The threat of tick-borne disease in dogs

Dogs and cats can come across ticks throughout the year, studies show there is an increase in tick amounts during the spring, summer and autumn.

The ticks most found on pets in the UK are Ixodes ricinusand Ixodes hexagonusand then Ixodes canisuga and can be found all over the UK, in gardens and city parks to countryside fields and woodland, the tick will wait at the top of vegetation for a passing host.

Ticks require a blood meal to complete each stage of the lifecycle and develop. It is for this reason that they will seek out a host and although they spend most of their lives off the host, their lifecycle is dependent on finding an appropriate one during each stage.

This could be a cat, dog, livestock species or even human.

The tick will usually choose a thin-skinned part of the body to take a blood meal, such as the face, ear and tummy. Once on the pet ticks will burrow down through the fur and will bite the animal, cementing their mouth parts into the skin and taking a blood meal.

During the feeding process that tick-borne diseases can be transmitted to the animal.

Symptoms in Dogs include fatigue, a fever and lameness If a pet owner believes that their dog may have been bitten by a tick and is now displaying symptoms of Lyme disease, they should speak to their vet as soon as possible so treatment can be given.

Symptoms in people Fever, chills, fatigue, body aches, headache, neck stiffness and swollen lymph nodes can accompany the rash.

Pet owners walking in tick habitats with their dog can be at particular risk. Babesiosis Babesiosis is caused by the protozoan parasite Babesia canis. Unlike Lyme disease, B.canis is transmitted by the Dermacentor reticulatus tick, which is less common here in the UK.

There are other ticks to consider when travelling throughout Europe but your vet can advise if necessary.