Tick-Borne Diseases in Dogs: Welfare and Prevention

Key Welfare Considerations

• Lyme disease (Borrelia burgdorferi) is the most common tick-borne disease in UK dogs.
• Clinical Lyme disease causes welfare signs including lameness, fever, lethargy, and renal disease.
• Tick removal within 24 hours significantly reduces Lyme disease welfare transmission risk.
• Babesiosis is not yet established in UK ticks but is a welfare concern for dogs travelling to Europe.
• Babesia canis causes haemolytic anaemia welfare emergency with rapid deterioration in affected dogs.
• Ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis cause welfare fever, thrombocytopaenia, and systemic disease.
• Tick checks after walking in endemic areas is essential welfare preventive practice.
• Tick removal with fine-tipped tweezers or tick removal tools prevents mouthpart welfare retention.
• Prescription tick preventives (fluralaner, afoxolaner, sarolaner) provide superior welfare protection.
• Tick repellent collars (permethrin-based) provide welfare protection for dogs in high-risk areas.
• Annual Lyme disease testing enables early detection before welfare clinical signs develop.
• Lyme vaccination available in some countries provides welfare protection in high-risk areas.
• Doxycycline for 4 weeks is the welfare treatment of choice for confirmed Lyme disease.
• Climate change is expanding tick ranges northward and into higher altitudes — increasing welfare risk.
• Tick habitat awareness enables welfare-appropriate prevention strategies for at-risk dogs.