Tick borne diseases

At the present time, the risk of your pet picking up diseases from ticks in the London area is  low. Lyme disease can be spread to pets and people from ticks, have not seen any cases of pets picking up this disease whilst living in the area to date. However we are aware that Lyme disease may be present in ticks in Richmond park, and in other parks particularly where deer are present. If you and your dog visit these areas we recommended using specific tick treatment.

How to check your pet for ticks and what to watch out for. 

It is easy to check your pet for ticks, we advise doing this daily particularly after walking your dog. Run your hands gently all over your pet feeling for any small lumps or bumps. Ticks are external parasites which live off the blood of mammals and feeding until they are full then dropping away from the body to start the process again.

Ticks come in a variation of sizes depending on how recently they have fed, their age, they start the size of a pin and can grow to the size of a finger nail. They are rounded in appearance and can be cream to fairly dark brown again this depends when they last fed.

Babesiosis disease in dogs. 

A new tick borne disease called Babesiosis which uptil now had not been found in the UK,  has recently been reported to have been found in four dogs in Harlow, Essex that had not travelled abroad.  It can cause a severe anaemia, which can be fatal. The risk of picking up any disease in the London area remains low at the present time. We will monitor for any changes in the situation, and will post again if this changes.

Seresto collar available for cats and dogs.

What to do if you see a tick. 

   If you see a tick: We advise removing them with an O’Tom tick twister which you can purchase from us. The tick twister slides under the body of the tick and the twisting causes it to release its grasp. Do not try to use tweezers, this can leave the head in the skin which may cause a reaction. 

• The most effective tick prevention/killing products we recommend are :
• The Seresto collar for cats and dogs lasting up to 7 months
• Bravecto tablets lasting 2 -3 months for canine use only
• Advantix spot on monthly for dogs
• All of these treatments can be used alongside Stronghold and Advocate.

O’Tom Tick twister