#paralysis ticks

So it’s summer in Australia and that means ticks! Many of us born in Australia are aware of these nasty buggers, however I was reminded today that people who move here often are not aware of the hazards of our ticks considering many ticks outside Australia are nothing more than blood sucking pests. Like most things in Australia though, we have a tick who is... special. 

This is the Paralysis Tick (Ixodes holocyclus) and is an incredibly common sight in Brisbane where I live. Here’s a map of their distribution (along with our other common, nicer ticks) below. 

Their favourite environment to live in is bushland and long grass, although they travel near and far into city and household through trusty transportation; bats, wallabies, and birds, along with others. They live  for one year with a 4 stage life cycle; egg, larvae, nymph, and adult. They can range in size from a pinhead to the nail on your thumb, the bigger the tick the longer it’s been attached and feeding. An adult tick can lay up to 3000 eggs and they take roughly 60 days to hatch! Hence why they spread like wildfire. Only the females attach and feed off hosts, while the male ticks will feed off the female, mate her, then die. 

If you haven’t guessed already from their name, these ticks cause paralysis! As they feed they inject neurotoxins into their host through saliva, causing a plethora of issues. Paralysis is rare within adults, however young children can suffer. Despite adults not suffering the paralysis, they still make us incredibly sick. Symptoms are similar to the Influenza Virus (the Flu) and there are a lot of symptoms you can suffer. These can include; rashes, diarrhea, vomiting, headache, fever, body aches and pains, lethargy, balance issues, intolerance to bright light, weak limbs, and finally issues with motor control particularly in the facial muscles and hands. They are incredibly nasty ticks. 

I’m not talking about human health today however, I’m making this post to talk about how they affect animals. Specifically our pets. 

Tick ‘season’ begins in September and progressively gets worse as our weather heats up; December and January which are in the peak of heat are the worst months. Ticks don’t stick to season though, it’s entirely possible to find them in winter! However it’s not nearly as common. During Tick season Vets are overrun with patients. Roughly 10,000 dogs are affected each year with a 5% fatality rate (500 animals). These ticks aren’t picky, they’ll commonly target; dogs, cats, birds, chickens, cattle, sheep, goats, rodents, snakes, lizards, and wildlife. Paralysis Ticks can and will kill all of the above animals if treatment is not provided. 

Animals usually start showing clinical symptoms 3-5 days after the tick has attached, it takes a while for the toxins to get into their system. This isn’t good though, as once the toxins are in and start causing noticeable issues you have a very short time frame to seek medical help. The most common symptoms within cats and dogs are; heavy and laboured breathing, excessive panting, coughing, vomiting, constant salivation and frothing at the mouth, wobbly and unsteady back legs, refusal to stand up and walk, full hind leg paralysis, and finally full body paralysis and loss of consciousness. It can take as little as 24 hours after you notice clinical symptoms for your pet to succumb to respiratory or heart failure. 

They sound like a nightmare, and trust me they are. If you discover your animal has a tick you need to book a Vet appointment immediately as without treatment they’ll likely die. Even if you remove the tick, the toxins can remain within the body for weeks. 

If you find a tick, it’s best to remove it straight away so no further toxins are injected. However refrain from squeezing the ticks body with tweezers or fingers!!! Squeezing the abdomen can cause the tick to regurgitate straight into your pet, releasing more toxins. There are special tools you can buy which twist the tick off, if not try and grab the tick by it’s head if it isn’t burrowed into your animal. Here is an example of the removal tool, and another of how to use it. 

If you don’t have this on hand, obviously have a go with tweezers. Just try your best to grab them as far down on their body as you can. 

Vet treatment wise, an antiserum to neutralise the toxin will be administered and the animal may require Intravenous fluids, oxygen and assistance breathing, and assisted urination and defecation if full paralysis has occurred. Never give your animal food or water if it’s paralysed by a tick, as your pet could inhale this into their lungs. Ticks cause respiratory failure, so without full control over their throat and chest muscles they may fail to block off their airway or swallow this food/water properly. It can take up to 9 days for a pet to recover, so your animal will either stay in vet care or will be cleared to go home with antibiotics and/or anti-nausea medication. 

