Tick-borne diseases including Lyme disease, babesiosis and anaplasmosis cause significant illness in dogs that is largely preventable with effective tick control measures.
Tick-borne diseases cause significant suffering that ranges from mild lethargy to life-threatening crises depending on the pathogen involved. Dogs with untreated Lyme disease experience persistent joint pain and kidney complications. Babesiosis causes rapid destruction of red blood cells leading to severe anaemia, weakness and collapse. Dogs who survive acute tick-borne disease episodes may have chronic health consequences including immune-mediated complications. The diseases are largely preventable with consistently applied effective tick control, making most tick-borne disease a preventable welfare failure. Climate-driven expansion of tick habitats means this is a growing challenge in previously low-risk areas.