Tick-borne diseases including Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Lyme disease, and anaplasmosis are increasing in geographic range and incidence in dogs.
Tick-borne diseases cause significant suffering in affected dogs - Rocky Mountain spotted fever causes systemic vasculitis leading to organ failure, limb necrosis, and painful death without rapid treatment. Chronic Lyme disease causes recurring joint pain, fatigue, and in some dogs, fatal nephropathy. Thrombocytopenia from tick-borne diseases causes spontaneous bleeding. Many tick diseases are entirely preventable with consistent tick prevention products, yet owners in endemic areas often underestimate their dog's risk or discontinue prevention in winter when ticks remain active. Prevention is dramatically more effective and humane than treatment of established disease.