Welcome to our ultimate guide to tick paralysis! Paralysis ticks are a silent but deadly killer, and unfortunately, Australia's climate is the perfect breeding ground for them.
Animal Emergency Service (AES) is one of Queensland's leading hospitals for treating tick paralysis. Dr Rob Webster, a registered specialist in Emergency Medicine and Critical Care, is not only one of the founders of AES, but also a member of the Australian Paralysis Tick Advisory Panel. Dr Rob and the AES team have treated tens of thousands of patients suffering from tick paralysis over the last two decades.
This guide on tick paralysis provides information on the dangers of ticks, how to know if your pet has been affected, and practical tips on keeping your pet safe during tick season.
What you'll learn about tick paralysis
- What are paralysis ticks?
- Where can paralysis ticks be found?
- What do paralysis ticks look like?
- What are the symptoms of tick paralysis?
- What should you do if your pet shows these symptoms?
- Are there any other ticks my pet can get?
- Prevention
- Treatment
- Patient stories
What are paralysis ticks?
The paralysis tick (ixodes holocyclus) is a small, eight-legged, egg-shaped arachnid, approximately 3-5 mm in long. Their appearance varies depending on their life-stage.
Paralysis ticks can attach to both dogs and cats
While small, they are a dangerous parasite that injects a potentially fatal toxin (holocyclotoxin) into the bloodstream while feeding on mammals, both native and domestic animals. This toxin can lead to several symptoms, causing severe illness and potentially resulting in death. It is important to note both dogs and cats can be affected; however, native animals are not.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hM9gsvbw3cs
Where are paralysis ticks found?
Paralysis ticks are found along coastal parts of central and southern Queensland, as well as coastal New South Wales. Towards the north, paralysis ticks can be found all year-round, while further south tick season begins in winter (August) and finishes in late spring (November). However, this is not a set period. For example, tick season may start earlier if the winter is milder than usual.
The paralysis tick can be found along the east coast of Australia (Source: RSPCA)
Australia is the most diverse country in the world for ticks, with over 70 species, several of which look like the paralysis tick but are actually harmless. If you find a tick, it’s recommended that you visit your vet so they can identify the tick’s species.
The paralysis tick is common in woodlands and grasslands. Cats and dogs will be exposed to ticks if they go anywhere which is frequented by wild animals, including bandicoots and possums. While they don't fly or jump, they will climb or drop onto a pet's coat when they brush past where the tick is sitting.
What do paralysis ticks look like?
The paralysis tick can look different depending on whether it has fed. As the paralysis tick feeds, it becomes engorged with blood, changing colour from whitish to bluish/light grey.
Stages of paralysis tick engorgement
Once a tick attaches to an animal, it deeply and firmly embeds itself into the skin. The area where the tick has attached itself will become red with a raised thickening, which is also referred to as a crater.
Once attached the paralysis tick can cause the surrounding area to become raised and red
What are the symptoms of tick paralysis?
While Australian wildlife have some immunity to the tick toxin, cats and dogs are very susceptible and will develop paralysis, breathing difficulty, which, in severe cases, can lead to death.
There are several symptoms to look out for. The early stages of a paralysis tick bite can be hard to determine as they are typically vague. As symptoms quickly progress from the initial bite, they become more severe.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yS-h-LoExTk
Dr Brooke Schampers explains what tick paralysis is, and the signs and symptoms to be aware of
Early, vague stages of tick paralysis can include the following symptoms:
- Lethargy
- Reduced appetite
- Occasional vomiting
If you see any of these symptoms, search your pets for ticks immediately and contact your vet, as from these initial symptoms their condition can rapidly deteriorate.
Other symptoms of tick paralysis include:
- A change in the bark/meow's sound. For example, becoming softer or changing pitch.
- Cannot blink. If ticks become attached near the eyes, the eyelids can become paralysed, which means they cannot blink. This can then lead to the eyes drying out and becoming damaged.
- Difficulty breathing or rapid breathing. As the paralysis advances, the muscles used in breathing become weak. Heavy breathing can occur; this can involve panting, noisy breathing, grunting, and coughing.
- Change in heart rhythm or rate.
- Excessive drooling. Paralysis can lead to difficulty swallowing, which leads to a buildup of fluid in the mouth and throat.
- Wobbly gait, which often starts with the hind legs.
- Reluctant to move, stand, or jump.
