The Silent Killer: Understanding Lyme Disease and Ticks in the UK

Summer in the UK means long walks through bracken, heathland, woodland edges, and tall meadow grass. We have some of the best walking countryside in the world but it is also a prime hunting ground for ticks.

Most dog owners know about ticks in a general, vaguely unpleasant way. You find one, you remove it, you move on. But the real story of ticks is more serious than a creepy parasite on the coat. In the UK, ticks can carry Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterium that causes Lyme disease, and the consequences of a missed or poorly removed tick can linger for weeks, months, or in some cases, much longer.

This is not a reason to stop walking in beautiful places. It is a reason to understand what you are dealing with, check your dog properly, and know exactly what to do if you find a tick.

Ticks are found across the UK, but populations are highest in areas of woodland, moorland, heathland, and long grassland. Parts of the Scottish Highlands, the New Forest, the South Downs, Exmoor, the Yorkshire Moors, and many other walking hotspots have significant tick populations.

They are not insects. They are arachnids, related to spiders, and they cannot jump or fly. They climb to the tips of grass stems and bracken fronds, hold their front legs out in a posture called questing, and wait for a warm body to brush past. When contact is made, they attach quickly and begin feeding.

Peak tick activity in the UK runs from March through to October, but July is one of the highest-risk months. The combination of warm temperatures, high grass, and more people and dogs spending time outdoors creates ideal conditions for tick encounters.

Any dog that walks in grass, woodland, or scrubland is at risk. You do not have to be walking in remote countryside. Urban parks with rough grass areas, cemetery paths, and golf course edges can all harbour ticks.

A tick bite itself is not inherently dangerous. The risk comes from what the tick may be carrying.

Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterium responsible for Lyme disease, is found in a proportion of ticks across the UK. The exact percentage varies by region and year, but studies suggest that in high-risk areas, somewhere between 5% and 15% of ticks may be infected. The bacterium is transmitted through the tick's saliva during feeding, and crucially, transmission is most likely to occur after the tick has been attached for 24 to 48 hours. Removing ticks quickly significantly reduces the risk.

If a dog contracts Lyme disease, symptoms rarely appear immediately. The incubation period is typically two to five months after the bite, which is one of the reasons Lyme disease can be hard to diagnose. By the time symptoms appear, the owner may have entirely forgotten about a tick they found back in July.

Symptoms of Lyme disease in dogs can include:

• Shifting lameness, where a dog appears stiff or lame in different legs on different days

• Swollen, painful joints

• Lethargy and low energy that does not resolve with rest

• Fever, reduced appetite, and general malaise

• Swollen lymph nodes

• In more severe or untreated cases, kidney damage (Lyme nephritis), neurological symptoms, and cardiac issues

The joint pain and lethargy can look like general aging or other conditions, which means Lyme disease in dogs is frequently missed or delayed in diagnosis. If your dog develops unexplained lameness or lethargy in the autumn following a summer of high-grass walks, Lyme disease is worth discussing with your vet.

Diagnosis is via a blood test. Treatment with antibiotics, particularly when started early, is generally effective, though some dogs experience ongoing symptoms even after treatment.

This is where a lot of well-meaning owners go wrong. The goal when removing a tick is to get the entire tick out, including the mouthparts, without squeezing the body.

Squeezing a tick's body compresses it like a small syringe, which can force infected saliva back into the skin. Burning a tick off, covering it in petroleum jelly, or trying to suffocate it with nail varnish all risk the same problem and should never be done.

What you need: A tick removal tool. These are inexpensive, widely available at vets, pet shops, and online, and come in two main types: a hook-shaped tool and a tweezer-style tool. Both work well when used correctly. A hook tool is generally considered easier for beginners.

Step by step:

1. Part the fur around the tick so you can see it and the surrounding skin clearly

2. Slide the notch of the hook tool underneath the tick's body, getting as close to the skin as possible

3. Once the hook is around the tick, rotate gently in one direction without pulling. The tick will naturally detach after several rotations. Do not yank or jerk

4. Once removed, check that the entire tick including the mouthparts is present in the tool. The tick should be intact

5. Place the tick in a sealed container or bag rather than crushing it

6. Clean the bite site with antiseptic and wash your hands

7. Monitor the bite site and your dog's health over the following weeks

If the mouthparts remain in the skin after an imperfect removal, do not dig at the skin to retrieve them. Clean the area, monitor for any signs of infection or reaction, and contact your vet if you are concerned.

Keep a tick diary. Note the date, approximate location on the body, and which walk the tick likely came from. If your dog develops symptoms weeks later, this information is genuinely useful to a vet trying to diagnose Lyme disease.

Veterinary tick prevention products are the most effective direct defence. Spot-on treatments, collars, and tablets that repel or kill ticks are available from your vet. If you walk regularly in tick-prone areas, these are worth discussing with your vet as a primary protective measure. Different products have different mechanisms and durations of action, so your vet can advise on the most appropriate option for your dog's lifestyle.

Permethrin-treated dog clothing is available for dogs, and walking your dog in lighter-coloured coats during tick season makes them easier to spot on the coat.

Stay on paths where possible in high-risk areas, rather than letting your dog crash through the undergrowth and bracken where ticks are most concentrated.

Check your dog every time, not just when you know you have been somewhere high-risk. Ticks turn up in unexpected places.

Prevention and prompt removal are the primary defences against tick-borne disease. But there is another layer worth thinking about: the underlying strength of your dog's immune system.

When a pathogen enters the body, the immune system is the first and most important line of response. A well supported immune system is more capable of detecting and responding to threats early, and more resilient in its overall function. This does not mean a strong immune system makes Lyme disease impossible, but it does mean the body is better equipped to manage the challenge if exposure occurs.

This is where consistent daily supplementation with immune supporting ingredients makes meaningful sense, particularly during the summer months when environmental pathogen exposure is at its highest.

If your dog develops any of the symptoms described above, particularly shifting lameness, joint swelling, or unexplained lethargy in the weeks or months following a summer of countryside walks, do not wait.

Contact your vet and mention the possibility of tick exposure. A blood test can confirm Lyme disease, and early treatment with antibiotics is significantly more effective than delayed treatment. The longer Lyme disease goes undiagnosed, the greater the risk of chronic joint damage or kidney involvement.

Ticks are part of the landscape in summer, and for dogs that love the countryside, encounters are almost inevitable. The key is not to avoid the walks but to check carefully every time, remove ticks quickly and correctly, and keep your dog's immune system well supported so their body is as well equipped as possible to deal with whatever summer throws at it.