# Paralysis Ticks Advice Needed



## Kyro (Apr 1, 2008)

We lost our beloved American Bulldog Nelly to a paralysis tick a couple of days ago & we are completely devestated. I am really scared for my other dog Arie so I have bought him a tick collar & i'm checking him daily to be sure he doesn't have any but I am wondering if there is anything else we can do to prevent them. When I found my girl crook I rushed her straight to the nearest vet but it was too late & she died on the way there. When I got there I spoke to the vet briefly but I was pretty upset at the time & he was more interested in getting me out of there than offering advice on my other dog. Any tips on preventing Arie getting one would be most appreciated. Cheers Kyro


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## Earthling (Apr 1, 2008)

Its always sad when you lose a pet.
Doing the collar and checking every day will be enough. Just make sure you check every day and your on a winner. First line of defense.
However.....if your dog has long hair i would talk to the vet regarding other methods as with long haired dogs you can miss the ticks.


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## Kyro (Apr 1, 2008)

Thanks Earthling, he is short haired so I guess thats one good thing.


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## jessb (Apr 1, 2008)

Oh I'm so sorry - what a horrible thing to happen! :cry: We live up on the Northern Beaches Peninsula - apparently the worst tick area in NSW so it is a constant worry for us! 

We use Frontline or Preventic fortnightly in tick season, monthly otherwise. The collars lose potency if your dog swims while wearing it, so be aware of that. Make sure you don't use a tick collar as well as the "spot-on" medications as they can overdose the dog!

Check your dog every evening, remember to look/feel inside the ears, inside gums, between the toes and around and under :shock: the tail. 

Depends how shorthaired your dog is, but perhaps consider clipping him anyway - loads of people around here with Labradors, cattle dogs etc get them clipped really short because even with a longish shorthaired coat, you can miss a tick!

Don't let him run about in long grass, untouched bushes etc, and make sure your garden is well trimmed - overhanging branches are the best spot for ticks to hide!

As soon as he shows any symptoms, take him straight to the vet. Wobbly back legs often aren't the first sign that a tick has bitten your dog; symptoms include difficulty swallowing, ho**** barking, drooling and lethargy. Make sure if you do remove a tick, that you keep your dog quiet for 48 hours, as too much exercise can accelerate the toxin around your dog's body.

Good luck, and just be really vigilant. I'm sure your second dog will be fine.


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## Helikaon (Apr 1, 2008)

there are a few drugs but nothing reliable, checking is probably going to be your only way, if you are constant with your advocate or frontline plus that will reduce it, but i have seen these products to be unreliable. checking daily is the best method. i would suggest to you that when you check, feel for the ticks don't look for them. check the dog with your eyes closed if need be. start at the nose and go to the tail systematically. and double check all the danger area. base of tail, armpits, ears, neck and around the mouth and eyes as these are the most likely places. and then learn to identify ixodes holocyclus. this is done easily. 1. legs are bunched towards the head rather then spread out evenly down the body. 2. the mouth parts of the tick are diamond shape. and 3 the anal groove of the paralysis tick is a full circle. and there is also a good dog shampoo that will kill any ticks on the dog at the time of washing but it only lasts like a day. i believe it is made by fido's and can be purchased at pet stores.


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## Kyro (Apr 1, 2008)

Thanks Jess & Helikaon. I am so annoyed at myself for not realizing something was wrong with her earlier because as you said Jess there are a few symptoms first which I had stupidly put down to the hot weather as we just moved to QLD. I rushed her to the vet when I saw her vomit & she was having trouble breathing. I have also found some good info on the net including pics so thanks for that suggestion Heliakon

Cheers Kyro


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## Tojo (Apr 1, 2008)

Sorry to read of your loss it is heartbreaking to lose a member of the family.The advice given so far is good.Always feel with your hands as you may miss little ones with your eyes(grass ticks).The paralysis ticks are bigger and easier to see.When removing them turn them anti clockwise so to get the head out as well.Be careful not to squeeze the body as that will administer more poison.Try not to let your dog near lantana bushes as they are known for ticks.Hope this helps.All the best.


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## Kyro (Apr 1, 2008)

Damn we have lantana everywhere here so thanks for the tip mate.


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## caustichumor (Apr 1, 2008)

I would recommend using frontline, even by checking everyday they get into ears, between toes, everywhere they have less chance of being brushed off.


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## tfor2 (Apr 1, 2008)

That is terrible news, im very sorry for you. The others are right about the tick prevention my girlfriend lives in a high tick area and uses one of the frontline products or something similar and has never had a problem with her german sheppard. Tick collars are not what they make out they are. I would use them as a secondary item only.


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## Chris1 (Apr 1, 2008)

apparently a bath with a cup of bicarb of soda in it makes em let go,...might be a bit of a hassle though,...

sorry to hear u lost ur dog..


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## geckodan (Apr 1, 2008)

Our basic recommendations at work (we see 200-300 tick cases per year) are daily checking and either :
Frontline + an amitraz based collar + proban tablets
or frontline + proban tablets 
or frontline + organophosphate based collar

That gives you 80-90% protection at best. NEVER use proban and an organophosphate collar together.
Shampoos, bicarb etc are useless. Save your monet for something else.


