Symptoms, treatment and prevention for cats and dogs

TICKS CAN BE DEADLY

© Veterinary Branding 2016

What tick is this?

We all know that finding a tick on our pet is not good. Ticks can be bad news as they can transmit disease, cause anaemia, paralysis

or even death.

Throughout the year we see several different types of ticks including: paralysis; brown dog; cattle and scrub ticks. Depending on

where you live, tick seasons can range from relatively short to almost continuous – and this can even vary from year to year. No

matter where you live, it's a good idea to develop the habit of regularly checking your pets for ticks. It is also very important to be

able to identify the type of tick you may find on your pet as the deadly paralysis tick can kill your pet within 3 to 4 days.

What tick is this?

Brown Dog Tick

The Brown dog tick (Rhipicephus sanguineus) is most commonly found in North Queensland but can

also occasionally be found in other areas.

These ticks usually:

Ÿ Are very small; and

Ÿ Have legs positioned around two thirds of the circumference of its body.

The Brown Dog Tick can often be found in great numbers on walls inside houses. They do not cause

paralysis.

Cattle Tick

The Cattle Tick (Boophilus microplus) is mostly found along the northern rivers area of New South

Wales and as the name suggests, cattle are its main host.

These ticks usually:

Ÿ Are larger and a brown colour; and

Ÿ Have legs extending down either side of its body.

This tick sucks blood and can cause anaemia when present in large numbers however, they do not

cause paralysis in our pets.

Bush or Scrub Tick

The Bush or Scrub tick (Haemaphysalis longicornis) is commonly found in coastal NSW and

Queensland, and north eastern Victoria.

They are usually small, round or oval, a black/brown colour, with dark, red brown legs.

They suck blood and can cause anaemia when present in large numbers but do not cause paralysis

in our pets.

Paralysis Tick

The Paralysis Tick (Ixodes holocyclus) can range from the size of a pin head to a thumbnail.

These ticks usually:

Ÿ Are a blue, grey colour;

Ÿ Have all their legs concentrated around the head area; and

Ÿ Have legs that are variable in colour (unlike others where the legs are all the same colour).

During the larval and nymph stages, the Paralysis Tick is brown and triangular with legs positioned

towards the head. These killers are the most common poisonous tick and can be found wherever there

is native wildlife. They can be transported around by bandicoots, kangaroos, possums, koalas and even

birds.

Common areas of infestations include mountainous areas, scrubby flats along a river, bush areas, parks

at the edge of newly established housing estates and acreage properties.

The Paralysis Tick can kill your pet within 3 days

© Veterinary Branding 2016

The Paralysis Tick has a 12-month lifecycle that requires feeding on blood from a host which could be a domestic pet or wildlife

- as a nymph, larvae and finally an adult. The female tick requires blood to produce her eggs and the male takes his blood meal

directly from the female. Once the adult female has latched onto a host, she engorges with blood and at the same time injects

a neurotoxin.

Once engorged, the Paralysis tick then drops off onto the ground to lay her eggs. These will hatch with the right climatic

conditions to form the larva, then nymph stages. The nymph and larvae will then wait on tips of grass or on trees to climb onto

the next warm blooded animal passing through. Ticks do not jump and cannot fly! The nymph and larvae also inject toxin into

their host, although the amount is too minimal to cause paralysis.

Once aboard a host, the tick will climb around looking for a suitable place to attach. The Paralysis Tick seems to be more

attracted to the head and neck area of an animal which is probably due to the carbon dioxide found in the breath of the animal

and vibration. The tick will then adhere by inserting its mouth parts through the skin into a blood capillary. The tick does not

bury itself under the skin – rather only the mouthparts. So, when examining for a tick you can easily see the tick's body and

even the legs around the mouthparts.

The most common time to find ticks is from July through to January. Ticks prefer the Spring to Summer period although it can

also extend into the milder Winters experienced in the top parts of the country. They are often more prominent after a period

of rainy weather but do not seem to be able to handle the more extreme heat in January/February. Numbers usually decrease

after March as we head into cooler Autumnal weather. However, paralysis ticks can also be found all year around in areas of

the country with cooler, wet rainforest areas.

