# Anyone had a cat treated for paralysis tick?



## snakeynewbie (Oct 30, 2011)

We just rushed the cat up to the vet, she's been sprayed and they get checked fairly regularly but still managed to pick a tick up on a bathroom break(she visits the garden to toilet as she won't use a litter tray). Her back legs were starting to fail but we hunted the tick out as soon as we realised what was happening and vet thinks she's got a pretty good chance. He doesn't think she needs a drip as she still looks quite well just wonky on the legs. Anyway has anyone had a cat treated and can tell me how much it set them back so i can put some money aside for tomorrow, i didn't think to ask and vet is shut now, as far as I know she's had a shot of methane(?) and he'll give her the antivenom and a spray of frontline to be sure there aren't any we missed and then she'll just be 'under observation'.


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## littlemay (Oct 30, 2011)

Treatment and board is quite expensive so i would set aside a good couple of hundred.


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## -Peter (Oct 30, 2011)

Ask the vet, they will give you a reasonably accurate figure.


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## snakeynewbie (Oct 30, 2011)

Did you read my post Peter? The vet is now shut so I can't ask. I was thinking in the hundreds easily(it was $800 when the dog got bitten by a snake) I was just wondering how many hundreds :lol:


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## littlemay (Oct 30, 2011)

When my cat had an abscess i had to pay for 3 days board, surgery and medication. All up this cost about $850, so yeah i would think a good 400 to be safe maybe? I'm not really sure though, never taken my cat in for ticks.


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## mmafan555 (Nov 1, 2011)

Why can't ticks be endangered....All the cool useful animals are endangered where as all the horrid ones are doing great..Meh


Thank god they go away in winter through...Do not want Lyme Disease


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## snakeynewbie (Nov 1, 2011)

LOL yeah I agree 

She's still at the vet, hasn't got worse but she's not recovering as quick as they usually do. I'm having surgery tomorrow so I'll go and visit her this arvo and then hopefully she'll be OK to come home on Thursday and us girls can curl p in bed together and rest it out together


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## Mo Deville (Nov 1, 2011)

well my dog cost 600 for his tick problem im sure it won't be too different for cats but if it goes into the thousand putting them down might be an option, pure breds seem to get efected by ticks more than crossbreeds IMO, thought i'd add that in, but good luck.


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## -Peter (Nov 1, 2011)

snakeynewbie said:


> Did you read my post Peter? The vet is now shut so I can't ask. I was thinking in the hundreds easily(it was $800 when the dog got bitten by a snake) I was just wondering how many hundreds :lol:



Didn't realise you were in such a hurry to get bad news and in answer to yoyur question. I guess not.


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## Beard (Nov 1, 2011)

No but I've had myself treated. I ended up with typhus from one a few years ago.


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## phantomreptiles (Nov 11, 2011)

Ummm just a quick FYI for all brisbane owners of cats and dogs - there are a large number of paralysis ticks being found on pets throughout bris, especially the western suburbs of bris.
If you find a tick, fingernails/tweezers either side, pull straight out (they have mouth parts only, not heads) no right/wrong way to remove, despite old wives tales;-) after tick removed symptoms can show up 48hrs later, 
Expect costs at an emergency clinic to be about $800-$1500 uncomplicated. complicated $2500 plus, sorry but that is the cost, please don't bother replying that I don't have the $$, it is too expensive etc that is what an emergency (not a gp clinic) will charge, all offer gem visa or take home layby.
Do not knock vets for charging what they do, you choose to have an animal, you accept the associated charges. If you don't, don't have a pet.
Oh just to clarify how much vets earn - check out the award wage website - new grad vet $38,000, (after five years study) cert four vet nurses award wage $19.65/hr -(3yrs study) inexperienced nurse - $12.65/hr yup everyone in the vet industry earns heaps, you must of all seen the bmws/mercs parked outside every vet clinic you have visited! 
Before you abuse the the vet clinic or the staff for being too expensive, remember they earn the least of any profession.
They do it for the love not the poor money.
It is not their fault your pet is unwell!


