Finnish dog owner removes dozens of ticks daily as reports hit record highs

A Tampere resident is pulling dozens of ticks from her dogs each day, with nationwide reports of the parasites already nearing last year’s total by late May, according to data from the University of Turku and Pfizer’s Punkkilive tracking app.

Taru Nurmela, who has lived in the same area for 16 years, described this spring as “the worst start to summer ever,” noting a sharp rise in tick numbers only in recent years. Her two miniature bull terriers typically accumulate around 100 ticks annually, but she expects that threshold to be surpassed by the end of May this year.

As of late May, the Punkkilive app had logged over 118,700 tick sightings in 2026—approaching the 138,102 reports recorded for all of 2025. Eero Vesterinen, a tick researcher and docent, cautioned that while annual fluctuations occur, the long-term trend shows a steady increase in tick populations over decades.

Nurmela avoids chemical tick preventatives due to potential side effects, which in dogs can range from skin reactions and lethargy to seizures or paralysis. Instead, she inspects her dogs thoroughly after every outing and removes attached ticks immediately. She acknowledged growing public concern over the environmental harm caused by tick treatments, further discouraging their use.

Ticks can transmit diseases such as Lyme borreliosis and tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) to humans, though severe cases in dogs are rare. However, infestations may still require veterinary care for secondary infections or allergic reactions.