Ticks In South Australia

[fiveplusone]

I've just read the tick info thats pinned but its about paralysis ticks. We live in South Australia, and I've never seen a tick on any dogs I have ever owned.

I have just removed a brown 'tick' from my GSP. He is not unwell in any way.

Daughter mentioned to me a couple of days ago about seeing a little black dot on his leg but we forgot about it, and he isn't unwell or displaying any symptoms what so ever. Its hard to see any black dots on him anyway as he is white with black spots!

Anyway, it has moved from where she saw it orignally and where it was has like a little red mozzie bite area. I removed the tick with a pair of tweezers and OH was saying it was a bit of dirt but once I put it on my hand it wriggled! So its obvouisly some sort of creature.

I am assuming that we don't have paralysis ticks here in SA? Do I need to be concerned about this "tick". Is it a tick? should I be doing anything else?

Thanks

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

hi fiveplusone

We do have ticks in SA, but you're right - they're not the paralysis ones. Although there is a tiny weeny chance those sometimes get imported as dogs and cars and plant material and stuff come in from the East occasionally.

So if your dog starts getting wobbly around the back end - off to vet straight away.

If there is one tick there may be others so you might want to give your dogs and yourselves a very thorough going over. My mum got two ticks on herself bush walking (including walking in long grass and the occasional bit of rock clambering). In embarassing places. Check the dogs lips and ears and armpits etc.

What have your dogs been doing? Where have they been? Have you been with them?

I have a black and white spotty dog, recently we went to the eastern states. I did my tick check pretty much by feel. There was no way I was going to see one. And she didn't get any. Might have had something to do with the proban tablets I'd been feeding her.

You may want to keep watch on the bite site. If there is any part of the tick left including the mouth parts - the bite site can get infected and that might need antibiotics. Meantime you can try aloe vera (soothing and healing properties and tastes yucky so discourages licking and chewing), or maybe honey (antibiotic properties but won't discourage licking).

[fiveplusone]

Thanks. So I shouldn't panic unless I see symptoms then?

He has just been in our garden and on normal walks on suburban streets. No bush walking arounds that I am aware of (would have to check with OH though). No interstate travel. What I removed was really tiny, didn't look like it was swollen with blood, and would have easily missed if we weren't really looking closely. Doubt we would have felt it either as so tiny.

He is asleep (in his usual spot on daughters bed). do I need to check him now or is tomorrow ok?

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

If you're sure he's not come in contact with any animals recently interestate - I'd leave it till tomorrow.

Ticks start off tiny and then get bigger. I reckon you could check yourself now, if you've been walking with the dog. Which bit of SA are you in? Anywhere near the hills, or linear park or the beach (coastal dunes)? There's also a tiny chance they'd show up in the Adelaide Parklands - we've got possums, foxes and occasionally very lost kangaroos in there. Does the dog get off lead time? There's a very cute GSP that gets an occasional run on my local footy oval, but she busted her "knee" a year ago and is supposed to take it easy. Hard for a GSP to do.

Note - I spend most of my time in "view new posts" not in any particular bit of the forum unless I'm reading a thread or posting in it. It's helpful to post the once, in the right place as this one is. Posting the same question in lots of places just confuses us and annoys the moderators. And makes it hard to find the thread when you want to refer back to it.

[moosepup]

All I know is that you need to make sure you got the head.

[sparkycat]

Hi we used to live near Morphettville Racecourse and our dogs got a couple of ticks - I think they were called cow ticks and our vet said they definitely weren't paralysis or harmful.

[fiveplusone]

Thanks for your help.

He's only off lead in our garden, so hasn't been running through the bush anywhere. I'll give him a good check tomorrow.

[Tim'sMum]

There are many sorts of ticks in Australia but if you are in Adelaide...it will not be a Paralysis Tick (see map below).

[Guest DBT]

i have seen ticks on dogs in SA. After grilling the owners about the dogs movements & location, it seems a couple were likely picked up along creeks in the north eastern suburbs of Adelaide, but the vast majority of the dogs i see with ticks lived or moved in the areas north of Port Augusta. One dog i groomed from Roxby Downs always had ticks.

Now i live out near the Mallee region, every second dog i groom is carrying 'stick fleas' or 'Stick fast fleas' , which are tiny fleas that behave more like ticks. They burrow into the skin and remain in one place , not scuttling around like a normal flea. To the un initiated a stick flea may quite well be mistaken for a tick. Stick fleas are very small, usually found mainly on the face , ears and feet, and sometimes in little groups.

[gillybob]

Paralysis ticks are whitish and cattle ticks are deep grey.

If the dog has had the tick for a few days and isnt showing symptoms, Id say it isnt a Paralysis tick.

[witheverythingiam]

We used to get Cattle ticks on our dogs when we lived on the border of a swamp in Qld. They even got them down their ears!

We used Permoxin on the dogs, and the ticks left them alone then.

[Red Fox]

We have brown ticks in SA but not paralysis ticks.

Now i live out near the Mallee region, every second dog i groom is carrying 'stick fleas' or 'Stick fast fleas' , which are tiny fleas that behave more like ticks. They burrow into the skin and remain in one place , not scuttling around like a normal flea. To the un initiated a stick flea may quite well be mistaken for a tick. Stick fleas are very small, usually found mainly on the face , ears and feet, and sometimes in little groups.

Likely it was one of these. They are dark, smaller than ticks and need to be plucked out.