Ticks found on one third of dogs in UK effects people read more at here www.spinonews.com/index.php/item/771-ticks-found-on-one-third-of-dogs-in-uk-effects-people

Over 15,000 dogs across the UK were examined which was carried out by Bristol University.

Ticks are spider-like, egg-shaped, blood-sucking creepy crawlies. They have eight legs and vary in size from about 1mm to 1cm long. Adult ticks look a bit like small spiders.

The tick acts as a vector. In the same way that a mosquito transmits malaria when it sucks blood from a person, the tick does the same to an animal or a person.

Ticks are common in woodland, grassland areas, but can also be found in your garden if you live in an area with lots of wildlife.

Researchers also found that the risk of an animal picking up a tick is as great in urban areas as in rural ones almost a third of dogs checked at random across the UK were found to be carrying a tick.

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.

Prof Richard Wall, who led the Big Tick Project team at the University of Bristol said, given the results of this study showing the high numbers of ticks across the country and with the serious potential consequences of Lyme disease, scientists are urging people to be aware of the risks and do their best to avoid being bitten.

Lyme disease is transmitted by the bite of a tick infected with Borrelia burgdorferibacteria according to Public Health England, it's estimated that there are 2,000 to 3,000 new confirmed cases of Lyme disease in England and Wales each year.

About 15% of cases are in people who have returned from abroad.

One initial symptom can be a red circular rash around the bite called a "bullseye" rash. But this isn't always present and so can't be relied upon as a warning signal. Victims can develop flu-like symptoms along with muscle and joint pain.

Lyme disease can be treated with antibiotics. But if left untreated it can seriously damage a person's health, including affecting the nervous system, causing meningitis or heart fail