Ticks found on 'one third' of dogs, researchers say

Almost a third of dogs checked at random across the UK were found to be carrying a tick, researchers say.

The finding comes from the largest survey of ticks in dogs.

Researchers also found that the risk of an animal picking up a tick is as great in urban areas as in rural ones.

Ticks can carry a range of diseases including Lyme disease, and also a parasite discovered in the UK for the first time earlier this year that is potentially fatal to dogs.

Lyme disease has the potential to cause serious health problems, such as meningitis and heart failure.

In the most serious cases, it can be fatal.

Almost 15,000 dogs from across the UK were examined in the study, which was carried out by Bristol University last year.read more