Dangers of tick-borne disease in spotlight

Getting bitten by a tick can lead to a debilitating disease which can strike humans and their pets.

That is the message from a west Fife veterinary practice which is taking part in a national campaign to highlight the problem of tickborne disease.

Staff at Inglis Veterinary Hospital in Dunfermline have good reason for being particularly keen to raise awareness of Lyme disease, as one of the practice’s veterinary nurses contracted it after being bitten in a field near Aberdour.

Quick to spot the telltale rash of concentric circles on her leg, Debbie Miller was promptly given a course of strong antibiotics.

“I was fine after that but I know that, if it hadn’t been treated as quickly, I could have really suffered,” said Debbie, 38.

Now Inglis’ staff are taking part in the Big Tick Project, helping its organisers collect data which will give vets and human health professionals a better understanding of this growing problem.

Using specialist equipment, they have been gathering the ticks, freezing them and sending them to Bristol University.

Debbie said: “There’s a general perception that tick-borne diseases such as Lyme disease are an exclusively rural problem, but we know from experience that is not the case.

“We would urge all dog owners to be aware of the problems tick bites can cause, and we’d urge them to visit a vet for further information.”