Pets can pick up ticks and fleas at any time and in any circumstances, but infestation is more likely when pets:

• Are kennelled or in catteries
• Live outdoors
• Live with other animals
• Are in contact with wild or feral animals.⁶

They are more susceptible to ectoparasites when they are very young or old, in poor nutrition, or with impaired health or a compromised immune system. Pets taken abroad can be exposed to diseases associated with ectoparasites for which they have no resistance.⁶

Fleas cause intense itching and scratching which in severe cases can result in fur loss, or flea allergy dermatitis in reaction to flea saliva. Fleas also carry tapeworm larvae that can be ingested during grooming, for example. Flea infestations can even lead to anaemia, such is their blood-sucking prowess.^1,7,8

Fleas can be found when grooming with a flea-comb, and close inspection of the fur may show fine black particles, typical of the blood-containing faeces.⁵

Tick-borne diseases include viral infections, but also:^2,9

• Canine babesiosis – likened to malaria or sleeping sickness, as the infective protozoa’s life cycle includes living in red blood cells. Symptoms can be low grade to severe acute attacks and even death.
• Monocytic ehrlichiosis and granulocytic anaplasmosis are rickettsial bacterial infections, and symptoms range from general poor health, to fever, and joint and eye problems.
• Borreliosis, or Lyme disease, is caused by the spirochete bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi causing inflammation in the joints, nerves and heart tissues. In worst-case scenarios it can cause fatal kidney failure. While a rash may be visible around a tick bite in humans, it is hard to spot this under animal fur, so symptoms to look out for include lethargy, loss of appetite or lameness.