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Where can my pet get ticks?
Wherever you live in the UK, your pet can pick up ticks – from your garden, urban parks or rural areas.
What are ticks?
Ticks are a member of the spider family.
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Ticks are blood-sucking parasites that pierce your pet’s skin with their mouthparts and cement themselves into position to prevent easy removal.
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Due to the method of attachment and their blood-feeding process, ticks can cause several different problems for your pet – including potentially life-threatening diseases.
What problems do ticks cause?
Ticks are uncomfortable and annoying for your pet which leads to your cat or dog trying to rub or scratch the tick off. But these are minor irritations compared to the other problems ticks can cause:
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Ticks often cause skin reactions because of the way they attach to your pet
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If a live tick is removed there’s a risk of leaving their mouthparts in place – the embedded mouthparts act as a foreign body and can cause a granuloma (benign lump) or an abscess
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Ticks are second only to mosquitoes in their ability to transmit diseases to humans and animals.
What diseases do Ticks carry?
UK
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Lyme disease – affects humans as well as dogs and rarely cats. In dogs it may cause fever, lethargy, arthritis and occasionally skin disease.
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Anaplasmosis – rarely diagnosed in the UK but symptoms include fever, reluctance to move and general malaise. Europe
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Ehrlichiosis – a disease that’s seen in the Mediterranean, signs range from mild fever with loss of appetite to severe illness with anaemia and blood clotting.
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Babesiosis – seen throughout Europe but dogs travelling from the UK are more susceptible to severe illness. Affected dogs are pale and weak, have a high temperature and pass red urine. In severe cases the dog may collapse and die.
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Hepatozoonosis – often seen in conjunction with other tick-borne diseases, although many dogs infected show no signs of disease. Signs may include depression, fever, weight loss, lethargy and general malaise or more severe symptoms.
How do I check my pet for ticks?
It’s important to check your pet regularly for ticks, particularly if they are travelling abroad, or have recently come back into the UK.
Carefully check every part of your pet and pay special attention to the areas around your pet's head, ears, legs and paws.
Your pet could have had a tick attached without you noticing, especially if it’s long-haired, so watch out for any of the warning signs which could indicate a tick-borne disease.
If your pet shows any of these signs, contact your vet:
The clinical signs of some tick-borne diseases can be delayed. If your pet develops any of these signs after having travelled abroad, or several days after you have seen a tick attached, tell your vet where your pet has travelled to and/or that a tick was attached.
What is the tick life cycle?
The main tick species found in the UK and the rest of Europe are temporary parasites, which means they spend 3 to 10 days feeding on your pet before falling to the ground and developing into their next life stage. Ixodes is the most common species of tick in the UK and typically has a 3-year life cycle with one stage occurring each year.Regular treatment is essential to protect your pet from ticks and the problems they can cause – including the diseases they can transmit. FRONTLINE® Spot On does not prevent ticks from attaching to your pet, but by killing ticks within the first 24-48 hours after attachment, prior to the tick taking its full blood meal, the risk of transmission of disease from the tick to your pet is reduced. FRONTLINE® Spot On is effective against all three of the commonest European tick species and remains effective even if your pet gets wet.
How do I control ticks?
Examine your pet regularly and particularly after they’ve been in areas that are likely to be tick infested, such as parkland, moorland and woodland.
Apply FRONTLINE® Spot On monthly to kill ticks.
Once dead, many ticks will drop off naturally but if they don't simply remove them with a gentle pull – preferably with tweezers
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