As tick season takes off in Sask., scientists monitor for new disease-carrying species

The sun is out and dog owners are hitting the trails and parks of Saskatchewan. But there's a catch … the ticks are sticking like magnets.

Scientists are on high alert this year, as new varieties of ticks known to carry diseases threaten to multiply in Saskatchewan. Thanks to warmer winters, tick season is no longer limited to spring. In fact, tick sightings were reported as late as December of last year.

"You get lots every trip now. It seems within minutes you notice them crawling on your legs and I don't ever remember it being that bad," said Kevin Gwillim of Regina.

Gwillim often takes his two dogs out for long walks, including at Pilot Butte Creek Trail. He said he recently found five ticks on his male dog.

Emily Jenkins, a professor of microbiology at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan, said climate change is making the weather warmer and, therefore, more hospitable for ticks.

"Climate change is going to be good for ticks, so it's certainly something to be aware of — that ticks and their diseases will become a bigger part of our future," Jenkins said.

WATCH | It's already tick season in Saskatchewan:

The number of black-legged ticks, a species known to carry Lyme disease, is increasing. The arachnids, also known as deer ticks, are not commonly found in Saskatchewan, but scientists tracking insect populations found two in Prince Albert and another in Pike Lake in 2023.

These were the first black-legged ticks ever found in the province via active tracking, a process done by dragging a cloth along trails where pets and ticks might interact and using GPS to mark locations across the province, according to Jenkins.

"It's not just the black-legged tick that we're worried about. There's a longhorned tick that has become a real issue in the northeastern U.S. that Canada really needs to be very aware of. If it gets here, that tick is kind of scary," said Jenkins.

"It can reproduce without males. So a single female can start her own population and they carry other diseases that are really bad for cattle and for other animals and people."

Emily Jenkins, a professor of microbiology at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine, says the black-legged tick is showing up in places it hasn’t before. (Travis Reddaway/CBC)

Jenkins also said scientists and the Ministry of Health are on the lookout for the lone star tick. A bite from this species can cause people to develop allergies to red meat.

"I would describe Canada as quite vulnerable because we don't have a lot of those here and we don't have the same protective knowledge that people who've grown up in these really ticky places do have," Jenkins said.

However, Jenkins said scientists and researchers can look to how species like the Asian longhorn tick and lone star ticks are managed south of the border, and learn how to deal with the critters here.

'I'm very concerned,' dog owner says

But dog owners say they worry about the increase of disease-carrying ticks like the black-legged tick in Saskatchewan.

"Every year I get [my dog] some kind of medication and take action, whatever my veterinarian recommends," said Harpreet Singh of Regina.

"We go a lot out now for camping and stuff. I'm really scared about the ticks. I'm very concerned. I'll definitely take every precaution I can."

Harpreet Singh and his dog Brownie at a Regina dog park. He says he's very worried about the tick season, and plans on getting his four-year-old dog protective medication. (Laura Sciarpelletti/CBC)

Gwillim said he is generally less worried, as his dogs are short-haired. But he is concerned about ones like the black-legged tick that carries Lyme disease.

"The reason I don't treat my dogs is because they can't really get much from our local ticks from what I've read. If it gets to be the point that it is a threat for them, then I would definitely get them on some kind of treatment. Then I would talk to my vet about it."

Jenkins recommends that owners consider putting their dogs on tick prevention medication.

"Consider doing [the medications] a bit longer into the fall. Because it's rare that you get ticks on yourself or your pets in fall. But if you do, they're far more likely to be the black-legged ticks."

Scientists and the Health Ministry are also asking the public to help. If you see any ticks when you're out and about, take a photo, and report it at www.etick.ca.