Ticks
The paralysis tick (Ixodes holocyclus) occurs mainly along the coast of eastern Australia, however, it may also be found further inland in valleys and forested areas. Paralysis ticks are not natives of the Canberra area, but these parasites may enter the region in camping gear and clothing, or on humans and animals returning from tick infested areas.

These ticks normally live on the native bandicoot without any detrimental effect, however, they can prove to be fatal in dogs and cats, and very occasionally humans. The paralysis tick's saliva contains a toxin that affects the nerves of the host animal. The toxin enters the body when the tick attaches to an animal to suck blood.

Clinical signs may occur as early as two days after the attachment of a tick, and include dullness or lethargy, vomiting, a change in your dog's bark, or a grunt when breathing. Staggering in the hind legs follows, and if the condition is left untreated, the paralysis progresses to the front legs, neck muscles, and muscles associated with breathing and swallowing. Death occurs with respiratory arrest. This is a progressive and eventually fatal condition if left untreated, and prevention is most definitely better than cure!

Treatment for tick paralysis should ALWAYS be supervised by a veterinarian, and involves removing the offending tick(s), intravenous fluids, plus administration of tick antiserum and other medications. Until veterinary attention can be sought, heat, excitement and stress should be avoided, and food or water should not be given.

Prevention:

1.    Where possible, completely avoid tick habitat. For example, avoid walking your dog in coastal bush areas that are known to harbour large numbers of ticks.

2.    Daily searches of your pets are essential whilst in tick country. Remove their collar, and then use your fingertips to feel through the coat down to skin level. Pay particular attention to the head, neck and shoulders, but the whole body should still be checked, including inside the ears, lips, around the bottom, and between the toes. Ticks or tick craters may be felt as lumps on the skin surface. Any unattached ticks you find can be rapidly removed, but attached ticks should first be killed by spraying the tick with Frontline® spray or a rapid knockdown insecticide (such as pyrethrin-based fly spray). After the ticks are dead they should be removed with fine tweezers, ensuring that the mouth parts of the tick are fully removed.

3.  While no product on the market will guarantee prevention of all cases of tick attachment, we recommend two products to aid in tick prevention in conjunction with the other measures we've previously outlined. Proban® is a systemic insecticide given by mouth every second day (starting a week before entering tick areas and continuing for 2 weeks afterwards). It comes in either tablet or liquid form, and kills ticks after they have attached to the animal.   Frontline® spray is widely used for flea control, but also has good activity for killing ticks. It is applied to the coat and kills ticks within 24-48 hours after attaching. The spray must be repeated every 3 weeks to maintain effectiveness.

If you would like to know more about tick control, please talk to us and we can give you more information.