Tick-borne diseases including Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, and anaplasmosis cause significant suffering in dogs. Year-round prevention and prompt veterinary care dramatically improve welfare outcomes.
Tick-borne diseases cause a range of welfare harms from mild fever and malaise to severe, life-threatening illness depending on the pathogen and the timeliness of treatment. Lyme disease causes recurring joint pain and lameness that can become chronic without appropriate long-term management. Ehrlichiosis affects blood cells and can cause bone marrow suppression, bleeding disorders, and organ failure in chronic cases. The welfare case for prevention is compelling: effective tick prevention products are safe, widely available, and eliminate exposure risk without requiring repeated veterinary intervention. Early diagnosis through annual screening in endemic areas allows treatment before disease becomes established, preventing the chronic welfare burden that follows untreated tick-borne infection.