One weekend hike on a Hong Kong trail can leave your dog with tick fever — and by the time you notice the symptoms, the parasite has been destroying red blood cells for two weeks. Untreated, it kills.
Tick fever is the everyday name for two blood parasites — Babesia and Ehrlichia — carried by the brown dog tick. Hong Kong's warm, humid climate means ticks are active almost year-round, and the country park trails dogs love most are exactly where they wait. Vets here treat tick fever every single week; it's one of the most common serious illnesses in Hong Kong dogs.
The symptoms owners miss
- –Tiredness that looks like 'just a lazy week' — the most common first sign.
- –Pale gums instead of healthy pink — lift the lip and check.
- –Dark, tea-coloured urine.
- –Fever, loss of appetite, or unexplained weight loss.
- –Small bruises or nose bleeds — a sign platelets are crashing.
Symptoms usually appear 1–3 weeks after the bite — long after the tick has dropped off. If you see any of these and your dog has been on a trail recently, go to a vet the same day and say the words "tick fever". A blood test confirms it in hours. If it's late at night, our 24-hour emergency vet directory lists who's open.
The post-hike tick check
Run through this after every trail walk. Ticks hide in these six spots.
Prevention that actually works
- –A monthly chewable or spot-on tick preventative from your vet — the single most effective step. Roughly HK$150–300 per month depending on size.
- –The post-hike tick check above, every time — a tick removed within 24 hours rarely transmits disease.
- –In peak season (spring to autumn), stick to the middle of the trail and skip the long grass.
What treatment costs
Caught early, tick fever treatment is a course of medication and follow-up blood tests — typically HK$2,000–5,000. Caught late, a dog may need hospitalisation and blood transfusions, and bills of HK$20,000+ are not unusual. Prevention at HK$200 a month is the cheapest insurance you'll ever buy — see our vet costs guide for the full picture.
Never miss a preventative dose
PawVault reminds you every month when the tick preventative is due — and keeps the blood test results in one place your vet can see.
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