Lyme Disease in Dogs in the UK: Ticks, Signs and Prevention

Lyme disease is uncommon in UK dogs, and a tick bite does not mean your dog will become ill. Most dogs infected with the Lyme bacteria never show any signs, and those that do usually develop fever and a limp that can move from leg to leg, weeks or months after the bite.

Ticks still deserve attention. Remove any tick you find promptly, keep an eye on your dog afterwards and contact your vet if they seem unwell.

What Lyme disease is

Lyme disease, also called Lyme borreliosis, is an infection caused by Borrelia bacteria. In the UK it is spread mainly by Ixodes ricinus, often called the sheep or deer tick. Ticks wait on plants and climb on to a passing animal. They do not jump or fly, so dogs pick them up while brushing through long grass or spending time in woodland, heathland, parks and places with wildlife or farm animals.

Ticks are common on UK dogs. The Big Tick Project, run by the University of Bristol in 2015, checked 14,711 dogs during routine vet visits and found a tick on almost a third of them, with the highest risk in the South West, Scotland and East Anglia. Town dogs were affected as well as country dogs.

Only a small share of ticks carry Borrelia, and PDSA estimates around 1.5% in the UK. Even when a dog is infected, ESCCAP UK & Ireland says that more than 95% stay clinically normal. A small proportion develop fever, poor appetite, swollen joints or swollen lymph nodes, and a few develop kidney disease.

People catch Lyme disease only from tick bites, not from dogs. A tick carried indoors on your dog could still drop off and bite a person, though, so check yourself and your family after walks in tick areas.

Finding and removing ticks

An infected tick usually has to stay attached and feed for many hours, thought to be at least 16 to 24, before it passes on Borrelia. Finding ticks and removing them quickly is one of the best ways to lower the risk.

Ticks can be tiny when they first attach and swell to the size of a pea as they feed. A tick may look like a small grey or dark lump or a skin tag, and you may feel one before you see it, especially in a thick or dark coat. After walks, run your hands over your dog and part the fur to look closely, paying attention to the head, ears, neck, armpits, groin, tummy, legs and between the toes.

Remove a tick with a tick hook or tick twister, sold by vets and pet shops. Slide the tool under the tick’s body close to the skin, then twist it gently in one direction until the tick comes away, following the instructions with the tool. Do not squeeze or crush the tick, and do not burn it, cover it in Vaseline or use alcohol or other lotions to make it let go.

Wear gloves if you can, dispose of the tick so it cannot reattach, wash your hands and clean the bite with a pet-safe antiseptic or salty water. If part of the tick seems to be left in the skin, or the area becomes red, swollen or sore, call your vet. If you have removed a whole tick and your dog is well, you do not usually need to see the vet.

Signs to discuss with your vet

Signs of Lyme disease can be vague and may not appear until weeks or months after a tick bite. Many other conditions cause the same problems, so contact your vet if your dog has had a tick and seems unwell, or if you notice:

• limping, stiffness, or painful and swollen joints
• a high temperature
• low energy or unusual tiredness
• a reduced appetite
• swollen lymph nodes
• drinking or weeing more than usual

The limp often starts in the leg nearest the bite and can shift from one leg to another. Dogs do not usually get the bullseye-shaped rash that people may develop, so do not wait for a skin mark before seeking advice.

A few dogs develop serious kidney disease linked with Lyme infection, and this form responds poorly to treatment. Vomiting, weight loss, refusing food, marked tiredness, or drinking and weeing much more than usual need prompt veterinary advice.

If your dog collapses, has a seizure, is extremely weak or seems severely unwell, contact your vet straight away, or an emergency veterinary service if your usual practice is closed.

How Lyme disease is checked and treated

Your vet will consider your dog’s signs, any tick exposure and their general health. They may suggest a blood test for antibodies to Borrelia. Antibodies take weeks to develop after a bite, and a positive result only shows that a dog has been exposed, which is far more common than illness. Your vet will interpret it alongside your dog’s signs and other tests, particularly kidney tests or checks for other causes of lameness, fever or tiredness. Tell them when you found a tick and whether your dog has travelled abroad.

Dogs diagnosed with Lyme disease are usually treated with a course of antibiotics lasting several weeks. Anti-inflammatory pain relief may be used for joint pain, and dogs with severe illness can need hospital care. Give treatment only as prescribed, and finish the course. Do not use leftover antibiotics, human painkillers or parasite products as home treatment. Many dogs with joint-related Lyme disease improve quickly on treatment, but keep any follow-up appointments, especially if the kidneys were affected.

Lowering your dog’s tick risk

Checking your dog after walks and removing ticks promptly are the basics. Ticks are most active from spring to autumn but can be found all year, especially in mild weather. Where you can, keep to clear paths rather than letting your dog push through long grass and bracken in tick areas.

Ask your veterinary practice about tick control. Products include tablets, spot-on treatments and collars. Some repel ticks, while others kill them after they attach, and many of the most effective tick treatments are prescription-only medicines that your vet supplies after checking your dog. The right choice depends on your dog’s lifestyle, health and local tick risk. Follow the instructions about bathing and swimming. If you also have a cat, check before using any dog product: some dog spot-ons contain permethrin, which is highly poisonous to cats.

A vaccine against Lyme disease for dogs is authorised in the UK. It is not part of routine vaccination and vets usually reserve it for dogs at high risk of tick bites. It does not protect against other tick-borne diseases, so it is used alongside tick control rather than instead of it. Ask your vet whether it suits your dog.

Tick control matters for other infections too. Babesiosis, a serious disease caused by a parasite that attacks red blood cells, has been diagnosed in UK dogs that had never travelled abroad, including a cluster in Essex in 2016.

If you plan to take your dog abroad, speak to your vet well before you go. Other countries have different tick species and tick-borne diseases, so your dog’s parasite plan may need to change for the trip.