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Can't Find The Paralysis Tick


littlesev
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Yesterday, my 4.5 months Silky puppy suddenly started shivering, lost his appetite and energy and had fever. Brought him to the vet first thing today who thought that it's paralysis tick. She gave him injection and oral medicine for the fever, and his temperature has gone down. I've also given him Advantix. He was looking for food so I fed him some chicken and broth but he vomited it later, complete with yellow bile.

I read that the most important thing is to remove the tick but I've checked him repeatedly on the face, body, paws, anus, ears and found nothing. The vet said it could be nymph tick that can't been spotted easily and he might get shaven :( I'm very worried that he's been without food for so long. He turns upbeat at times but mostly just lies down now. What else could I do to help his recovery and keep ticks from my home and yard? He likes to eat strange bugs in the backyard but I've kept him inside for now.

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What a worry for you :(

Please take the pup to another vet if you can ... a tiny baby like that can get dehydrated and go downhill really fast :(.. it may not even be a tick problem.

Ticks can hide in ears/lips , anywhere, and if it fed well, it could have dropped off .

Can puppy walk?

Did the vet give anti serum for tick poisoning? What was the oral medicine? Did the vet recommend you use the advantix on a sick puppy?

Edited by persephone
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Guest donatella

I wouldnt take risks if you think it's still there I'd get him shaved, hair grows back!!

Wishing good thoughts!!

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What a worry for you :(

Please take the pup to another vet if you can ... a tiny baby like that can get dehydrated and go downhill really fast :(.. it may not even be a tick problem.

Ticks can hide in ears/lips , anywhere, and if it fed well, it could have dropped off .

Can puppy walk?

Did the vet give anti serum for tick poisoning? What was the oral medicine? Did the vet recommend you use the advantix on a sick puppy?

Thanks everyone. I keep giving him water and he pees regularly. The vet gave him Meloxicam injection and Loxicom for oral. Both are for the fever. She told me to start on Advantix now and that she had 3 tick cases last week. Made no mention of antiserum. I really hope the tick did drop off. I'll return tomorrow so we'll know for sure.

He just walk more slowly and chooses to sit a lot. It's just so different seeing him like this when he's usually very hyper. Anyone who has experienced this before - what's the recovery process like?

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It would be odd for a vet to suggest the dog has a tick, but then not give anti-serum for the tick or do everything to find it?

Did the vet search him for ticks?

If he's not keeping any water down, I'd definitely take him to another vet because if he gets dehydrated it can be really dangerous in a pup that young.

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It would be odd for a vet to suggest the dog has a tick, but then not give anti-serum for the tick or do everything to find it?
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I agree.

Odd..to just send a puppy home after giving anti inflamms . for a fever of unknown aetiology ....

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Hi what a worry for you,for some reason ticks are really bad this year.

My 11 yo Maltie and a gsd both had a ticks this week. I removed the one on the Maltese Sunday evening,next day her breathing got worse and she vomited yellow bile. I decide to take her to the vet. The usual tell tale sign of paralysis in the back legs didnt occur. The serum took over 24 hours to have an effect.

I had washed the gsd in Nucidol (like Malawash)and her tick was dead.

In your case I query a tick, if you are worried about your yard there is a product called Webzone you can spray. I have used it when a tenants dogs kept getting ticks.

There is also a high energy gel called Energel if your pup is not eating. I,m surprised your vet didnt tell you about it.

If you pup is no better tommorow and hasnt eaten I would go to another vet.

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Can he bark?

I read in the other tick thread that being unable to bark is an early sign of tick poisoning.

He still growls and were barking at the big dogs at the vet today (napoleon complex) :)

It would be odd for a vet to suggest the dog has a tick, but then not give anti-serum for the tick or do everything to find it?

Did the vet search him for ticks?

If he's not keeping any water down, I'd definitely take him to another vet because if he gets dehydrated it can be really dangerous in a pup that young.

I make him drink water regularly. He can't seem to keep his food down though. The vet skimmed his body and ears to check for ticks. She said his lymph nodes were fine, heart beats steady but he had high fever. Have to note that the place was busy with sick pets this morning. I went home assuming that Advantix is the normally prescribed cure.

Thanks. First thing tomorrow, I'll call them and ask what they'd do. Otherwise, I'll go to the another vet.

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Agree with the others, definately take him back if no improvement. I'm surprised the vet didn't at least keep him in for obs if he suspects a tick! Try to keep him in a cool and quiet place and let him rest as much as possible. Agree with teekay too, see if he can bark. About 10 minutes after my boy gets a tick his bark goes funny.

If you aren't sure, I would shave him, and spray him as well with frontline SPRAY (not topspot) or something like permoxin or fidos (we actually used this for ticks when I vet nursed, we tested a heap and the fidos killed them fastest). I don't know what you can use with advantix though so check that first. Ticks hide in the oddest places-I spent hours shaving an Akita once and the tick was inside his anus!!

Also if you suspect a tick do not give free access to food and water as their ability to swallow can sometimes be compromised and they can aspirate it, give him small, supervised amount often. If you catch them early enough SOME dogs can recover well without serum, but I would be straight back to the vet if you have any doubts at all

God I hate ticks! So lucky when we lived in a tick prone spot my dog at the time was immune to them!

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The vet skimmed his body and ears to check for ticks.

Skimming is not searching.

Really ..another vet might be best - write down what he has been like, and what teh other vet prescribed ...and they will look at it with new eyes , maybe seeing something different, or seeing a better way of diagnosing .

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When my boy had a tick he had difficulty walking which was initially thought to be an inner ear infection. We eventually found the tick after 3 people searched him numerous times a day for almost a week. Even after finding it ... it then took another 15minutes to find it again.

If I had been advised initially that it could be a tick (not an ear infection) then we would have shaved him earlier rather then risk almost loosing him.

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