"In Great Britain the distribution of ticks is estimated to have expanded in the last ten years by 17 per cent."

Project to track rising threat of Lyme disease

Vets across the UK are taking part in the Big Tick Project, the largest nationwide collection of ticks from dogs in a bid to help scientists track the increasing threat of Lyme disease.

The project aims to raise awareness of the risks and symptoms associated with tick-borne disease, and hopes to educate owners about how they can reduce their dog's exposure to ticks and the diseases they carry.

Throughout spring and early summer, vets taking part in the Big Tick Project will be giving dogs visiting their practice a tick check.  The ticks collected will then be sent for testing by scientists at the University of Bristol, who are leading the study.

Professor Richard Wall, who will be examining the ticks for the presence of tick-borne diseases, said: "Current evidence suggests that many tick-borne diseases in northern Europe are increasing in prevalence as a result of factors linked to habitat modification, changes in host abundance, changes in vector distributions, increasing pet travel and climate change. 

"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.  In Great Britain the distribution of ticks is estimated to have expanded in the last ten years by 17 per cent and the abundance of ticks to have increased at 73 per cent of locations surveyed.”

Research released to coincide with the launch of the project has found that there is an alarming lack of awareness amongst dog owners about ticks and lyme disease.  Whilst 47 per cent of dog owners surveyed didn't know that ticks can transmit diseases to both dogs and humans, 54 per cent were not aware that Lyme disease affects both dogs and humans.

The University of Bristol say that owners whose dogs have taken part in the project will receive a Big Tick Project certificate and will have helped advance the knowledge of tick-borne diseases in the UK.