#tick prevention

As the weather cools, and people continue to explore the outdoors, it is crucial to remember the presence of ticks. Human vaccines are currently lacking for all tick-borne pathogens that occur in the United States. By venturing into dense vegetation, we place ourselves at a greater risk of contracting a variety of vector-borne diseases.

Here are some strategies that might assist in tick-bite prevention:

1.       Use tick repellent as a first line of defense

2.       Check your body daily for attached ticks

3.       Shower or bath within two hours after spending time in tick habitats

4.       Manage residential landscapes and vegetation to reduce tick habitats

Spending time outside is very important for your energy. You have to spend time in nature in order to become increasingly connected to and in tune with it.

BUT, there are some dangers to spending time outdoors, especially in wooded areas.

Ticks are one of these dangers.

Not only are they disgusting, but deer ticks frequently carry and spread lyme disease.

There are a plethora of bug sprays out on the market, but if you tend to shy away from chemicals, you can give these natural remedies a try! You’ll more than likely already have most of the ingredients.

The base of this recipe is 2 parts vinegar to 1 part water. A small amount of either vegetable oil or almond oil may be added, as they contain sulfur which is a deterrent.

The following oils can be added alone or in combination with each other;

Rose geranium oil

Lemongrass oil

Citronella oil

Peppermint essential oil

Catnip oil

Eucalyptus essential oil

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! 

Allow me to introduce Yet Another Australian Animal That Wants To Kill You, The Australian Paralysis Tick, Ixodes holocyclus!

Let me tell you about this little arthropod and what it does. Dogs are most commonly affected, but cats can get them too, especially if they’re regular hunters.

Very common tick, especially down the East coast. Does not seem to affect wildlife.

Like it says on the tin, this tick causes paralysis.

Initially hind limb paralysis or an altered bark.

Progresses to being unable to stand, then unable to roll over.

Respiratory paralysis can and will occur

Cardiac paralysis can occur

Fluid build up in lungs (non-cardiogenic pulmonary oedema) can occur, coupled with the respiratory paralysis this makes breaking very challenging.

If eyelid paralysis occurs, the patient cannot blink and will get eye ulcers.

Can’t eat or drink due to impaired swallowing.

Every hour before treatment will worsen prognosis and delay recovery time

Stress may lead to overheating and death of pet, including even transport in the car

Tick may have been attached for up to 7 days before clinical signs noted

Clinical signs usually lead to death within 24 hours if not treated.

It is not uncommon for dogs to have more than one tick

Short version: This tick paralysis its host, and dogs or cats parasitised by one are likely to die without antitoxin.

Oh, and there is a small chance the antitoxin will cause anaphylaxis.

These ticks may also be associated with Mammalian Meat Allergy in humans, where a previously bitten human suddenly develops allergies to eating all mammalian meats. These allergies can cause life threatening anaphylaxis too, completely unexpectedly.

“In the United States, ticks transmit the greatest diversity of arthropod-borne pathogens and are responsible for the most cases of all vector-borne diseases. In recent decades, the number of reported cases of notifiable tick-borne diseases has steadily increased, geographic distributions of many ticks and tick-borne diseases have expanded, and new tick-borne disease agents have been recognized.”

Researchers recently examined the eight most common human-biting ixodid ticks, found in dense brush and heavily forested woodlands. Do you know which preventive measures to take before embarking on your next camping trip this summer?