Tick Treatment - Informative Paper

[dogbesotted]

http://www.ava.com.au/sites/default/files/Envenomation_Tick%20Paralysis_MCannon.pdf

[Jed]

Thanks for posting that. Very informative.

Did you notice in the paper that a 4 year old girl was in hospital or 3 weeks with a tick? The parents thought ticks only affected animals, which is sad. Think a bit more education would be excellent.

[dogbesotted]

adding:

Professor Rick Atwell, the ‘Tick Guru’ at QLD University is busy finding that things are not all that they seem, and of course that means it is more complicated than we thought!

First there are more subspecies than were thought - some of them non-poisonous, so ticks in some areas do not make anyone sick, while others are very toxic. Second the toxicity of the ticks varies seasonally as well as by area. Third if a large number of the earlier stages of the tick attach, they can make the animal sick (approximately 30 nymphs = 1 adult!). Fourth the ticks do not inject extra poison into the animal if you leave their head behind, but it does irritate the skin and cause more infections and crater reaction. Fifth the ticks can wander around for some hours before attaching, especially on dogs and cats as they would really rather have a marsupial-blood meal. This means lots get groomed or shaken off. Sixth 50% of animals who have a tick attached and poisoning them have had an anti tick product applied to them within the prior two weeks (according to the owners at least). Perhaps the ticks do not move very far and so do not pick up enough of the product to kill them. Seventh if there is one tick attached, there may be up to 10 more attached - one in all in I guess. So if you find one, look for more. Eighth there is no longer really a ‘tick season’ - they take longer to hatch in cool weather and are not as active, but once there is 50% humidity, they can mature.

[Tassie]

Thanks so much for posting this DBS - We're lucky down here in that the percentage of paralysis ticks compared with the total tick population seems to be quite small - but that could well change with climate change. We don't use ongoing tick protection, but that makes it all the more important to have clear information should treatment be needed.

[MarieEvans]

Thanks so much for sharing this information. It's so informative. I'm bookmarking this one for future preference. :D

[mita]

And thanks, DBS, from me, too. Very interesting information you've posted. I'm bookmarking it, too.

I know so many careful pet owners who've lost their dog or cat to a tick. Heartbreaking.

Yes, ticks can affect people, too.

Years back we were on a picnic & I was lying on the grass. A local resident passing by said that my long hair was inviting a tick. We thought he was joking. Back home, I washed my hair & felt a lump at the front of my head. It was a tick, very well embedded. A doctor had to get it out. Hadn't yet caused any symptoms but someone else told me she'd had a tick for longer & got ill and wobbly.

Edited December 27, 2012 by mita

[Jigsaw]

Thank you for the information.

[dotdashdot]

R.e the Large number of owners having said they had applied the products within 2 weeks, Im wondering if people realise that using soap shampoo washes it off? I only mention this because I've had a few workmates and customers not know this. I know my parents still use human shampoo and frontline. Luckily the dogs aren't washed often.

I've also experienced a larger number of customers commenting on the products not seeming to work the same this year (all tick preventatives). It is a really bad year on the mid north coast this year

[kobblyness]

I used frontline 6 days before my dog had three ticks attach to him. Unfortunately it was too late and he was admitted to the vets for an overnight and day stay. Upon contacting merial I may as well have used water to protect him, usless product against ticks. The pba let them get away with specific words and claims ( controls up to ]14 days = 60 - 70% ).

[Ellis]

Frontline is the biggest waste of money that has ever been on the market. I have lost 2 dogs to ticks after having Frontline applied (& not being bathed). I used it recently on the cat for fleas & I think it attracted them. After a couple of weeks I applied something else, 48hrs after applying something else to the cat I was brushing dead fleas off him.