Ticks

[winewood]

Hello,

We have moved to Sydney from Melb and I am looking into getting a cocker spaniel pup early next year (can'nt wait) I'v never been without a dog in my life.

I have never dealt with ticks and the thought of searching through all that hair everyday really firghtens me. Are ticks in surburbs or only if you go out bush?we are looking at buying a house in the hills area is this area bad for ticks do I have to consider this or not.

Thanks

[RobbieTheCocker]

Hi Mclennan, you may find that your Cocker will be more likely to pick up ticks in the bush, but simply being in the suburbs is no guarantee against ticks either. You should do a tick patrol as part of the normal daily grooming routine your Cocker will require anyway, as ticks tend to latch on in the areas where knots will usually start on the coat: ie under & in the ears, around the neck and in the armpits & around the upper limbs. Of course, make sure to keep up with a tick prevention medication as well. We moved from Vic up to Qld last year, & got caught out recently by a paralysis tick bite on one of our Cockers... the tick problem in the warmer climes may be more of a problem than you might ordinarily be used to.

[Purple Julie]

Oops!

Edited November 2, 2004 by Purple Julie

[Romanysky]

Main Tick Species in Australia...

The Indigenous Tick, found in Western Australia, Tasmania, southeast coastal New South Wales and central Victoria. It may cause paralysis.

Paralysis Tick, found from northern Queensland to Bairnsdale in Victoria along coastal regions. Causes paralysis.

Cattle Tick, found in Queensland, north eastern New South Wales, Northern Territory and Western Australia. This tick is rare on dogs and carries parasites found in cattle blood.

Bush Tick, also known as a scrub tick and New Zealand cattle tick. Found in the southeast coastal area of Queensland, along the New South Wales coast line and thru north eastern Victoria along the Murray River.

Brown Dog Tick, found mainly in inland areas of Queensland, Western Australia, New South Wales and Victoria. Most prevalent in the northern parts of Australia. Carries a wide range of infectious diseases including Babesia Canis which can occur in a symptom less carrier state or in disease form ranging in severity from mild to severe and occasionally causing death.

Other ticks found in Australia include the Cat Tick, Possum Tick, Opossum Tick and the Wallaby Tick.

[winewood]

thanks for replies

preventive medication ! what is this how does this work ? you still have to check the dog each day does the medication stop the posion entering the dogs system or does it just stop the tick from biting the dog ???????? Sorry for silly questions just never dealt with ticks and as I said it all sounds a bit frightening

[Rappie]

Tick prevention medication: easiest methods are tick collars or Frontline Plus applied fortnightly. They are designed to kill the tick before they attach, but aren't fail safe - they only reduce risk.

You should check your dog over daily even if it ends up just being out of habit. Get a routine happening - check head and ears, walk your fingers through the entire coat, run your hands down their legs, check 'arm pits' and 'leg pits' and under tails.

Keep an eye out for unusual quiet behaviour, tick paralysis usually starts with a hindlimb weakness progressing to paralysis and depending on severity may notice a change in the dog's bark, difficulty swallowing, trembling and so on. If you find a tick, you can spray Frontline spray on it or just remove it - take it and your dog to your vet if you notice anything unusual about the dog.

I'd suggest you ring up your local vet or go into see them and ask about any particularly bad tick areas around you. They should also have a brochure from Bayer on tick identification which has some good general information in it. If they don't, PM me and I'll be happy to mail you one.

[RobbieTheCocker]

Some good advice from Rappie there. Also watch for coughing or gagging (like a cat with furballs), vomitting, refusal of food, or halucinations (dog barking at something only it can see).

The reason for the medication is, even if you groom your Cocker daily, a tick that's on the dog for only 20 hours or so can still do a lot of harm before it's discovered... the poison still circulates in the dog's system even after the tick's removal, so preventing the bite in the first place is vital. Tick prevention medication alone won't act against the effects of the poison once it's in the dog's system, an anti-serum will be required after that point.

Don't be frightened about this aspect of Cocker ownership... Most Cockers love to be groomed and a well cared-for coat will keep your dog looking it's best and make checking for ticks a breeze.

[tommy15]

if you take your dog walking on bush tracks or in long grass, places like that, i would make sure to check the dog every day. I know a guy whose adolecent lab was fine at bed time, and dead in the morning, so be sure to check everyday cause with some dogs, especially pups, tragedy can strike very quickly.

Yes i dont envy you i wouldnt like to have to check for ticks on a long haired dog everyday, but then again i guess if your choosing this breed you probly like grooming all the time so yer.

Anyway if you do find a tick one way to get rid of it is with fly spray.

