Tick Fever in the City: What New Bangkok Research Means for Your Dog

Christopher Brian Dittrich

11 minutes ago

5 min read

Ask any Bangkok vet what keeps them busy year-round and "tick fever" will come up fast. Locally it's called khai hep (ไข้เห็บ), and it's not one disease but a group of blood infections carried by ticks. A new study from Kasetsart University puts some hard numbers on how common these infections are around Bangkok, and the results are worth a few minutes of any dog owner's time, even if your dog lives on the 28th floor.

What the new Bangkok study found

In May 2026, researchers from Kasetsart University's veterinary faculty published a comparison of 400 dogs from Bangkok and nearby provinces in the journal Pathogens. They tested blood from temple strays and from dogs seen at three small animal hospitals, using samples collected in 2019.

Across all 400 dogs, 46.25% carried at least one tick-borne pathogen. The most common was Ehrlichia canis (23.5%), followed by Babesia vogeli (16.5%), Rickettsia asembonensis (15%) and Anaplasma platys (11.5%).

The figure that stands out for pet owners: among 100 healthy companion dogs brought in for a routine check, 27 tested positive for at least one of these organisms. For temple strays, it was 88 out of 100.

What it means for you: A dog that looks perfectly well can still be carrying a blood parasite. The researchers noted that most dogs with mixed infections showed mild signs or none at all.

The usual suspects, in plain language

Ehrlichia canis infects white blood cells and is linked to low platelet counts, which can show up as nosebleeds, bruising, tiredness or poor appetite.
Babesia attacks red blood cells and can cause anaemia, with pale gums and weakness.
Anaplasma platys targets platelets, and often turns up alongside Ehrlichia.
Hepatozoon canis is unusual: dogs typically pick it up by swallowing an infected tick, for example while grooming, rather than through a bite.

A separate 2024 study in Frontiers in Veterinary Science tested 565 owned dogs in urban central Thailand and found 19.1% infected, with Ehrlichia the most common at 12.2%. Low platelet counts were among the main lab findings, and young adult dogs aged one to three had the highest infection rates. Different methods and populations explain the gap between the two studies, but both point the same way: these infections are common in pet dogs here, not just strays.

Why condo dogs are not off the hook

It's tempting to think ticks are a problem for village dogs or dogs with big gardens. The brown dog tick, the main carrier of most of these infections, doesn't play by those rules.

According to the University of Saskatchewan's veterinary parasitology resource, the brown dog tick is unusual because it can complete its entire life cycle indoors. Females lay eggs in cracks and crevices where infested dogs spend time, and owners often first notice a problem when ticks appear crawling up walls. The full cycle can take as little as two months, and unfed adults can survive in the environment for well over a year.

In Bangkok terms, that means a tick picked up on a soi walk, at a dog park or from a friend's dog at a café can quietly start a population in a condo, along skirting boards, under sofas or in the dog's bed.

What it means for you: If you find more than the odd tick, treat the home as well as the dog. Wash bedding hot, vacuum edges and crevices, and ask your vet about the right approach for your household.

Prevention habits that matter

The Kasetsart team found that dogs without antiparasitic treatment tested positive more often (62.2%) than treated dogs (30.9%), and free-roaming dogs more often than those kept close to home. Those factors didn't stay statistically significant once the researchers adjusted for dog group, so they're signals rather than proof, but they match what local vets have long advised.

A few habits that help:

Keep tick prevention continuous. Bangkok has no cold season that kills ticks off, so talk to your vet about a product and schedule that suits your dog's size, age and lifestyle, and stick to it all year.
Do a two-minute tick check after walks. Run your fingers between the toes, inside the ears, under the collar and around the tail base.
Remove ticks carefully. Use fine tweezers or a tick hook, grip close to the skin and pull steadily. Don't squeeze the body or crush ticks with bare fingers.
Mind your dog's social circle. Dog parks, grooming salons and boarding kennels are great, but ask how they handle ticks.
Consider a blood test. For dogs that spend a lot of time outdoors or have had ticks before, a routine screen at the annual check can catch infections early.

Signs to call the vet about

Tick-borne infections can be subtle at first. Book a check if your dog shows:

Tiredness or loss of interest in walks
Reduced appetite or weight loss
Fever
Pale gums
Nosebleeds, small bruises on the belly or blood in urine or stool

Treatment decisions belong with your vet, who will confirm the diagnosis with blood tests before choosing a plan.

A reminder that ticks matter for people too

In September 2026, Thailand's Department of Disease Control asked health authorities to monitor Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (SFTS), a tick-borne virus, after six identified cases in Bangkok, Phetchabun, Nakhon Pathom and Chachoengsao. The WHO linked two 2025 cases in Phetchabun to close contact with pet dogs, with infected dog ticks found near the patients' homes. The risk to any one household is low, but it's another good reason to keep ticks off your dog and out of your home, and to see a doctor if you develop a fever after finding ticks.

The bottom line

Tick fever is one of the most common health problems facing Bangkok dogs, and new research shows it isn't limited to strays. Year-round prevention, quick checks after walks, a clean home environment and regular vet visits go a long way. At Sabai Tails, we think a calm, tick-free dog is a happy one, and the small daily habits are what get you there.

This article is for general information and isn't a substitute for advice from your veterinarian.

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