Ticks transmit several serious diseases to companion animals and humans, with welfare management centred on effective prevention and prompt treatment when infection occurs.
Tick-borne disease welfare in companion animals involves both acute disease harm when infection occurs and the welfare cost of effective prevention treatments. Lyme disease in dogs causes joint pain, lethargy, and kidney disease that can be severe and requires extended antibiotic treatment. Babesiosis, caused by blood parasites transmitted by exotic tick species now present in parts of the UK, causes severe haemolytic anaemia that can be life-threatening. The chronic welfare harm of subclinical tick-borne infection - reduced activity, joint pain, and malaise - may persist for months in inadequately treated cases. Prevention is highly effective and the welfare-preferred approach: monthly spot-on treatments or tick collars containing acaricides prevent tick attachment or kill ticks before disease transmission occurs. The selection of prevention products should be guided by veterinary advice specific to the animal's risk level and lifestyle, as different products have different spectra of activity and duration. Prompt, correct tick removal within 24 hours of attachment substantially reduces disease transmission risk even when prevention has been missed. The welfare calculation should include human risk: ticks from dogs can transfer to humans and transmit Lyme disease, making companion animal tick management a human welfare issue as well.