It’s National Tick Awareness Month (NTAM) and veterinarians now have a new tool to help drive Canadian pet owners into their clinics.
TickTalkCanada.com is an educational website offering a video animation and a series of 12 videos featuring Canadian veterinarian Scott Stevenson, DVM, M.Sc., who answers common questions about ticks.
Launched in 2015 by the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) and Merck Animal Health, NTAM has helped increase public awareness about ticks, the potential health risks they pose, and measures that are available to help control them.
“Last year’s campaign was inspired by what pet owners want to know about ticks,” says CVMA president Terri Chotowetz, DVM, BSA. “While client education remains the focus of this year’s campaign, we’ve taken things up a notch by bringing the message directly to pet owners, which was the most common request we received from veterinarians during the three previous campaigns.”
“Many pet owners are already online looking for information about ticks, but don’t always know which sites to trust. We created TickTalkCanada.com to provide pet owners with a credible online resource, with the goal of initiating the ‘tick talk’ and encouraging clients to continue a meaningful tick-control conversation with their veterinarian.”
The 2019 NTAM campaign also features:
- Aweb-based ad campaign to drive attention to the website and to veterinary clinics
- A videoand graphic to share on social media platforms to encourage clients to visit the website for answers to their questions
- Aprintable waiting room poster to display in a clinic or hospital to support the campaign and encourage pet owners to engage in “tick talk” with their veterinary team
- Two additional graphics to share on social media platforms for CVMA members only