The best way to avoid this heartache for your pets is obviously prevention. Below are some examples of ticks attached, keep in mind that these ticks are engorged so relatively easy to feel or spot. Newly attached ticks will be a pinhead bump, not the huge things you see here. First image is a tick attached to a dog, second is a blue tongue skink, third is a bird (I’m unsure of species). First image is an engorged Paralysis tick, second image are some non-full paralysis ticks, third image is not a paralysis tick (from my viewpoint anyway).

The most straightforward method of prevention is to check your animals regularly, particularly within Summer for ticks. You do this by feeling along your animal and pulling back their fur/feathers/wool to check any small bump or raise you might feel. Common areas of attachment is on the chest and neck, however ticks also like eyes, ears, belly, and around the anus. Check every inch of your pet, sometimes the pricks even go between toes. Here are common areas to check for different animals. Dogs and cats: under the collar, ears, eyes, mouth, belly, chest.  Birds: eyes, beaks and ears. Generally ticks like to attach in places a bird can’t reach so they can’t be pulled off. Armpits (under wings) and along the bottom are also favoured spots.  Reptiles: cloaca, armpits, ears, mouth, eyes.  Rodents: face, stomach, back, ears Sheep: udders, belly, armpits, ears, eyes, jaw/chin.  Cattle: everywhere. Just trust me. Everywhere

Obviously check over your entire animal, but those are the most common spots for each respective species if you’re short for time. Other methods of prevention include sprays and topline treatment. Cattle and sheep get sprayed down for ticks, while dogs and cats should receive regular preventative treatment often in the form of a spray on the back of their neck just like flea treatment. It’s also important to keep grass short on your property as ticks love living in this. Furthermore, don’t walk your dog through any long grass or bushland during summer if you can help it. 

I think that pretty much covers everything! It’s a lot of information but I figured the more the better use it would be to somebody wanting knowledge/help. To everybody living in Australia, or potentially visiting, stay safe and watch out for these ticks. I’ve had several myself and they are not fun! 

This week I helped restrain a dog that had two nymph paralysis ticks being removed (in actual fact, it was only one - the other was a mole, didn't stop the vet trying to pluck it off until he realised). After it was removed, and the dog drenched in a frontline spray i had the pleasure of inspecting it and learning what happens when you squish them (Its like a big pimple). 

This got me thinking about how bad the situation could have been, and so i went home and did a bit of research.

Tick Facts

Ticks are bloodsucking parasites. There are many tick species in Australia though the most common species that attacks  humans in NSW is the paralysis tick, Ixodes holocyclus. This tick is mostly found along a narrow coastal strip between the Great Dividing Range and the coast, which in some areas extends inland up to 75 km.

Ticks have four distinct stages of development: egg – larva – nymph – adult. Larvae, nymphs and adult females must have a blood meal from a host. After the blood meal larvae and nymphs drop off the host and rest in the environment as they develop into the next stage; adult females drop off the host and lay eggs. The whole cycle usually takes about a year.

To remove a tick 

Place a fine pair of forceps or tweezers under the mouthparts, as close to the skin of the animal as possible and lever the tick off. Special tick removal hooks can be effective in removing the tick. 

It is a myth that the head of the tick must be removed or it will keep injecting poison into the animal. Ticks have no heads, just mouthparts, if the mouthparts or feeding tube stay in the animal they will act like a small splinter and result in only a mild surface irritation before the body naturally expels them.

Even when you find a tick and remove it, your pet isn't out of the woods. There's a very good chance the tick could have left a residue of poison under the skin which will then be slowly absorbed. You should keep an eye on him or her for the next two to four days,

Signs of a Paralysis Tick

Paralysis ticks produce a toxin that they inject into their hosts while feeding, affecting the nerves where they join to the muscles and ultimately causing paralysis.

 Larvae and nymphs secrete small quantities of this toxin when they feed but it is the larger amount injected by adult females that most commonly causes paralysis.

Symptoms include:

loss of coordination in the hind legs,

changes in voice or bark,

retching or vomiting,

laboured breathing,

and progressive paralysis to the forelegs.