What is tick season on the Sunshine Coast?
Ticks are parasites that feed on animal blood and inject toxins into the bloodstream to stop blood clotting, allowing them to grow. Ticks are approximately 3 – 5mm long, with many species of tick in Queensland. Species of ticks include paralysis tick, bush tick, cattle tick and brown dog tick.
However, the tick that is of the most concern is the paralysis tick. The Sunshine Coast is rampant with paralysis ticks. Many people believe paralysis ticks are a summer problem; however, it is a year-round issue, usually from October through July.
As ticks are prevalent on the coast, it is essential to ensure your cat or dog is on a tick preventative and is up to date. Tick preventatives are excellent, but they’re not failsafe. Our 24 hour vet emergency clinic has seen tick cases on patients with up-to-date preventatives, which is why it’s still important to check your pets every day, particularly around the head area, removing their collars as you do so.
What are the signs to look out for with paralysis ticks?
- Mild wobbliness in the hind legs
- Vomiting or regurgitating over 24 hours
- Frequent sitting, laying down or an inability to stand
- Laboured breathing with a soft grunting sound
- Inability to urinate
- Change in the sound of the bark or meow
- Excessive salivation or drooling
- Not eating
- Gagging or retching
- Coughing
If your pet is showing these signs, you need to check for ticks. Also, get someone else to check or visit a vet clinic if you can’t find a tick. Our nurses are experienced and will thoroughly check your pet for ticks. Other conditions can cause similar signs and symptoms, but it’s important to be tick aware, especially during this time of year.
How to find a tick on your pet?
We recommend you search your pet from head to toe. Begin around the muzzle and nose and work your way around the face. Remember to check in and around the folds of the ears. Run your hands down the neck and remove the collar, as ticks sometimes hide under. Also, run your hands under the armpits, between all the toes, and down all the legs.
It’s best to feel for ticks rather than look, as you won’t necessarily see a tick. If you feel a bump, check; if it looks like a grey insect, it’s probably a paralysis tick. And if there’s one tick on your pet, there’s likely to be more.
When you find a tick, the best thing to do is pull it off. If you’re not comfortable, take your pet to a veterinary clinic, where the nurses will remove it. Removing the tick is critical; the longer it’s on, the more toxin is injected.
How does a paralysis tick affect your pet?
Paralysis ticks affect your pet through ascending paralysis, meaning it paralyses from the back legs to the front legs. The paralysis attacks the breathing muscles, the heart muscle and your animal’s ability to swallow, which means they sometimes vomit. Because of their inability to swallow, the patient is susceptible to pneumonia.
Unfortunately, what they vomit up can become lodged in their airways resulting in significant complications. When it gets to that stage, your pet’s condition becomes quite critical, which is why you should take them to a 24 hour vet clinic as soon as you suspect paralysis tick.
Common complications resulting from paralysis ticks involve:
- Aspiration pneumonia – is caused by fluid from the stomach being regurgitated up and going into the lungs as the swallow reflex is paralysed.
- Respiratory failure – as the respiratory muscles are paralysed, animals can no longer breathe effectively to exchange oxygen.
- Eye ulcers – as animals lose the ability to blink.
- Bladder dysfunction – as animals lose the inability to urinate.
What is the treatment?
Once you’ve got your pet at a 24 hour vet clinic, treatment options involve the following:
- Sedation is used to keep your pet calm during their treatment.
- Tick antiserum transfusion helps mop up tick toxin that is not already bound to the nerves. However, this antiserum cannot remove toxins already attached to nerves. This means a pet may deteriorate for 24-72 hours after a tick has been removed and treatment is given. Tick antiserum does not provide immunity to further ticks. Tick antiserum is a blood product. Hence animals can have anaphylactic reactions to the administration.
- Tick clip, as most patients have more than one tick. This is why a full-body clip is necessary for all pets with hair longer than a Greyhound’s.
- Bravetco spot-on is to be placed between the shoulders. This can take 24-72 hours to be fully effective.
- Intravenous fluids because your pet can’t eat or drink whilst their throat is paralysed, and they cannot swallow properly.
- ICU hospitalisation and monitoring include blood tests to monitor various factors such as your pet’s lung function, hydration status and electrolyte levels.
- Oxygen therapy for difficulty breathing.
- Medications to prevent vomiting and regurgitation reduce the risk of them developing aspiration pneumonia but do not eliminate it.
Even after being treated, it takes time for the antiserum to reverse the signs in your pet, and that does not mean your pet is immune to further ticks. Following the tick removal, they can worsen for 48 hours before improving.
This is why some of our patients remain in the clinic from two days to a week. Our 24 hour vet clinic considers every pet affected by a tick critical until they fully recover. The criteria for discharge home are:
- Standing
- No breathing difficulty
- No regurgitation or vomiting
- Ability to urinate on their own
- Eating & drinking without difficulty
What is the aftercare?
Once your pet is discharged from the vet clinic, they will require some aftercare.
This includes:
- Strict rest for seven days (no walks except for toileting).
- Gradual return to exercise – nothing strenuous for four weeks as the tick toxin can affect heart rhythm for up to three weeks.
- Avoid overheating for three weeks.
- Observe urination and advise your vet if they are straining, have a narrow stream, have incontinence, or reduced urination occurs.
- Suitable preventives for dogs include:
- A chew that is given every three months or a spot on that lasts six months provides comprehensive coverage of flea and tick prevention (Bravecto)
- Seresto tick collar
- Nexgard which is a monthly chew that provides tick and flea prevention
- Suitable preventives for cats include:
- A suitable spot-on applied every three months (Bravecto)
- Frontline Plus spray is applied every three weeks.
Ticks are preventable, so to minimise the risk for your pet, keep up with your tick preventatives and frequently check your pet for ticks, especially if they spend a lot of time in the yard or go on walks in the bush. Contact our 24 hour vet clinic immediately if your pet becomes severely ill. Our clinic is fully equipped with advanced facilities so we can put patients with breathing problems onto an artificial respirator.