- Completely paralysed.
Find out more about common tick paralysis symptoms.
What should you do if your pet has tick paralysis?
If you believe your pet is experiencing any of these symptoms, take your pet to your vet or nearest emergency centre immediately.
Early treatment is a key element of successful recovery from tick paralysis, and deterioration can occur in a short space of time, often within hours. Animals exhibiting any of the symptoms of a tick bite, such as paralysis and breathing difficulties, require immediate treatment.
However, the early signs are often subtle and may occur singly, including:
- Vomiting
- Reduced appetite
These symptoms can easily go unnoticed without a professional assessment.
What will your veterinarian do?
By taking your pet to the vet immediately after showing symptoms of a tick bite, the veterinarian will complete a focused examination, which will include a search for additional ticks.
Approximately 10% of patients will have more than one tick.
What to do if you find a tick
If you find a tick, keep your pet calm and at a comfortable temperature.
You should:
- Search for any more ticks and remove them if able.
- Bring the tick with you to the vet if you remove it prior to your visit so the species can be identified.
What should you avoid doing if you find a tick?
- Do not provide your pet with food or water. Paralysis will make them unable to protect their airway when they swallow. This may lead to food or water being breathed into their airways, which can cause aspiration pneumonia and serious breathing difficulties.
- Do not use chemicals to remove ticks.
- Do not try burning the tick off.
Even if the tick has been removed...
Even if you remove a tick, it's still important that you take your pet to a vet.
Pets can continue to worsen for up to three days after a tick's removal. The poison that ticks inject remains active in the pet's system for 1-2 weeks after they are taken out.
Are there any other ticks my pet can get?
There are two other tick species to be on the lookout for that are also causes for concern.
Brown dog ticks (image source: Pest World), which despite being non-venomous, cause discomfort and irritation and transmit blood-borne diseases (such as tick fever).
They are commonly found in the environment of the animal they attach themselves to. For example, the kennel in the backyard or inside the home.
The bush tick (image source: Advantage Pet Care), while preferring cattle, will also feed on other animals. It is also non-venomous and can cause discomfort, irritation, and transmit tick fever.
They can be found in rural or semi-rural areas with a hot or humid climate.
If you are not sure about ticks in your area, contact your vet.
Tick paralysis prevention
Prevention is always better than a cure.
As the leading specialist in tick prevention and treatment, Animal Emergency Service sees over 3,500 tick cases each year, most of which can be prevented.
Animal Emergency Service’s Dr Rob believes it is entirely possible to eradicate the number of tick cases through preventative measures and staying vigilant.
"I'm on a mission to eliminate tick paralysis." - Dr Rob Webster
Dr Rob Webster
The elimination of tick paralysis is possible through preventative methods and daily searches of your pet. There are several methods to help prevent your pet from contracting a paralysis tick.
Tick preventatives
- Routinely administer tick preventatives to your cats and dogs, as they may be susceptible to tick paralysis, even if they have suffered from it before
- Seek veterinary advice on which tick preventative is most appropriate for your pet
- Use the most effective product for your pet’s lifestyle. For example, if your pet regularly bathes or goes swimming, avoid using a product that needs to be spread on the coat
- Ensure the preventative medication you are using offers protection against paralysis ticks
- Read the label instructions and administer accordingly, i.e. the correct dose for your pet’s weight at the appropriate dosing interval (e.g. monthly)
- If you are travelling to a known tick area, seek veterinary advice regarding when you need to administer the tick preventative prior to departure, and after your return
- Have your pet’s coat clipped short to make locating ticks easier
- Avoid taking your pet walking in areas with lots of wildlife
Learn more about paralysis tick treatment for dogs.
