Tick-borne diseases including Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, and anaplasmosis cause significant suffering in dogs across North America, Europe, and increasingly other regions as tick ranges expand with climate change.
Tick-borne diseases impose significant welfare burdens through both the acute disease and its chronic consequences. Lyme nephritis - kidney damage from chronic Lyme infection - causes progressive renal failure with associated nausea, lethargy, and eventually uremia. Ehrlichiosis in its chronic phase causes bone marrow suppression leading to anemia, bleeding disorders, and immune compromise. Dogs with acute illness experience fever, pain, and profound fatigue. Many tick-borne diseases are challenging to diagnose because symptoms are non-specific, meaning dogs may suffer for weeks before a correct diagnosis. The expanding range of ticks means dogs in historically low-risk areas are increasingly affected without owner awareness.