Have you “TICKed” off your pet’s parasite protection?

We’re pleased to see the weather improving but unfortunately with the sunshine and warmer temperatures, we are starting to see the emergence of more Ticks. Sadly, it has now been shown that Ticks are actually present all year round, and with our warmer winters, they never fully go into hibernation.

Not only do ticks cause a nasty bite reaction but they can also be vectors for disease such as Lymes disease and Babesia. Babesia, until recently was not seen in the UK, but sadly due to stopping the requirements for compulsary tick treatment before entering the UK, there were some confirmed cases, starting in 2016.

With that in mind, we do recommend being vigilent at checking your pets for ticks all year round, especially if they have a long coat which might be hiding the parasites.

Did you know there are almost 900 species of tick? Luckily, we don’t have that many species in the UK, but the two most common ones we see are Ixodes ricinus (the sheep tick) and Ixodes hexagonus (the hedgehog tick).

How to prevent against ticks

We have some anti-tick treatments that work well to treat against these horrible parasites. Please phone the practice to discuss which protocol would be most suitable for your pet.

What to do if you find a tick?

The only way to fully remove a tick is to make sure you twist and not just pull it out. Twisting will ensure that you remove the embedded mouth parts as well as just the body.

We find that the easiest way to do this is by using a Tick’O’Tom- come down to the practice, we sell them here!

If you are at all unsure of how to remove the tick (or whether what you have found is definitely a tick…), we are very happy for you to book an appointment and we can remove it for you.

Catherine Hannah BVSc MRCVS

References: Big Tick Project, MSD animal health