Edited November 2, 2004 by tommy15

[Mystiqview]

In Brisbane here, ticks are just as prominent in the inner city suburbs as in the rural outskirts.

Natural hosts are Possums, bandicoots, magpies just to name a few. Many suburbs have trees and scrub and possums, therefore there is a risk of getting ticks.

Best would be to talk to your local vet where you live. If your dog gets a tick and has to have the syrum it would cost you a minimum of $250. One of my borders picked up a tick here on the property (let it be known this is the first tick in 12 years on this property), it was only on her 12 hours and she was showing first signs of paralysis (slightly wobbly rear end). I picked it up very early and took her to the vet. She was only hospitalised for 4 hours (normally at least 24) and was given a sedative and the syrum.. walked out with a $250 bill. most of which was for the syrum. You then have to keep the dog totally quiet for at least 3 weeks as the toxin from a tick can affect heart and lungs. There may be lingering affects for up to 6 months.

Tick treatments: Proban tablets every 48 hours, tick collars (have heard that the virbac one is not good for multi dog households, especially if you have puppies who lick chewing necks, have heard of cases where dogs have become sick and/or died. Have not heard the same thing about the Bayer product), Frontline plus every two weeks, and tick rinses - Fido's every three days, Permoxin every 7 days.

With tick collars, you cannot use proban and or phosphate tick rinses such as Malaban, Maldacin as they use the same chemical and can poisen the dog. With long coated dogs, it can take up to a week for the poison to move throughout the coat.. While they say washing does not take it all out, it is something to consider whether it DOES reduce effectiveness of the product as it may not take it off the collar, but how much does it take off the coat??

No matter what precaution you use, all companies of tick products recommend daily checking. Most common places for ticks are around mouth/head/neck, armpits and front part of body. If in long grass or scrub, they can get into vulvas etc.

[mita]

Rappie, your good advice couldn't be more timely!

Last night I had a sobbing fellow Tibbie owner on the phone....their gorgeous family Tib, Zou, was in the Uni Vet Clinic being monitored all night after nearly dying from a paralysis tick. And still not really out of the woods. He can't walk yet....but sort of swims across the floor.

Between our sobs, we kept saying, 'How can we prevent this happening?' And today I found your post!!!

May I have your permission to reproduce it on the Tibbie list? Thanks in anticipation.

[Mystiqview]

Mita,

The vet would of told you to keep the dog extremely quiet for at least the next three weeks???

If you don't, it may lead to heart or lung problems as the tick toxin can attack major organs and leave it with scarring.

It has been 6 weeks since Jemma had her tick and the syrum, and still she shows some lingering signs of not being quite right.

Easiest way to identify ticks is if the legs are all at the front of the body, it is paralysis tick, if the legs are along the body, it is a brown tick.

[mita]

No, huskymiko....we didn't know about keeping the dog quiet for 3 weeks....& didn't know about the leg distribution difference between tick types.

May I have your permission, too....to repeat your post to the Tibbie folk?

We're anxious because one couple lost a magnificent young male Tib because of a tick last year.

And now....Zou Chai....who obviously isn't out of the woods yet.

Thank you.

[Mystiqview]

Mita,

No problems at all.

By the sounds of your dilema, you may have to keep the dog quiet longer. But best to talk to the vet with regards to that. Watch the food and water intake. Generally after taking dog home from vet, no food for 24 hours and no water for 12. WHen you introduce the food and water back, give it back frequently but slowly. Otherwise they may vomit it back up.

The tick on Jemma was really small, and it was thought to only have been attached for approximately 12 hours. When I took her to the vet, there were 10 other dogs in there in various stages of tick paralysis. Some like Jemma had only a small tick, others roughly the same size/weight had more before succombing to the effects.

Even if you find a tick on the dog and they have not shown any signs of paralysis, you should keep them quiet for 48 hours just in case it gets into their heart/lungs.

I know the brochure Rappie is talking about.. Good simple brochure, available from Vet clinics. Best get yourself a copy of one.

Rappie said to spray Frontline spray on the tick. Same can be achieved with Aeroguard or fly spray (depending on where tick is).

paralysis ticks are usually (but not always) grey in colour. Brown ticks are that, usually brown, they may have a lighter coloured band across the back.

Mine all wear tick collars with daily checks. The Bayer one (Kiltix) lasts up to six weeks. Frontline every two weeks for me for three dogs, is too expensive ($45/month for next 6 months) Same with Proban Tablets (bottle has 100 tablets, divided by three dogs every 48 hours..)

You really can't avoid the daily checks.