Paralysis ticks

The most common time to find ticks about is from July through to January. “

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© Veterinary Branding 2016

If you find a tick on your pet it should be removed or killed

to prevent more toxin being injected. We recommend that

you physically remove the tick rather than try to kill it

with a chemical as once a chemical is applied there is no

guarantee the tick will die and drop off, whereas if you

physically remove the tick, you have also removed the

source of the toxin. Ideally, the whole tick needs to be

removed including the mouthparts and to achieve this you

can use a tick removal tool, a pair of tweezers or even your

fingertips.

There is no truth to the stories of twisting the tick clockwise

or leaving behind the head for the tick to regrow its body,

you just need to remove the tick so no more toxin is

injected. Once removed it is a good idea to keep the tick to

bring in to the veterinary clinic for identification.

Once it's removed you will need to decide whether to bring

your pet into the surgery for treatment. It's important to

understand that the tick's venom can have a lag effect and

even if your pet is showing no clinical signs of paralysis,

symptoms can still develop up to 2 days later!

After removing a tick, it is important to keep your pet quiet

and watch for potential signs over two days. If you notice

any of the signs listed on the following page contact us

immediately for advice.

What if I find a tick?

Tick tweezers(available at the clinic)

Tweezers Bring in the tick for identification

Even if your pet has no clinical signs of paralysis,

it can still develop symptoms up to 2 days later. “

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© Veterinary Branding 2016

Signs of Tick Paralysis are variable between animals and depends on the length of time the tick has been injecting venom. As

previously mentioned the lag effect of the venom means that for a pet to show signs of paralysis, the tick must have been on the

pet for at least 2 days, usually longer.

Animals will die typically after 3 to 4 days of envenomation.

What are the signs?

Signs of Tick Paralysis

Ÿ Unwilling to jump up or signs of lack of coordination when trying to jump;

Ÿ Ataxia or wobbly hind legs;

Ÿ Weakness in hind legs;

Ÿ Weakness in forelegs;

Ÿ Unable to walk or dragging hind legs;

Ÿ Change in the bark or meow;

Ÿ Vomiting;

Ÿ Lack of appetite and unable to swallow properly;

Ÿ Breathing distress including open mouth panting or gasping;

Ÿ Mucous from the mouth or nose.

The toxin injected by the Paralysis Tick is a neurotoxin and often affects the hind legs initially, then moves to the forelegs and

chest, although all tick paralysis cases are different and each symptom can occur at a different stage. Death from tick paralysis

occurs due to the paralysis of the chest muscles, aspiration pneumonia and cardiac arrest.

If you think your pet may have tick paralysis, please don't delay. Contact the practice as quickly as possible. Delaying treatment could lead to death for your pet.“

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© Veterinary Branding 2016

When a pet is brought into the practice the tick is

removed if this has not already occurred. A thorough

search is then undertaken for more ticks, which will

occur daily whilst the pet remains in hospital. In some

animals, only a tick crater can be found and in others

we will need to clip their coat off to allow a complete

and thorough search. Your pet's coat will grow back -

the most important thing is that we find all ticks to

give your pet the best chance of survival.

Tick cases are normally rated according to their

degree of paralysis and degree of respiratory

problems. Stages run from 1a through to 4d. The

higher the stage, the less chance your pet has of

making a full recovery.

Due to the lag phase of the tick's toxin, a pet

presenting as a stage 1a may quickly become a 2c

even with treatment and for this reason, we tend to

treat all animals that show ANY sign of tick paralysis

with antivenom.

The main treatment for tick paralysis is antivenom

which is normally administered intravenously. The

antivenom used is made in a controlled environment

by placing ticks onto dogs, then removing them and

repeating the process for increasingly longer periods

of time. Blood is then periodically taken from the

dogs, separated and impurities removed to leave a

serum rich in antibodies to the tick venom.

The antivenom is purified so it can be used in other

animals however as it is made from the blood of dogs,

other animals do have a greater chance of

experiencing an adverse reaction when it is

administered. Adverse reactions can also occur in

dogs due to their varying blood types and it is for this

reason other medications are also often

administered during treatment.

What is the treatment?

Early treatment, along with the experience of our veterinary

team will give your pet the best chance of survival.“

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© Veterinary Branding 2016

It is essential to keep your pet calm during the treatment period and for this

reason we often request that owners do not stay with their pets. If necessary, we

administer a strong sedative to ensure your pet does not become stressed and

then an intravenous catheter placed in the front leg so the anti-venom can be

administered.

