Tick-borne diseases cause significant welfare impacts in dogs. Understanding prevention and early recognition reduces suffering from these often serious conditions.
Tick-borne diseases cause significant welfare impacts ranging from the acute distress of babesiosis, with its rapid anaemia and organ effects, to the more chronic welfare compromise of undiagnosed Lyme disease causing lameness and malaise over weeks or months. The insidious nature of some tick-borne diseases — with non-specific symptoms that owners may attribute to other causes — means that welfare compromise can persist for extended periods before diagnosis. Prevention is straightforwardly more humane than treatment: consistent use of vet-recommended tick prevention products, daily tick checks after walks in endemic areas, and prompt tick removal address most risk. Climate change is extending the range and season of tick activity, making awareness and prevention increasingly important across wider geographic areas.