TICKS AND DOGS – THE FACTS WE NEED TO KNOW

Dogs are at risk from tick-borne diseases, more so than cats. The two most serious diseases that UK ticks can transmit to dogs are babesiosis and Lyme disease.

Signs of both these diseases include fever, loss of appetite and lack of energy, among other even more serious concerns. Learn more about the symptoms of Lyme disease in dogs and babesiosis if you’re worried about your dog or want to know more. 

If you’ve seen a tick on your dog and your dog has become unwell, seek advice from your vet straight away. They’ll be able to determine if your dog does have a disease and, if so, which one so they can start on the right course of treatment.

Ticks can be picked up anywhere that has grass or vegetation where other animals have been. So, pretty much all the places our dogs like to go! This can include parks and even our own gardens. Some parts of the UK are home to specific species of tick – take a look at our article about where do dogs catch ticks? for the details pet parents need to know. 

Ticks can also hitchhike into our homes on the clothing of a human family member before falling off the clothing into our homes – and then potentially climbing onto our dogs. We’ve got some specific advice if you’ve found a tick in the house.

Luckily, there are some simple steps we can take. Knowing how to check our dogs for ticks and what to look for in a tick treatment before using the treatment regularly helps us keep our dogs safer from these parasites and the diseases they can transmit. Take a look at our helpful guide covering how to protect your dog against ticks.

1 Abdullah, S. et al. (2016). Parasites & Vectors. 9:391.