Why 2025 is a bad tick year
Public Health England (now UKHSA) confirms tick populations are rising due to milder winters. The Big Tick Project (University of Bristol) found one in three UK dogs carries ticks during peak season. Hotspots: New Forest, South Downs, Scottish Highlands, Lake District, Exmoor and most of Wales.
The main risks
Lyme disease (Borrelia burgdorferi)
Carried by the sheep tick (Ixodes ricinus). Only 2-3% of UK ticks carry it, but if your dog is bitten in an endemic area, watch for: lameness shifting between legs, fever, lethargy, swollen joints. Symptoms appear 2-5 months after the bite. Treatment: doxycycline for 4 weeks. Cost £100-300 with diagnostics.
Babesiosis
The Dermacentor reticulatus tick — present in Essex and now spreading — carries this. Causes acute haemolytic anaemia: dark urine, jaundice, severe weakness within days of the bite. Life-threatening without rapid treatment (£500-1,500).
Ehrlichiosis and Anaplasmosis
Rarer but increasing. Causes fever, bleeding tendencies and lethargy. Same treatment as Lyme.
Which UK products actually work
| Product | Active | Duration | Monthly cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bravecto chewable | Fluralaner | 12 weeks | £10-13 |
| Simparica TRIO | Sarolaner | 4 weeks | £10-15 |
| Seresto collar | Imidacloprid + Flumethrin | 8 months | £5-7 |
| Frontline Plus spot-on | Fipronil | 4 weeks | £6-8 (now considered less effective) |
Frontline still sells well in UK supermarkets but resistance is widespread. Prescription products (via vet or online pharmacy with prescription) are significantly more effective in 2025.
How to remove a tick (the safe way)
- Use a tick hook (O'Tom or similar, £3 at most pet shops).
- Slide the hook under the tick close to the skin and twist gently anticlockwise — the tick will release on its own.
- Don't squeeze the body, don't use vaseline, alcohol or a lit match. These cause the tick to regurgitate saliva — and that's exactly how pathogens get in.
- Clean the bite with antiseptic. Save the tick in a jar for ID if symptoms appear.
Warning signs in the weeks after a bite
- Limping (especially shifting between legs)
- Fever, lethargy, off food
- Bullseye-style rash around the bite (rare in dogs)
- Dark/bloody urine — Babesiosis red flag
Should you get the Lyme vaccine?
Yes if you walk in known endemic areas (Highlands, New Forest). Annual booster, £40-50 at most UK vets. It's not in the core protocol but worth discussing.
How CanAI helps
Log every spot-on application or collar change in CanAI's health tracker and we'll remind you when the next dose is due. Suspect tick-borne illness? Ask the AI chat for symptom triage. And one Babesiosis treatment costs more than five years of dog insurance — worth thinking about.