During treatment, we keep track of essential vitals such as heart rate, oxygen

saturation of the blood and body temperature with the use of a portable Pulse

Oximeter, and skilled observation by the veterinarian and nurse. Other

medications may need to be given depending on the stage of the patient

including: intravenous fluids, antibiotics, further sedatives, diuretics to remove

fluid from the lungs, medications to dry up secretions in the mouth or nose, and

additional oxygen.

Oxygen therapy also plays a major role in tick treatment. When the paralysis has

advanced to the chest, the patient experiences great difficulty breathing and so

may need sedation to reduce stress and oxygen administered to maintain oxygen

saturation at normal levels.

Oxygen can be given using an oxygen cage or a direct nasal oxygen line which is

the most effective as it delivers humidified oxygen directly into the airways.

Without doubt, continuous monitoring of the patient is the most important factor

and allows us to modify or introduce further treatment when necessary. A trained

veterinary nurse is always present, and the patient is made comfortable in our

intensive care cages for best monitoring while the nurse goes about their normal

routines.

Pets are only allowed home once they can drink and eat properly. This is very

important as the tick toxin can cause loss of the gag reflex, so eating or drinking

too early can cause pets to aspirate food or water down into their lungs which can

then cause pneumonia. Generally, there tends to be no ongoing paralysis of the

legs, however a few animals may have chronic airway thickening if they have

suffered respiratory symptoms.

Treatment

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How do you prevent ticks?Prevention of Tick Paralysis is very important. Obviously if you can ensure a tick does not deliver the toxin, your pets

will not have to undergo treatment. The best prevention is to physically examine your pet thoroughly at least every 48

hours (remember the 2-day lag effect) and remove any ticks found. If your pet is showing any of the signs listed

previously, bring them to us immediately for assessment.

Hopefully your pet won't need treatment but it's better to have them checked than to 'wait and see' as the longer

treatment is delayed, the lower the chance of survival should anti-venom be required.

80% found fromshoulders forward

Don’t forget to check in between the toes.

Don’t forget to check inside the ears and mouth!

Yes, you do have tocheck their bottom!

How to manually check your pet

Tick collars (dogs only)

Around 80% of ticks are found between the shoulders and towards your dog or cat's nose, so this area should

be checked thoroughly every time. While 80% of ticks are found in this region, they can be also be found anywhere

on the body and have even been found inside the anus (bottom).

Run your fingers along your entire pet checking for lumps as the ticks will feel like a wart. Don't forget to check in

between toes, under the tail, armpit and groin areas, inside the mouth/lips and inside the ears.

A PREVENTIC or KILTIX tick collar can be used to prevent tick paralysis in

dogs if the collar is applied as directed and changed when it expires.

Preventic collars last for 8 weeks and Kiltix collars last for 6 weeks. The

Kiltix collar also claims to be waterproof which can be an advantage in

some areas. Once applied, the collar takes 24hrs to distribute its active

ingredient over the whole of the coat of the dog.

Note: These collars contain chemicals TOXIC to CATS.

© Veterinary Branding 2016

Various companies manufacture a 'spot on' product that can assist in preventing tick

paralysis. At this stage we believe Advantix and Frontline Plus are the best available

options.

Please note that while Advantix is safe to use on dogs, it is toxic to cats and so should

NEVER be applied to your cat!

Advantix and Frontline are to be applied every 2 weeks to the area between the

shoulder blades onto the skin. The product must be allowed to dry on the skin and so

your pet should not be bathed for 24 hours. Frontline is also available in a spray

format which is very effective but not as easy to apply as the 'spot on' formula.

The only registered product for the control of ticks on cats is Frontline Spray which is

required to be sprayed onto your cat's coat every 3 weeks.

Come and see us

We are more than happy to discuss your needs and recommend the best products to

prevent tick paralysis for your dog and cat and can also give you the best tips on how it

is to be applied. Please drop in any time that suits.

If at any time you are worried about your pet, don't hesitate to contact us.

Our qualified nurses can give you advice over the phone.

Spot on formulas Spot on formulas

© Veterinary Branding 2016