Tick clips assist in locating ticks easier
Perform daily searches for ticks
- If you live in, or you and your pet are visiting a known tick area, it’s recommended to search your pets daily for ticks and tick craters
- If you or your pet have recently travelled to a known tick area, continue these daily searches for at least one week after your return
- When administering a search for ticks, it’s best to start at the front end of your pet. A review of over 2,000 cases found that 90% of tick paralysis were found forward from the shoulders
- Technique:
- Start searching for ticks at the front end of your pet and move towards the back of the body. For example, start at the nose, moving to the mouth, eyes, ears (including inside the ears), neck, chest, front legs (extending down to the paws and between and underneath their toes), back, body and belly, hind legs, prepuce/vulval areas and the full length of the tail
- Remove your pet’s collar to search for ticks that may be under the collar
- Using your fingertips, gently move them or ‘finger walk’ between the fur at the level of the skin, over every aspect of your pet
- If you find a tick or tick crater, continue searching the entire body of your pet for more ticks
- If your pet has a long coat, consider clipping your pet (including head and tail) during periods of high tick risk to make searching and detection of ticks easier
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7bUzPT_iUI
Animal Emergency Service's Dr Brooke Schampers, along with her fur baby Polo, show us how to conduct a tick search
Reduce the tick population at home
- Minimise or restrict your pet’s access to bushy environments
- Discourage wildlife from entering your property by installing fences
- Clean up leaf litter
- Clear tall grass and brush around the house and at the lawn’s edges
- Keep the grass mowed frequently
- If you store wood outside, stack neatly in a dry area
- Keep play equipment, decks and patios away from yard edges and trees
- Remove old furniture and rubbish from the yard, as this reduces available hiding places
- If you live next to wooded or bushy areas, create a protective barrier of mulch around the perimeter of your property. This creates a physical barrier that is dry and sometimes hot, which ticks cannot tolerate.
- Vacuuming regularly will help remove ticks hiding in carpets, which are dragged in from outdoors.
Cat specific tick paralysis prevention
It is a myth that cats don’t get ticks. Cats are less likely to get ticks than dogs, but it can still happen. There are a multitude of tick prevention products available for dogs, from collars, spot-ons, tablets, and rinses. Cats, however, don’t have the same luxury of choice. Because of a peculiarity in the liver metabolism of cats, they are very sensitive to one insecticide that is present in most of the tick products currently available. This chemical is permethrin, which is highly toxic to cats.
Learn more about the precautions needed to prevent tick paralysis in cats.
Tick paralysis treatment
The good news is that tick paralysis can be treated, and most (but sadly not all) animals will recover. If your pet has been exposed to a paralysis tick, please note that the symptoms (worsening paralysis, regurgitating or vomiting, change in voice, and breathing difficulties) can occur or worsen for up to three days after the tick is removed.
Virtually all animals that show symptoms will need treatment. The first step is to call your vet immediately after identifying potential symptoms.
Secondly, remove the tick from your pet’s skin at home. Leaving the head in is not a disaster – it does not continue to pump poison and will eventually fall out (leaving a crater) after just a few days.
The third step is to get them to your closest emergency vet. See where all Animal Emergency Service locations are located.
Once your pet has been admitted to the hospital, they will undergo diagnostics, treatment, and then constant monitoring by our vets and nurses. The treatment process for tick paralysis can vary drastically from patient to patient. Initial treatment varies depending on whether the assessment determines the patient to be stable or unstable.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BIT_wL-5M8
Dr Brooke Schampers takes you into our hospital and explains how we treat tick paralysis, and the preventative measures you can take
What to expect from the vet
- Sedation to help calm your pet. Pets get very distressed when they cannot move or have trouble breathing. Sedation will help in removing any anxiety
- Oxygen therapy if having difficulty breathing
- Emergency intubation and manual ventilation
- If your pet is having a lot of trouble breathing, either from severe paralysis or there is vomit inside the lungs (aspiration pneumonia)
- A tube is placed down your pet’s airways and a nurse will breathe for them
- Tick search and removal of any remaining ticks
- Medications
- Tick antiserum
- Antibiotics (if suspected lung infection from breathing in vomit)
- Blood tests
- Assess your pet’s ability to breath
- Monitor hydration status and electrolyte levels (commonly lost through vomiting)
- X-rays
- If your pet is having trouble breathing
- Intensive nursing care
- Your pet won't be able to urinate as their bladder is paralysed; a nurse will need to help empty their bladder regularly
- To help change your pet’s position to prevent pressure sores since they cannot move
- Medications for your pet’s eyes when they cannot blink to prevent development of eye ulcers
- Multiple tick searches throughout hospital stay
- Full-body tick clip – this helps in finding further ticks
- Anti-parasitic shampoos to eliminate any remaining ticks, in case they are too small to be found by hand
- Mechanical ventilation
- For pets too paralysed to breathe
- For pets with such severe lung disease they cannot breathe (from breathing vomit into their lungs)
Tick paralysis patient stories
While the prevention methods outlined above are quite effective, sometimes the worst can happen, and a paralysis tick can still result in a trip to the emergency vet.