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## kirstys (Apr 2, 2008)

i feel for you loosing a dog is so hard keep your head up


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## JasonL (Apr 3, 2008)

Thats terrible news, sorry for your loss. My old dog had one years ago, and she was only on Frontline, the tick didn't care, from memory I had only treated her a few days before finding the tick. Keep a close eye on the way your dog walks, esp in the rear legs, if it seems to have the slightest limp at all, check it over and over again, in it's ears, skin folds, even around the lips. As dog owners we do our best, but sometimes thats not good enough, don't beat yourself up about it though, these things happen from time to time. Take Dannys advice with the drug prevention, keep lawns down and try to stop wild animals from entering your yard. Best of luck, Jas.


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## Kyro (Apr 3, 2008)

I appreciate the support & advice everyone including the people who PMed me, big thanks again guys


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## Zdogs (Apr 3, 2008)

I'm so sorry to hear about your loss 
Run Free Nelly


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## EARTH7 (Apr 3, 2008)

*Hi, Just thought I'd say you can also buy a concentrated liquid for fleas, tics and lice that you mix with water in a spray bottle, then spray your dog every two days and also spray his bedding and any area he is around alot. You can buy this from any pet store, vet ect...*

*Goodluck with that.*
*Earth7*


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## salebrosus (Apr 3, 2008)

geckodan said:


> Our basic recommendations at work (we see 200-300 tick cases per year) are daily checking and either :
> Frontline + an amitraz based collar + proban tablets
> .



You beat me to it Danny. 

Kyro, if possible try and remove as much lantana as possible. It is all over the place up here and whenever i go on site inspections where there is lantana i always end up with a bloody tick on me. Being on acreage i guess that would be a huge job.

Sorry you lost your little puppy.


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## pythonmum (Apr 3, 2008)

We are in the heavy tick area and the little fluff dog is a tick magnet. Read the instructions on Advantix or Frontline and you'll see that it needs to go on twice as often for tick prevention. I use Frontline spray on the little fluffy guy and Advantix on the rottie. You have to keep it up all year - the fluff boy will pick up a tick mid-winter if I slack off. As others have said, you have to keep checking daily. I save lots of money by buying the products online rather than from the vet. Get vet advice, then buy from Vet Products Direct or similar.


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## Pythoninfinite (Apr 3, 2008)

Terrible news Kyro. We're in a busy PT area here on the mid-north coast, but have short haired dogs fortunately, and they are inside with us at night so we get to stroke them while watching TV - that's when they get their going-over. Our vet here uses a thing called a "Tick Twister" to remove them (complete with mouthparts) - he swears by it and says it removes them quickly before they have a chance to react and inject more toxin. Maybe Danny knows about these gadgets?

Jamie.


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## Ridgeback (Apr 3, 2008)

G'day Kyro,
Sorry for your loss. Can you keep the long-haired dog clippered during summer? Also, an interesting anecdote that I would love to hear some opinions on from the vets in the group; I have heard of both dogs and cats coming good from pretty bad tick poisoning by treatment with large doses of vitamin C. Thoughts, comments?


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## Helikaon (Apr 3, 2008)

i am not a vet but as a vet tech i have never come across that treatment.


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## geckodan (Apr 4, 2008)

Pythoninfinite said:


> Terrible news Kyro. We're in a busy PT area here on the mid-north coast, but have short haired dogs fortunately, and they are inside with us at night so we get to stroke them while watching TV - that's when they get their going-over. Our vet here uses a thing called a "Tick Twister" to remove them (complete with mouthparts) - he swears by it and says it removes them quickly before they have a chance to react and inject more toxin. Maybe Danny knows about these gadgets?
> 
> Jamie.



They are sold as Tick hooks. They work fine but so do fingers


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## geckodan (Apr 4, 2008)

Ridgeback said:


> G'day Kyro,
> Sorry for your loss. Can you keep the long-haired dog clippered during summer? Also, an interesting anecdote that I would love to hear some opinions on from the vets in the group; I have heard of both dogs and cats coming good from pretty bad tick poisoning by treatment with large doses of vitamin C. Thoughts, comments?



Urban myth of the worst kind. Claims to work for snake bite too. Good way to kill a dog waiting for that to work.


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## Helikaon (Apr 4, 2008)

geckodan said:


> Urban myth of the worst kind. Claims to work for snake bite too. Good way to kill a dog waiting for that to work.




i was thinking that. there are alot of these cheap quick fixes around


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## Midol (Apr 4, 2008)

You'll spend a fortune using frontline sprays and what not.

Frontline doesn't work in my area for fleas or ticks, nothing does.


I use permoxin, it's an insecticide made for horses and dogs. It's about $20 for a 400ml bottle and it's watered to do 1:40 (permoxin:water) so lasts a long time. Once a week works fine, but I used to do it on Mondays and Fridays as we'd often go bush walking on weekends.

ETA: Permoxin is deadly for cats, if you use it and have cats spray the stuff in a room, don't let the cats in for 2 hours (I wait 8) and no dog-cat contact for 2 hours (again, I wait 8 hours.)


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## Lewy (Apr 4, 2008)

Both our dog and my parents dog (they live next door) have had paralysis ticks on them within the last year with neither dog showing any symptoms. We were told it was because we both use Advantix. We only apply it every 4 weeks but were told the residual effect of the drug even after the two weeks is usually enough to prevent the ticks staying on for the required few days until they will effect paralysis. Both dogs were due for their 4 week treatment when we found their ticks. 

We tried frontline also and it did not work on our fleas. Apparently there is a resistance problem developing to frontline.


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