[Rappie]

Mita - yes certainly you can reproduce that

Huskymiko - good point about the Aerogard, anything like that that is safe to put near / on people will do. The main difference between that and pulling them out is that the tick will fall off intact, whereas it is possible to leave the head behind pulling them off (which causes a tissue reaction more than them injecting more toxin).

Just a note about the colour - most ticks that dogs in suburban bush areas will pick up are paralysis ticks. They have 3 stages of growth and for the most part don't need a host to survive. During each stage of growth they find a host and suck blood - that goes for about a week each time. The nymphs are the little brown ticks (that a great many people say are "bush" ticks or "brown" ticks. They feed once and get a bit bigger. It is only the adult (female) paralysis ticks that are grey with the dint in the back. All stages can feed but it is usually only the adult females that cause paralysis.

There are two other types of tick that are common in rural areas - the cattle tick (Boophilus spp, in QLD) and the Bush tick (Haemaphysalis spp).

Another way to tell the difference between them is the colour of the legs - a task that may well require very good eyesight or a magnifying glass.

The Ixodes ticks (paralysis) have 2 sets of brown legs and 2 sets of white legs.

The Haemaphysalis (bush) have 4 sets of brown ones.

The Boophilus (cattle) have 4 sets of white ones.

Edited November 4, 2004 by Rappie

[mita]

Thank you so much, Rappie & Huskymiko.

Best way to deal with our high anxiety re ticks at the moment, is to be well informed. And this info is brilliantly helpful

[gillybob]

Hi all

Just something to add I lived in a high tick area for a long time used proban ect.

I checked my doggies twice a day

Found taking them for a swim in the dam/creak and then checking them made it a little bit easier to find ticks.

Dont forget to check tails as well, my lab had one on his tail I missed that nearly killed him.

Also I had a Lab and a Blue Healer the lab allways picked up ticks and the healer didnt get any.Although they went everywhere together.

I beleive this was due to the type of coat the healer had.

GillyBob

[Mooper]

From ARF's October newsletter (written with the Canberra region in mind but more widely applicable) ...

It's tick season. What should you do?

The Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) says drought conditions mean that ticks are hitching a ride on our native wildlife into urban areas, looking for food and water.

ARF members have already found ticks on their pets this season. Here is some information from the AVA and NSW Agriculture to help protect your dog, cat or human family. But remember, there is no substitute for professional veterinary or medical advice.

1. Where ticks are found

Ticks are primarily found in bushland along the east coast of Australia from Far North Queensland to Lakes Entrance in Victoria, and in Tasmania. In NSW and QLD, ticks may be found some distance inland.

2. Common ticks in our region

There are three common ticks in our region. The most common is the introduced species Haemaphysalis longicornis, the bush tick, which make up about 90 per cent of ticks in NSW. Adult bush ticks can cause loss of blood and, in severe cases, may kill the host animal.

About 10 per cent of ticks in NSW are the paralysis tick, Ixodes holocyclus, also known as the dog tick, scrub tick or shell-back tick. Their paralysing toxin can be fatal, particularly to small and young animals, unless veterinary attention is obtained.

The cattle tick, Boophilus microplus, is very rare in our region due to a 70-year eradication program. However this species remains a major concern to stockowners, in particular, as it can transmit tick fever to cattle.

3. Symptoms of tick poisoning

Symptoms include weakness in the legs, especially the hind legs; a strange or muted bark or meow; rapid, noisy breathing; retching or vomiting. More than 80,000 cases of tick toxicosis, mainly in domestic pets, are treated each year in eastern Australia.

4. Checking for ticks

Check your pet daily from the start of the nose to the tail, in the ears and between the pads of their paws. Pay particular attention to warm, moist areas – behind the ears, in the groin and armpits, and behind the knees.

5. Help! I found a tick!

Don’t panic and don’t delay. Take the pet to your local vet immediately. Tick poisoning is very serious and can lead to the death of the animal if treatment is not received in time. Do not try and remove the tick yourself; you could end up injecting more poison into your pet’s body.

(image from Protect New Zealand website)

[Pheebs]

After spending the afternoon in the garden yesterday, my grandfather ended up with four ticks attached to his neck

He's in the Upper North Shore, so be warned - my vet couldn't stress to me ENOUGH how rife they were in the area...

[mita]

Thank you, Mooper....that diagram of the tick types is very useful.

[WhiteLight]

I had to go to my vet last weekend and I asked about ticks and yes he thought my two should have tick prevention.

I love this vet as he always gives you a reason or facts.

These are his facts.

He works at Pet ER a lot, normally by this time they would have had 12 tick cases this year 80 yes 80 cases.

76 survived as the new serum is very much improved.

The other 4 died or had to be put to sleep because of medical or monetary reasons.

They had tick collars on before their feet hit the surgery floor.