, longer seasons have pushed tick populations steadily further north and west across Canada — and the diseases they carry have followed. Lyme disease cases have climbed sharply, and areas that were considered low-risk a decade ago now have established tick populations.

For pet owners, that means tick prevention is no longer optional or seasonal-if-you-remember. This is PetMax's 2026 guide to understanding the risk, checking your pet properly, removing a tick safely, and choosing prevention that actually works.

Why ticks are a bigger problem every year

The tick most responsible for Lyme disease in Canada is the blacklegged tick (also called the deer tick). It thrives in leaf litter, long grass, brushy edges and wooded areas — and it has been expanding its range steadily. Established populations now exist across much of southern and eastern Ontario, parts of Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, southern Manitoba and pockets of British Columbia, with new areas being identified each year.

Two things make this worse than it sounds. First, ticks are active far longer than people expect — blacklegged ticks can be active any time the temperature is above about 4°C, which in much of Canada now means early spring through late fall, and the occasional mild winter day. Second, ticks are tiny. A nymph-stage tick is the size of a poppy seed. Most people never see the tick that bites them or their pet.

The diseases ticks carry

Lyme disease gets the headlines, but it isn't the only risk:

• Lyme disease — the most common tick-borne illness in Canadian pets. In dogs it can cause fever, lameness that shifts from leg to leg, swollen joints, lethargy and loss of appetite. Signs can appear weeks to months after the bite, and in serious cases it affects the kidneys.
• Anaplasmosis — fever, lethargy, joint pain, sometimes low platelet counts.
• Ehrlichiosis — fever, weight loss, bleeding issues, lethargy.
• Babesiosis — affects red blood cells, causing weakness and anemia.

Cats are less commonly affected than dogs, but they are not immune — outdoor cats should be on a cat-safe prevention product. Importantly, never use a dog tick product on a cat; some dog ingredients are toxic to cats.

Where your pet picks up ticks

Ticks don't jump or fly. They climb to the tip of a blade of grass or a low branch and wait — a behaviour called "questing" — then grab on as a pet brushes past. The highest-risk spots:

• Long grass and the brushy edges of trails, fields and yards
• Wooded areas and leaf litter
• The transition zone where a lawn meets a forest or tall grass
• Anywhere with deer, mice or other wildlife traffic

Your own backyard counts if it backs onto woods, a ravine or an unmowed area.

How to check your pet for ticks

A daily tick check after walks is one of the most effective things you can do — a tick generally needs to be attached for many hours before it can transmit Lyme, so finding and removing it the same day matters. Run your hands slowly over your pet, pressing down to feel the skin. Pay close attention to:

• Head, ears and inside the ear flaps
• Around the eyes and muzzle
• Under the collar and around the neck
• Armpits and the groin/belly
• Between the toes and around the paw pads
• Under the tail

An attached tick feels like a small bump or skin tag. Depending on how long it's been feeding, it can be anywhere from poppy-seed small to the size of a small grape.

How to remove a tick safely

If you find an attached tick, remove it promptly and correctly. The goal is to take the whole tick out without squeezing its body.

1. Use fine-tipped tweezers or a tick-removal tool. A purpose-made tick hook or tick key is easier and safer than tweezers — it slides under the tick and lifts it out cleanly.
2. Grip the tick as close to your pet's skin as possible, at the head, not the body.
3. Don't squeeze, crush or burn the tick while it's attached. Don't use petroleum jelly, nail polish or a hot match — these old tricks can make the tick regurgitate into the bite, raising infection risk.
4. Clean the bite area with antiseptic or soap and water, and wash your hands.
5. Save the tick in a small sealed bag or container. If your pet shows symptoms later, identifying the tick helps your vet.
6. Watch the bite site for a few weeks for redness, swelling or irritation, and watch your pet for lameness, fever or lethargy.

If you can't remove the whole tick, or you're not confident, your vet can do it quickly. Mention any tick bite at your pet's next visit — your vet may recommend a tick-borne disease screening test.

Prevention: what actually works

Removing ticks is damage control. Prevention is the real protection. There are several effective options, and the best choice depends on your pet, your lifestyle and your vet's advice:

Oral preventives (chews)

Monthly or extended-duration chewable tablets are popular because they're easy to give, can't wash off, and protect the whole animal. They work by killing ticks after they bite. Many also cover fleas.

Topical spot-on treatments

Applied to the skin between the shoulder blades, spot-ons spread over the body and repel or kill ticks. They're a long-trusted option and many also handle fleas. Keep the application site dry for a couple of days.

Tick-prevention collars

A quality tick collar can provide months of continuous protection from a single application — convenient for dogs who are outdoors constantly.

Sprays for extra coverage

Tick sprays can add a layer of protection before a hike in a high-risk area, on top of a regular preventive. They're a supplement, not a replacement for a core preventive.

Browse our dog flea & tick collection (and the cat flea & tick collection) for spot-ons, collars, sprays and removal tools. If you're unsure which product suits your pet's age, weight and species, ask your vet — and never use a dog product on a cat.

Yard management

You can make your own property less tick-friendly: keep grass short, clear leaf litter and brush, create a gravel or wood-chip border between lawn and woods, and discourage the mice and deer that carry ticks in.

Should you consider the Lyme vaccine?

A Lyme vaccine is available for dogs and may be recommended if you live in or travel to a high-risk area. It does not replace tick preventives or tick checks — think of it as one more layer. Talk to your vet about whether it makes sense for your dog.

The bottom line

Tick season in Canada now runs most of the year, the range keeps expanding, and Lyme disease is a real and rising risk. The protection plan is simple and worth the habit: a vet-recommended preventive your pet stays on, a daily tick check after walks, prompt and proper removal of any tick you find, and a yard kept tick-unfriendly.

PetMax.ca is a Canadian-owned pet supply retailer based in the GTHA. We've been helping pet owners since 1993 and ship across Canada — free shipping on orders over $89* (*some exclusions apply). This article is general information, not veterinary advice. Tick preventives and the Lyme vaccine should be chosen with your veterinarian, and any pet showing signs of illness should be seen by a vet.