Parlaysis Ticks

[Agility Dogs]

Xena has been a little off colour the last couple of days and at one point I thought she might have had a tick. We've been over her time and time again and can't find anything and this morning she is heaps better so I'm thinking that that is probably not what the problem was.

To my question - I was wondering what the likely time frames and progression of tick symptoms are in say, a medium sized dog or is it not that obvious/different in every case?

Edited September 8, 2010 by Agility Dogs

[Muttaburra]

Xena has been a little off colour the last couple of days and at one point I thought she might have had a tick. We've been over her time and time again and can't find anything and this morning she is heaps better so I'm thinking that that is probably not what the problem was.

To my question - I was wondering what the likely time frames and progression of tick symptoms are in say, a medium sized dog or is it not that obvious/different in every case?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ixodes_holocyclus

The above link is very comprehensive, since most of the "tick alert (tags)" website info is now here, their own site has closed down.

You could look at this site. Symptoms vary with the individual and can progress in a different order. Also they can crawl right inside an ear, between webbing on toes, inside the anus, and under the gums, so if you are in doubt is best to seek vet attention.

http://medent.usyd.edu.au/fact/ticks.htm

The initial symptoms of tick paralysis may include unsteady gait, increased weakness of the limbs, multiple rashes, headache, fever, flu like symptoms, tenderness of lymph nodes, and partial facial paralysis. Tick paralysis develops slowly as the tick engorges, which will take several days. Despite the removal of the tick, the patient's condition typically will continue to deteriorate for a time and recovery is often slow. Undetected ticks are another possible reason for any prologed debilitation and should always remain a concern. Improvements in modern medicine and the development of a tick antitoxin have prevented further deaths from tick paralysis in the last 70 years. The antitoxin is available from the Commonwealth Serum Laboratories. Despite these developments, a few cases of tick paralysis in children are seen at major hospitals each year. Additionally, ticks take a high toll on pets every summer.

see also

http://www.lowchensaustralia.com/pests/paralysis-tick/

The clinical signs in early cases of tick paralysis are non-specific and can sometimes be extremely difficult to distinguish from other disorders, particularly if there is no evidence of tick attachment. Additionally, whilst typical cases develop quickly (usually after 3-6 days) and deteriorate rapidly (within 1-2 days), there may be considerable variation to this. Some cases have been known to progress from stage 2 to stage 3 over as long as fourteen days (Fitzgerald, 1998). Sporadic cases present "out of season" - for example they are ocasionally seen in the middle of winter in the Illawarra. Ticks may also be acquired by pets taken to holiday areas and returning home to a location where local veterinarians do not expect to find tick paralysis (they might expect snake bite, for example, to be more likely). Another problem is that it is not unusual for an animal to show signs and deteriorate even when a tick has not been found- this is probably because some ticks may drop off or be scratched off by the animal and yet the toxin may still be causing increasing signs of poisoning for up to 48 hours later. Therefore when an animal presents with any of the signs below and is known to have been in a paralysis tick area in the previous 4 weeks, an open mind would consider the possibility of ticks being responsible.

* Change in voice or bark (usually muted)

* Coughing

* Hacking (throaty cough)

* Retching (straining as if to vomit)

* Licking repeatdedly (Maskiell, 2000)

* Gagging

* Loss of appetite

* Lethargy

* Groaning sound when lifted

* Vomiting

* Regurgitation

* Salivation (drooling)

* Noisy panting respiration (early)

* Slow grunting respiration (later)

* Wobbliness

* "Swimming" weakness- splayed frantic "paddling" in sternal recumbency on slippery surfaces

* Weakness in hind limbs

* Asymmetry of the muzzle

* Pupil dilation (especially in cats)

* Ocular discharge, pin-point pupil

* Faecal incontinence or diarrhoea

* Pain and lameness

* Focal Dermatitis

* Anxiety, hypersensitivty, distress

* Paralysis

Edited September 8, 2010 by Muttaburra