Horsham vets join Big Tick Project

Tick bites can transmit serious infections, such as Lyme disease, a serious and debilitating illness that can cause long term health problems in dogs and people.

Now, Horsham’s veterinary practices are taking action by joining naturalist and TV presenter Chris Packham and the University of Bristol in the Big Tick Project.

This new nationwide initiative runs from spring through to autumn, tracking the rise of the tick population in the UK and finding out how many carry disease.

Dog owners can take their pets to participating practices in Horsham, including Farthings Vet Group, Seers Croft Veterinary Surgery, Crossway Vet Surgery, Maltman Cosham Vet Clinic, Arthur Lodge Vets, Hawthorn Vets, Pet Doctors and Crossways Vet Group for a tick check and advice about innovations in effective tick control. Any ticks found on dogs will be collected and sent to Bristol University laboratories to help advance the knowledge of tick-borne disease, benefiting both veterinary and human medicine.

Chris Packham feels the challenge of keeping dogs and people tick-free has never been greater,:“Research highlighted by the Big Tick Project experts at Bristol University suggests that ticks are a growing problem, especially in areas such as urban parkland, woodland or open country.

“While I find both ticks and fleas interesting creatures, I don’t want them on my dogs, in my house, or on me.” He continued, “I want the best advice and treatment available and I know I can get this by talking to my vet.”

By taking part, local veterinary practices will help the level of risk to dogs and people in Horsham to be identified, compared to the national average. The practices also aim to provide advice to local dog owners on effective tick control.

Ticks are hard to spot when small but can transmit infections as they feed off the blood of their host. Dog owners often see ticks when they have increased in size as a result of their blood meal but by then the damage may have been done.

Local practices Farthings Vet Group, Seers Croft Veterinary Surgery, Crossway Vet Surgery, Maltman Cosham Vet Clinic, Arthur Lodge Vets, Hawthorn Vets, Pet Doctors and Crossways Vet Group are determined to do all they can to ensure Horsham’s pets are protected. As well as helping to keep local pets safe, participating in The Big Tick Project gives vets and dog owners a chance to contribute to building important knowledge of this damaging disease.

New advances and treatment innovation means that there are a number of ways that vets can control ticks, including the use of spot-ons (typically applied every four weeks), sprays, collars and oral chewable formulations which can last up to 12 weeks.

That means there should be an easy and practical solution for every owner in Horsham who wants to help protect their dog against ticks.

Dog owners wanting to take part in the Big Tick Project with a tick check for their dog(s) or to find out more about the risks from tick bites can visit www.bigtickproject.co.uk

Alternatively for more information contact:

n Farthings Vet Group, Guildford Road, Horsham, West Sussex, RH12 1TS

n Seers Croft Veterinary Surgery, Tower Road, Faygate, West Sussex, RH12 4SD

n Crossway Vet Surgery, 21 Bartholomew Way, Horsham, West Sussex, RH12 5JL

n Maltman Cosham Vet Clinic, Unit 9 Lyons Farm Estate, Slinfold, Horsham, West Sussex, RH13 0QP

n Arthur Lodge Vets, 17 Brighton Road, Horsham, West Sussex, RH13 5BE

n Hawthorn Vets, High Street, Partridge Green, West Sussex, RH13 8HU

n Pet Doctors, 3 Jengers Mead, Billingshurst, West Sussex, RH14 9PB

n Crossways Vet Group, Morden House Surgery, 43A School Hill, Storrington, West Sussex, RH20 4NA

Report and picture contributed by Deborah Cocksedge.