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 Ticks can be a deadly menace, affecting many different types of pets. Knowing the enemy is the best tool. Below are some of the commonest questions asked about tick control.
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Can all ticks cause paralysis?
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There are two types of ticks that affect dogs. The less dangerous type is the Brown Dog Tick. It does not cause paralysis but can cause skin irritation and sometimes has other effects.
The paralysis tick is the dangerous one, and it’s not easy to tell the difference.
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When is the tick paralysis season?
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In northern parts of Australia paralysis ticks may be found all year round, while in southern areas the season goes from spring through to autumn. Generally, the worst time for tick paralysis is in spring and early summer.
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How can I tell if a tick is the paralysis tick?
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Identifying ticks is not easy and you can’t rely on the colour. The legs of the Paralysis Tick are located on the front third of the body while the Brown Dog Tick has legs positioned around two thirds of its circumference. If you don’t mind looking at its private parts, the Paralysis Tick has a more definite ‘ring’ around its anus whereas the Brown Dog Tick’s equivalent area is less distinct.
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What effect does the paralysis tick have?
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The paralysis caused by the tick mostly starts with an unsteady, staggering gait due to hind limb weakness. The front limbs are affected next and then the throat. Lastly and fatally, the chest if affected.
Dogs also develop a gurgling, choking cough and are unable to bark properly. This is caused by paralysis of the throat, which in turn causes the dangerous effect of saliva being retained in the windpipe.
Quick treatment is vital. Even dogs that are slightly weak in the hindquarters in the morning can be gravely ill by that evening.
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How can I find ticks on my pet?
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It is easier to feel for ticks than to look for them. Mostly, the ticks are found around the head, neck, chest and front legs, with many exceptions.
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How do I remove a tick?
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Should you find a tick, don’t remove it. Removing a live tick usually causes it to inject more toxin into your pet’s body. Kill the little sucker with a fast acting insecticide applied directly to it. If you do not have a specific pet insecticide, then a quick knockdown household insecticide will do the job. It should be applied only to the body of the tick using a cotton bud, or a drop or two can be placed with an eye dropper. The tick will then die and shrivel up.
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How do I remove the head of a tick?
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This is a fallacy. Ticks don’t have heads! The concept probably extends from the fact that a dog or cat can become paralysed several hours after a tick has been removed because of the slow spread of the toxin from the skin to the nervous system.
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What can I use to prevent ticks on my pet?
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There are several ways to minimise tick infestations:
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- There are specific tick collars that are available. Virbac makes one under the name of the Preventic 2 Month Tick Collar and Bayer makes another called the Kiltix Tick and Flea Collar for Dogs.
- Permoxin Insecticidal Spray and Rinse is also effective for ticks on dogs. It should be applied as a rinse every seven days. Permoxin also kills and repels fleas and mosquitoes.
- For cats and dogs, Frontline is a good choice. Frontline Plus Top Spot is effective for ticks on dogs if used every two weeks (not every month). Frontline Spray is effective for ticks on dogs and cats if used every three weeks at the rate of six millilitres per kilogram of weight. If you find a tick on your pet, you can spray Frontline directly onto the tick to kill it.
- Advantix for dogs is a new spot-on-the-back-of-the-neck product that both repels and kills paralysis ticks when applied every 2 weeks. It is also effective against brown dog ticks, bush ticks, fleas, lice, mosquitoes and sandflies.
- Proban is an oral insecticide that is quite effective against ticks on dogs but needs to be used every two days rather than at the flea-controlling dose of twice weekly. Some veterinarians also recommend Proban for ticks on cats at 1/4 of a tablet every two days. Because Proban is an oral medication that is excreted via the pet’s skin, it gives tick control over the whole of the pet’s body. When using sprays or rinses, it is possible to miss some areas, thereby allowing ticks to attach. This does not happen with Proban.
- Fido’s Fre-Itch Rinse is also effective for ticks and fleas if the dog or cat is rinsed in it every three days. Fido’s is useful when your pet has been in a tick area and you want to bathe it to kill any hitchhiking ticks.
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In tick prone areas, it is essential that your pets are searched daily for ticks. If this is done routinely, you can then eliminate tick paralysis because the tick usually has to be on the animal’s body for more than two days to cause paralysis.
Ticks are nasty little vermins. Take no chances. Talk to your veterinarian about an effective tick control programme for your pets.
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Dr Cam Day BVSc BSc MACVSc is a veterinary surgeon, an animal behaviour consultant and media presenter. In 1995 he qualified as a Member of the Australian College of Veterinary Scientists in the discipline of Animal Behaviour and is one of only 15 veterinarians with this qualification in Australia. He works full time in animal behaviour management in Queensland, consulting with dog, cat and bird owners on a daily basis as well as appearing on air as Brisbane’s radio Pet Vet, and writing for various magazines.
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