Tick season in Ottawa doesn’t wait for summer. By the time most people are thinking about it, ticks have already been active for three or four months. They wake up when temperatures hit around 4°C, which in Ottawa can happen as early as March. And they stay active well into November.
So if your dog has been running through the Greenbelt, sniffing around Gatineau Park, or even just rolling in the backyard, they’ve been in tick territory for most of the year.
Here’s what’s actually worth knowing, and what you should do about it.
The two ticks you need to know about in Ottawa
Most ticks in this region are one of two species.
The blacklegged tick, also called the deer tick, is the one that carries Lyme disease and Anaplasma. Its range has been expanding steadily northward through Ontario, and Ottawa is now considered an established risk area. Public Health Ontario has been tracking this shift for years, and the numbers keep moving in the wrong direction for pet owners.
The American dog tick is far more common. It can carry Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, but that’s rare in Ontario. Still not something you want hitchhiking on your dog, but not in the same category.
The problem is they look similar at a glance, especially when small or not yet engorged. When in doubt, treat it seriously.
What Lyme disease looks like in dogs
Here’s something that catches a lot of owners off guard: dogs with Lyme disease don’t get the classic bullseye rash. That’s a human thing. In dogs, symptoms tend to show up weeks after the bite, and they’re easy to chalk up to something else entirely.
Watch for a dog that’s suddenly a bit off. Limping on one leg, then another. Stiff and reluctant to move. Running a low fever. Not eating the way they normally do. It’s vague enough that owners often assume they slept funny or overdid it at the park. By the time the pattern clicks, the infection has had time to settle in.
Anaplasmosis is another tick-borne illness common in this region, transmitted by the same blacklegged tick. Symptoms look nearly identical: fever, joint pain, lethargy, and typically show up within one to two weeks of the bite. Both are treatable with antibiotics when caught early. Both get harder to manage the longer they go.
How to remove a tick and what not to do
The goal is simple: get the whole tick out, as close to the skin as possible, without squeezing the body. Squeeze the body, and you risk pushing whatever’s inside back into your pet.
Use fine-tipped tweezers or a tick removal hook. You can pick it up at any pet store for a few dollars. Grab the tick right at the skin surface. Pull straight out with steady, even pressure. No twisting, no jerking, no creativity. Clean the bite area afterward.
What doesn’t work: petroleum jelly, a lit match, nail polish. These are folk remedies with no evidence behind them. They agitate the tick and can make things worse. Just use tweezers.
Save the tick in a sealed bag or container afterward. If your dog develops symptoms in the coming weeks, it helps to know what species was involved. Public Health Ontario also has tick submission options if you want it properly identified.
Tick prevention
Year-round tick prevention is the single most effective thing you can do if your dog spends time outdoors in Ottawa. There are several good options: oral chewables, spot-on treatments, tick collars. But they’re not all equal. Ask your vet which makes sense for your dog’s lifestyle, weight, and health history.
After every hike or trail walk, do a proper check. Not a quick ruffle of the fur — an actual check. Ticks like warm, hidden spots: behind the ears, between the toes, in the groin, around the collar, at the base of the tail. Early in their life cycle, they’re tiny — you’re looking for something that might easily pass for a small freckle.
Check yourself too, while you’re at it. You can carry ticks inside on your clothing and transfer them to furniture or other pets without realizing it.
If your dog spends a lot of time in wooded or grassy areas, it’s also worth talking to your vet about the Lyme vaccine. It’s not a replacement for tick prevention, but it adds another layer of protection.
When to visit an urgent veterinarian
Not every tick bite needs a vet visit. If you found a tick, removed it cleanly, and your dog seems completely normal — monitor and carry on.
Come in if the tick was engorged when you found it, if you couldn’t get the whole thing out, or if the bite site looks infected in the days after. More importantly, come in if your dog develops unexplained fever, shifting lameness, swollen joints, or unusual fatigue in the weeks following a known tick exposure. Earlier treatment makes a real difference.
A few questions we hear a lot
Can cats get Lyme disease?
Cats can be bitten by ticks but seem much less susceptible to Lyme disease than dogs. Other tick-borne illnesses are possible though, and tick checks after outdoor time.
My dog is on tick prevention. Do I still need to check for ticks?
Yes. Preventatives kill or repel ticks but aren’t a perfect guarantee, especially if a dose was missed or the product hasn’t fully taken effect yet. Checking is a good habit regardless.
How quickly does the tick need to be removed to prevent Lyme disease?
The blacklegged tick generally needs to be attached for at least 24 to 36 hours to transmit Lyme disease. That doesn’t mean you can relax if you find one that’s been on longer, but it does mean that catching and removing ticks promptly is genuinely protective.
What if I’m not sure I got the whole tick out?
Come in and let us check. Leaving a tick’s mouthparts in the skin can cause a local reaction or infection. It takes two minutes to look at, and it’s better than wondering about it.
Found a tick on your pet or not sure if you removed it fully?
Walk in to Galaxy Vets Urgent Care & Walk-In: Ottawa at 21 Jamie Avenue. Open every day, noon to midnight.