A vet is warning dog owners in Cheshire to protect their pets from a potentially fatal parasite on the back of a major study into ticks in the UK.
Dr Ian Hopkins, who is part of the specialist led referral team at Willows Veterinary Hospital in Hartford and is head vet at Holly House Veterinary Surgery in Knutsford, was one of a small number of expert vets invited to be part of the final advisory taskforce for the national research, undertaken by Bristol University.
The study, which involved the largest-ever survey of dog ticks in the UK, discovered one in three dogs carried at least one tick and that the risks of transmission were as great in urban areas as in rural ones.
Most worryingly, it identified evidence of the Dermacentor reticulatus tick in 10 of the dogs it randomly examined through the survey – a known carrier of babesia canis which is a lethal parasite, causing the destruction of a dog’s red blood cells, severe anaemia, organ failure and even death.
The babesiosis disease was responsible for killing two dogs in Essex earlier this year while three others needed blood transfusions.
It is the first time the disease has been reported in the UK in animals which have not travelled abroad.
“Many owners are confused when it comes to the different diseases carried by ticks and this study provides powerful evidence of the need for owners to strengthen their preventative strategy,” said Ian.
“There are tick-borne diseases which were commonly thought of as warm weather, tropical diseases that are now in the UK.
“Previously, when babesiosis was found in the UK, it was found in dogs which had travelled abroad. The dogs who recently presented with this disease have never been out of the UK and that means it is now here in the UK and this is obviously a concern.”
Willows Veterinary Hospital and Holly House are part of the independently-owned Willows Veterinary Group.
The group offers a wealth of knowledge and expertise through 24 small animal practices, a referral veterinary hospital, two equine centres and a five-office farm practice which are located across Cheshire and into the Wirral and Staffordshire. Willows is accredited by The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.
The Big Tick Project, led by Professor Richard Wall, examined almost 15,000 dogs from across the UK through participating veterinary practices.
One third (31%) of the dogs examined were found to have at least one tick present suggesting the distribution of ticks had risen across the country, likely due to climate change.
Samples of the dermacentor reticulatus tick were found in 10 dogs in Wales and south-west England during the study although they were not carrying the babesiosis disease.
There are now known to be at least four predominantly coastal areas where they are present including west Wales, south Devon, north Devon and Essex.
Ian’s involvement on the taskforce was to provide advice on the most effective way of delivering preventative warnings to pet owners across the UK.
“It’s vitally important the message gets across in the right way. This research has been essential in keeping us at the forefront of the current risk factors.”
According to Ian, the wild deer population offered the greatest risk of spreading the disease.
“In this study, the ticks were not carrying the disease but the concerns are that in time, these diseases will spread out,” he said.
“Wild deer will be a big vector for ticks. Walking in woodland or in long grass are the riskiest areas, especially in sheep or deer country. While warm weather brings an increased risk of tick exposure, cooler winters mean the ‘tick season’ is getting longer.
“The disease can also be spread from mother tick to baby tick so in this way it will move around rapidly.”
The tick acts as a vector and transmits the disease in the same way that a mosquito transmits malaria by sucking the blood of the animal. There are more than one species of Babesia parasite and some of them affect humans in other parts of the world.
Ian said preventative tick control was the only effective way of reducing the risks posed by this disease and others to dogs in the UK. Waiting for symptoms of tick infestation or disease could prove too late.
“When people think of ticks they think of adult-sized ticks. During the nymph stage, the tick is only the size of a poppy seed. Expecting people to check and screen their dogs is going to be impossible, especially with the big furry breeds,” he warned.
“There are a lot of tick products out there on the pet shop shelf but there are concerns that some of them take two to three days to kill a tick and with babesiosis this wouldn’t be quick enough. The ticks will be spreading the disease before they’re killed.
“Repellents are not guaranteed to stop every tick from attaching – we need a product that kills the tick rapidly.
“Some spot-on products are monthly and involve using a liquid on the back of the dog’s neck for effective tick control. Some tick-control tablets last for three months while there are tick collars that provide protection for eight months.
“If in any doubt of the solution required, pet owners should seek the expert advice of their local vet.”
Ian also warned pet owners who were tempted to remove the ticks themselves to use a special tick hook.
“Often ticks attach themselves around the head and shoulders but they can attach anywhere. They can look like a wart or a small peanut-sized lump,” he said.
“There’s a lot of information on the internet but if people remove ticks inappropriately, by inadvertently squeezing its body, the bacteria in the tick’s intestines will go directly into the dog.
“It’s something that should be undertaken with a tick hook which doesn’t damage the tick and risk squeezing its intestines.
“The procedure can be carried out effectively at home but most vets are more than happy to provide a demonstration on how to do this safely.
“Dogs which have been infected with tick-borne diseases do not always present with symptoms immediately and the signs could be easily missed by an owner.
“A dog infected with babesiosis could initially present with weakness, lethargy, pale gums or red urine which could be mistaken for other less-serious diseases. At later stages, dogs could have severe anaemia or jaundice and will rapidly deteriorate.
“Treatment involves potential blood transfusion and various medication although once a parasite is present it is extremely difficult to completely eliminate it.
“This is something that should all be about prevention,” said Ian.
“As vets, we need to bear the disease in mind when we are presented with animals with severe anaemia and a tick history. The only way forward is effective tick control.
“There’s still going to be a lifestyle choice involved with the risk being low for some dogs, but this study highlighted that ticks are found all across the UK, with sheep and deer country high risk areas.”
