Deadly Tick Paralysis in Dogs

The disease does not affect the ticks but affects other mammals like dogs due to the toxin secreted by the ticks. This toxin is released into the blood stream of the dog when the tick bites causing muscular weakness.

Not all dogs and mammals suffer from this kind of a paralysis on being bitten by ticks as only some of them bear the brunt, while some others only experience weakness in their hind legs. Due to the variation in the kind of effect the toxin produces, certain mammals will suffer from total paralysis and may even die due to difficulty in breathing.

By knowing about the different kind of paralysis that is caused by the ticks in different mammals, you can prevent things from becoming worse by quickly taking out the ticks and casting them away.

This article will help you protect your pooch from any dangerous situation caused due to ticks.

Symptoms

It is not as if your dog will be immediately affected with just one bite of the tick as it takes a period of a week and several bites from the ticks to cause any paralysis.

When you notice your pet becoming weak and having problems moving his hind limbs, you can be sure that he has been bitten by ticks. Dogs can also exhibit difficulty when swallowing, breathing, and chewing, but there will be no signs of a fever or regular illness symptoms aside from these.

It is very important for you to recognise these signs immediately as otherwise there can be respiratory failure leading to death of your pooch.

Findings

Based on the symptoms exhibited and the health condition of your pet at that time, paralysis may be identified as having occurred. Paralysis has been known to be dependent on particular seasons, but your pet will recover quickly as soon as the ticks are picked and removed from the body.

Of course, easy diagnosis also comes from the signs of paralysis, but you should regularly check your dog for ticks, if his/her behavior becomes strange, especially if you are often in regions which have ticks.

Remedies

The most practical way is to remove all the ticks. {You may have a hard time finding all of the ticks, or the tick, if your dog has a lot of fur, because ticks normally burrow into the skin, which means you may have to shave your dog for the time being, before they cause serious harm to your pooch.| It may be difficult for you to identify all the ticks especially if they are hidden in the thick fur of your pet's body and you may have to totally shave your pet to get at them.| Picking up all the ticks on the pet's body may be fraught with difficulty especially if your pet is very hairy and in that case you may need to shave your pet to ensure all ticks are effectively removed.|

Once the tick is removed, most dogs will quickly recover, but if your dog is severely affective, then he/she may require supportive care from a veterinarian, or artificial respiration may be required.

You may also want to consider an antitoxin to be administered to your dog, so that your dog can cure faster.