Animal Emergency Service has had tens of thousands of tick paralysis cases over the years, ranging from short stays to life-threatening conditions. Find out more about how we treat tick paralysis cases.
Lucca's tick paralysis story
In some severe cases, patients require a mechanical ventilator to ensure oxygen continues to flow through the patient’s lungs while they cannot do so themselves. One of the brave Animal Emergency Service patients, Lucca, went through this process.
One afternoon Lucca’s owners noticed that he had become wobbly on his back legs, Lucca’s quick-thinking owners checked him all over and found a paralysis tick on his leg. They removed the tick and jumped in the car straight away to seek veterinary help.
Lucca was given oxygen therapy and sedation to protect from aspiration
Lucca was given oxygen therapy and sedation to protect from aspiration
He was taken to his primary vet, where he was admitted for treatment. Unfortunately, tick paralysis is an unpredictable condition, and Lucca quickly deteriorated despite the initial treatment. Lucca was rushed to the Pet Intensive Care Unit (Pet ICU) at Underwood via animal ambulance. On arrival at Pet ICU, we placed Lucca on life support, and he remained in an induced coma for three days while the paralysis wore off and his lungs grew stronger. Read more about Lucca’s story.
Five days after being admitted to hospital, Lucca was given the all-clear
Bella's tick paralysis story
Another memorable case was when a cute little Maltese Terrier named Bella was admitted to us in a bad way. She couldn’t stand up and had difficulty catching her breath. Bella’s owner had suspected a tick was causing the problem and knew what to look for but did not find the tick despite several searches. Ticks can be very difficult to find, even in dogs with short hair, let alone a Maltese Terrier with a beautiful coat.
Bella was admitted to hospital, and the AES team gave her the life-saving tick antiserum. This is essential even if the tick has been removed. Ticks can inject a lethal dose of toxin into a pet by the time the first signs of wobbliness begin in the legs. Without treatment, a pet can die despite removing the tick. Read more about Bella’s story.
Unable to stand up with shortness of breath, Bella's owners realised she had a tick
If your pet has a tick or you suspect they do, contact your closest Animal Emergency Service hospital or your local vet immediately.
For more information about what is toxic to pets, visit our Pets and Poisons Guide.
Tick paralysis FAQs
What is a paralysis tick and why is it dangerous?
A paralysis tick (Ixodes holocyclus) is a small, eight-legged arachnid that attaches to animals and feeds on their blood. During feeding, it injects a toxin called holocyclotoxin into the bloodstream, which can cause paralysis, breathing difficulties, severe illness and in some cases death. Both dogs and cats can be affected.
Where are paralysis ticks commonly found?
Paralysis ticks are found along coastal parts of central and southern Queensland and coastal New South Wales. They are commonly found in woodlands and grasslands, particularly in areas frequented by wildlife such as bandicoots and possums. They do not fly or jump but can climb onto a pet's coat when the animal brushes past vegetation.
What are the signs and symptoms of tick paralysis in pets?
Early signs can be vague and may include lethargy, reduced appetite and occasional vomiting. As the condition progresses, pets may develop a wobbly gait, difficulty breathing, excessive drooling, changes in their bark or meow, inability to blink, reluctance to move, or complete paralysis. Symptoms can worsen rapidly, often within hours.
What should I do if I find a tick on my pet or suspect tick paralysis?
Take your pet to a veterinarian or emergency centre immediately if you notice symptoms of tick paralysis. If you find a tick, keep your pet calm, search for additional ticks, and remove any you can safely find with a tick hook. Bring the removed tick to the vet for identification. Do not give your pet food or water, and do not use chemicals or burn the tick to remove it. Even after a tick has been removed, pets can continue to worsen for up to three days.
How can I help prevent tick paralysis?
Use veterinarian-approved tick preventatives year-round, conduct daily tick searches in known tick areas, and keep your pet's coat short to make ticks easier to find. Reducing tick habitats around the home, such as clearing leaf litter, mowing grass regularly and discouraging wildlife from entering the property, can also help lower the risk of tick exposure.
Further reading on tick paralysis in pets
For more information about tick paralysis symptoms, click here.
For more information about tick paralysis in dogs, click here.
For more information about tick paralysis in cats, click here.
