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Tick Paralysis
The Australian Paralysis Tick Ixodes holocyclus lives on native animals along the eastern Australian coastal strip. It regularly attaches to domestic animals including dogs, cats, horses, and cattle, and occasionally to humans. The tick injects a neurotoxin which causes progressive paralysis, respiratory depression, and death in animals which have no immunity to the toxin.
Tick paralysis is the greatest killer of pets in this area. The bulk of cases are seen from September to December , but it can occur all year round.
Pet owners need to be aware of the signs of tick paralysis, how to prevent it, and what to do if an animal is affected. The condition is successfully treated provided veterinary attention is sought early in the course.
Tick description.
Various stages of Ixodes holocyclus.
Picture courtesy of NSW Agriculture, Cattle Tick Program
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The unfed female is also yellowish in colour, but, as it engorges, becomes greyish with a brown line (in the shape of a shield) encircling the body. A fully engorged female tick may be 15 to 18 mm in length. Its legs are in a V shape line from its snout down the sides of its body. Of the four pairs of legs, the front and back pairs are brown, the second and third pairs paler in colour.
Clinical Signs
After a tick has been attached for a few days the following signs may be seen:
- Weakness in back legs, progressing to paralysis
- Grunting breathing
- Vomiting/gagging
- Change of voice
- Glazed look in eyes
The animal may show any combination of these symptoms. Sometimes in the early stages, vomiting/regurgitation
What To Do If You Find A Tick
This has been an area of great debate over the years. If you can remove the tick by pulling it off with tweezers or fingernails, do so. If you aren’t confident or if it appears to be burrowed in too far, simply poison the tick with pyrethrin based insecticide. Do not use surface spray or irritant solutions such as kerosene or turps as these may stimulate the tick and irritate the skin.
If the animal is showing no symptoms, closely observe your pet for 24 to 48 hours as they can deteriorate after the tick has been removed. Some dogs do develop a strong immunity and are unaffected by paralysis ticks but this immunity can wane.
If your pet is showing any symptoms described above, seek Veterinary attention as soon as possible. Do not wait to see if they get worse. The earlier that they are treated, the higher the success rate.
Treatment.
Treatment varies from case to case with the cornerstone if treatment Tick Antiserum, a hyperimmune serum made from highly immune dogs. Our cases are always hospitalised and given a tick bath to ensure there are no more live ticks. The time to recovery varies depending on stage at presentation and resistance of the patient. These factors can produce quite variable results.
Aftercare.
Animals are discharged when we consider it safe for them to be nursed at home. Your pet must be kept confined, quiet and cool for at least three to four days after they get home. Any signs of deterioration or untoward behaviour should be reported immediately.
Prevention.
Proban tablets dosed every 2nd day according to body weight is probably the most effective form of prevention. The tick is poisoned before it has been on long enough to inject enough toxin.
Tick Collars Preventic or Killtix collars seem to work quite effectively but are temporarily de-activated by swimming.
Frontline Spotton used every 2 weeks aids in the control of paralysis ticks but has not proved to be very effective in our judgement.
Fido’s Rinse Concentrate as a bath will kill ticks if done effectively but does not have a residual effect of more than three days.
None of the above is guaranteed to work in all cases and any preventative should be used in conjunction with daily searching.
