PENBODE Vets is amongst a group of nationwide vet practices that have joined forces with TV presenter and naturalist Chris Packham to raise awareness of ticks.

The campaign taking place in Devon and Cornwall aims to encourage pet owners to be tick-aware all year round by protecting their animals against potentially serious tick-borne diseases.

At the start of September, TV presenter and naturalist Chris Packham and Professor Richard Wall of the University of Bristol revealed the first results from the Big Tick Project, the largest ever veterinary study of ticks on dogs in the UK.

Supported by veterinary practices across the country including Penbode Vets, in conjunction with MSD Animal Health, the campaign was launched in response to the rise in tick numbers in the UK and with it the risk of tick-borne illness such as Lyme disease.

The team at Penbode Vets will also:

l Provide the information pet owners need about the threat from the UK’s rising tick population, including tick life cycles and the different species and the diseases they may carry.

l Explain how owners can protect their pets from ticks and the threat of disease.

The Big Tick Project results for Devon and Cornwall highlight findings by scientists who received more than 6,000 tick samples collected by veterinary practices nationwide from dogs for analysis. Earlier this year, scientists at the University of Bristol said that confirmed cases of Babesia canis in dogs in Essex increased the need for greater surveillance of tick-borne disease in the UK.

Local pet owners are also encouraged to take part in a major national pet owner survey to record their experience of dealing with ticks on their animals. Data from the survey is expected to further widen knowledge within the veterinary profession and among pet owners about the extent of the risk of ticks in the UK and its impact on our pets.

Professor Richard Wall at the University of Bristol said: “We are seeing that warmer and wetter winters and milder wetter summers, in particular, may allow the normal highly seasonal pattern of tick activity to be extended, giving more continuous periods of exposure.”

Mark Banks from Penbode Vets said: “We are participating in the Big Tick Project to highlight that for a number of reasons, including links to climate change, ticks are becoming active for longer periods. This is increasing the need for year-round vigilance and protection for our pets as well as ourselves.

“I would urge pet owners to get involved by learning more about ticks and their control here in practice as well as taking part in the national pet owner survey www.bigtickproject.co.uk/ticks-in-the-uk/uk-tick-survey to help further highlight the challenges that a rise in tick numbers is presenting to both animal and human health.”

In Devon and Cornwall the distribution of ticks was measured as High Risk by the Big Tick Project team (www.bigtickproject.co.uk/about/uk-tick-threat-map).

To reduce the risk associated with ticks in dogs, Penbode Vets has innovative and convenient treatments that are only available on prescription. The options available to protect dogs against exposure to ticks include spot-ons (typically applied every four weeks), sprays, collars and oral chewable formulations, which can give up to 12 weeks protection.

For best advice on how to remove a tick correctly from your pet please contact your nearest Penbode Vet practice.