Paralysis Tick Emergency Care

The paralysis tick (Ixodes holocyclus) is a small, eight-legged tick that produces a potent toxin. This toxin causes paralysis in dogs and cats, and is potentially fatal. Paralysis ticks are commonly found on the east coast of Australia, and favour warm, humid conditions. This unfortunately means that they are a serious problem for pets in the Sydney area, particularly the Northern beaches. It’s important to ensure that your pet is on tick prevention and that you search them daily for any potential ticks.

Some areas of Sydney are more prone to ticks than others, but none are absolutely tick-free, this is why we recommend tick prevention to be used all year round for both cats and dogs.

When found on pets they tend to have their mouth parts buried in the skin. This creates a site of inflammation, which may be painful to touch. Once the tick is removed, it tends to leave a crater.

Signs of tick paralysis vary depending on the length of time the tick has been on the animal, as well as the potency of the toxin, which can vary between ticks.

Signs include:

Because the ability to breathe and swallow are affected, some animals will inhale saliva or food (aspirate) resulting in life-threatening pneumonia.

It is important to seek veterinary attention to determine whether your pet needs tick anti-toxin. Until then, there are some important steps you can take to reduce the risk of complications:

The toxin produced by paralysis ticks is very potent. Even when the tick is removed, most animals get worse before they get better – this is because the toxin that is already in the animal’s body continues to circulate and attach to nerves for a period of time.

Treatment of paralysis tick starts with tick anti-venom, which is administered as soon as possible by your veterinarian. Other treatments used depend on the severity of tick paralysis, but include: