Ticks

Paralysis ticks have the ability to kill your pet if left unnoticed or untreated. - paralysis ticks are small grey/blue ticks found in scrub and carried by native animals. All their legs are orange/brown in colour and clustered near their mouth. - Warm weather following rainy periods brings them out in droves.

Ticks are most commonly found on the front half of animals, where long grass brushes against them when walking in the bush, but they can move to anywhere on the body. When checking your pet over for ticks make sure you look over the whole body as well as between the toes and pads of the feet, in ears and lips, under "armpits" and in any other nooks and crannies as ticks love warm areas. Don't forget under the collar as this is another favourite tick spot. - Dogs, cats, horses, sheep and goats can all be affected.

What do I do when I find a tick on my dog (or cat)?

REMOVE THE TICK. Spraying the tick first with frontline spray, aeroguard or metho will make removal easier. Spray the tick and wait a few moments before pulling it out with your nails or tweezers.

OBSERVE YOUR DOG. Your pets condition may still worsen after removal of the tick. - If you get the tick soon after it has attached there may be no signs of toxins in your pet, so keep him quiet and under observation for a day (see below for signs).

Paralysis ticks, as the name suggests, slowly paralyse your pet. If your pet is showing any of these signs search him/her for a tick and KEEP THEM COOL AND QUIET. Heat, activity and excitement will accelerate the toxic affects.

- Your pet is a little dopier than normal, not running around as much
- Vomiting for no reason
- Voice/bark has changed
- Breathing difficulties, or just heavier breathing than normal
- Wobbly walk (look "punch drunk" when walking)
- Difficulties getting up from lying, unable to jump into car etc,
- Coughing when trying drink (inhaling the water)
- Cannot get front or back end up, just sitting, trying to get up but unable
- Lying on side unable to move into a sitting position
- Lying on side, breathing very heavily, saliva/frothing at the mouth.

DO NOT offer your pet food or water as they may inhale it leading to lung problems.

FOLLOW THE VET'S INSTRUCTIONS. Your pet may need anti tick serum to save him/her. Tick treatment can be expensive, so don’t let your guard down when it comes to checking your pet and using preventatives such as frontline, preventic collars, proban etc. Some insurance policies will cover tick paralysis treatment, and this may be worthwhile if you live in a bad tick area. The earlier a tick case is treated the more chance there is of a quick turnaround and survival.

TICK SERUM - takes 12hrs to take effect so your pet will get worse before getting better. The worse it is at the start of treatment the more chance there is of complications and death. There is always a risk of an immediate allergic reaction to the tick serum, especially in cats, and also of delayed serum reactions. Most pets go home in 24hrs, but some may need to stay in hospital longer and require more drugs to treat secondary problems such as pneumonia. The larger an animal is and the sicker it is, the more expensive treatment will be.