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## gemrock2hot (Nov 11, 2011)

I think it was around $300 for our cat that got a tick I no the anti venom was like $150 alone assuming u took ur cat to the vet within work hours I'd say around the $300 mark but that's an educated guess hope that helps


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## Kitah (Nov 11, 2011)

Whatever the outcome, its well and truly already happened for this cat...

but for future reference- the longer you leave it, the more it will cost in additional supportive treatments. If you get in straight away as soon as you find the tick- it may be quite cheap, just the cost of sedation and tick antiserum may be all they need. If you wait longer, they'll still need sedation and antiserum plus potential fluids, oxygen therapy, multiple days in hospital, additional nutritional support etc. You can end up with secondary problems such as aspiration pneumonia which require antibiotics at the very least if 'mild', cardiac disease due to the toxin, fluid into the lungs by multiple mechanisms, and if very dehydrated before treatment, cats are prone to renal issues and can end up with acute renal failure. 

Morale of the story- good prevention, regular checking for ticks and prompt treatment if you find any paralysis ticks.


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## snakeynewbie (Nov 11, 2011)

We got her fairly quick, cost came to $460 which included sedation, antiserum, three days vet stay, methone injections, etc. quite reasonable i thought

She was treated with a preventative but still managed to get one, unfortunately she is a rescue who is only just coming around to being handled by humans at all so very hard to give her a really good check over unfortunately


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## Kitah (Nov 11, 2011)

Good to hear she has come good  And sorry, the prevention and checking wasn't aimed at you- obviously you picked up on the problem soon enough, and are taking steps to reduce the risk. 

Glad to hear she has recovered


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## littlemay (Nov 11, 2011)

phantomreptiles said:


> Ummm just a quick FYI for all brisbane owners of cats and dogs - there are a large number of paralysis ticks being found on pets throughout bris, especially the western suburbs of bris.
> If you find a tick, fingernails/tweezers either side, pull straight out (they have mouth parts only, not heads) no right/wrong way to remove, despite old wives tales;-) after tick removed symptoms can show up 48hrs later,
> Expect costs at an emergency clinic to be about $800-$1500 uncomplicated. complicated $2500 plus, sorry but that is the cost, please don't bother replying that I don't have the $$, it is too expensive etc that is what an emergency (not a gp clinic) will charge, all offer gem visa or take home layby.
> Do not knock vets for charging what they do, you choose to have an animal, you accept the associated charges. If you don't, don't have a pet.
> ...



I don't think anyone in this thread was complaining about the cost of veterinary treatment...


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## snakeynewbie (Nov 11, 2011)

Nope, i was asking about the cost but only because i wanted to prepare myself, not because i was complaining. *shrugs*


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## daniel1234 (Nov 11, 2011)

One of our vet nurses rides a motorcycle. Very important credential

Vets need to b more versitile than doctors. All the best with puss.


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## mmafan555 (Nov 12, 2011)

phantomreptiles said:


> Ummm just a quick FYI for all brisbane owners of cats and dogs - there are a large number of paralysis ticks being found on pets throughout bris, especially the western suburbs of bris.
> If you find a tick, fingernails/tweezers either side, pull straight out (they have mouth parts only, not heads) no right/wrong way to remove, despite old wives tales;-) after tick removed symptoms can show up 48hrs later,
> 
> !



If the tick is infected with some type of pathogen...their is definitely a right and wrong way to remove them..Using a match, applying chemicals etc and the tick may regurgitate its stomach content into you which greatly increases your risk of infection where as it usually takes 24hours+ for a tick to transmit disease..You do not want to burn it or anything like that.

I obviously don't know the percentage of ticks that carry/cause disease in Australia but in some regions of America like 40-50 percent of certain ticks are infected with the Lyme bacteria...crazy and I would not risking burning them even if you know that the type of tick on you does not transmit disease.


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## Poggle (Dec 7, 2011)

Ok here is my lecture on ticks... i should know i live in one of the worst affected areas for them... frontline and all these other products seem usless. Remember those who use frontline it is not a month lasting treatment for paralysis ticks. I have used all products and still ended up with ticks. 3 tick cases in the past 3 months on dogs. 2 pulled through quickly and one dog had reaction to antiserum and they couldnt save her . Any ways. "Proban" is a good product to put on them after finding a tick as it kills any left on them. Good for cats and dogs. Always get them to vet i have had people try the old vitamin c and lost their animals. Yet to find any on snakes or herps.... Any one hadthis happen?


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