Ticks on Dogs: A Growing Problem

Ticks can be found just about everywhere, and as the weather warms up, their natural range grows. While ticks can be a problem for dogs and doggy pawrents, there are many ways to manage the risk they pose, and understanding the dangers tick pose is the first step in keeping your furry kid safe.

Paralysis ticks

Even if you don’t live in a paralysis tick location, brown dog ticks are capable of spreading tick-borne diseases and can be found all across Australia.

If your doggos live or holiday anywhere along the east coast of Australia, you need to be aware of the paralysis tick, Ixodes holocyclus. Check your location on this paralysis tick map on the Australian Museum website. 

Dogs must keep their guard up all throughout the year, but especially in the warmer months of Spring and Summer (September to March) as this is when ticks are most active.

A single tick is capable of killing even the largest of dogs by injecting a toxin into the bloodstream. 

This toxin directly affects your dog’s nerves for:

• movement 
• breathing
• swallowing 

You may find the tick attached to your dog’s skin, or it may have fallen off and left a red raised lump called a “crater”. 

Where do dogs pick up ticks?

Ticks are found in bushes and long grass. Even if you and your doggo don’t wander off the beaten path or don’t spend much time out in nature, it doesn’t mean you won’t ever encounter ticks, even in southern Australia. Native Australian animals, including birds and possums are reservoir hosts for ticks, spreading ticks further than you may think - even dropping ticks on dogs in apartment buildings! 

What are the signs of tick paralysis?

Ticks can be attached to your pup’s skin anywhere from 1 to 5 days before they show any symptoms [1]. Clinical signs are progressive, meaning they become worse with time as the tick injects more toxin:

• Weakness and wobbly walk starting in the back legs
• Vomiting or regurgitation 
• Change in bark (due to laryngeal paralysis)
• Coughing or difficulty breathing

You should seek urgent veterinary advice if you find a tick on your dog.

What do I do if I find a paralysis tick on my dog?

If you find a tick on your dog, it needs to be removed as soon as possible. You can do this yourself at home. Keep your dog calm and in a cool, quiet space.

Even if a tick is removed it is still important that you take your dog to a vet. Dogs can deteriorate within hours, and continue to worsen up to three days later, even if the tick is removed, so early treatment is key to a successful recovery. 

How is tick paralysis treated?

Some good news pupperinos,

Tick antitoxin serum: Thankfully, tick antitoxin exists, but only in a limited supply. The earlier the antitoxin is given by a veterinarian, the better the prognosis

Supportive Care: Because the paralysis can affect breathing muscles, severely affected dogs may require oxygen therapy or mechanical ventilation. 

Can ticks spread disease?

Even if you don’t live in a region where paralysis ticks commonly inhabit, the brown dog tick is capable of causing health issues. While tick-related diseases are uncommon, dogs and their humans can both contract various diseases from bacteria spread by different types of ticks. 

If your dog gets infected, you can’t catch disease from your dog, since these diseases can only be transmitted by tick bites.

Recently, a small number of dogs in Australia have been infected with the bacteria Erlichia canis after being bitten by brown dog ticks. It has been diagnosed in the Northern Territory, northwestern Queensland and the northern regions of Western Australia and South Australia [2]. 

Some other bacterial diseases spread by ticks in Australia are the Rickettsial infections:

• Queensland Tick Typhus (R. australis)
• Flinders Island Spotted Fever (R. honeii)
• Australian Spotted Fever (R. marmionii)

Tick prevention products 

When it comes to ticks, all-year-round prevention is much better than treatment. There are a wide variety of products that can be used to control ticks on your dog. 

Most products such as oral chews and topical solutions work by killing ticks once they bite your dog’s skin. The tick will swallow the chemical, causing them to die and eventually drop off. Tick collars and sprays work by repelling ticks. 

If you’ve got a Border Collie dog, check the product label, as this breed may carry a gene (MDR1) that makes them susceptible to drugs like Ivermectin. Talk to your vet about testing for this gene [3]. 

Consult your vet and talk to them about your dog and the places you like to go. They will have good suggestions about products and applications.

Supplementary measures during tick season

In addition to medications, incorporating these extra tick prevention measures can provide an extra layer of protection for your doggo:

• Daily tick searches
• Keep their hair short with a summer clip
• Tidy up the garden to remove long grasses and bushy scrub
• Be cautious when walking in bushland with lots of wildlife
• Remember to routinely administer tick prevention medications

Following these small steps can greatly reduce your pup’s risk of tick exposure so they can focus on summertime shenanigans!

How to remove a tick from your dog

If a tick is found, remove it immediately, keep it for identification and seek vet advice. There is more than one way to remove a tick effectively [4], use:

• a tick removal device
• tweezers, or
• fingers in a twisting and plucking action [1]

To remove a tick,

• Spread your dog’s fur
• Grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible
• Very gentle, pull straight upward in a slow, steady motion

The severe allergic reactions that occur when ticks are removed from humans have not been reported in dogs [5]

Remember! Complete a full body search on your dog as multiple ticks could be present.

What happens if I leave the tick head in my dog’s skin?

Don’t worry too much about leaving the head in your dog’s skin. There’s no evidence to suggest that it will continue to pump toxins [6] once the body has been removed. By the same token, leaving part of the head in the skin does not increase the chances of your dog catching a tick-borne disease [7].

Dogs that have had ticks removed can still develop symptoms, so you should still still seek urgent veterinary advice, even if you think your dog is okay. 

Can diet prevent ticks or treat tick paralysis?

Although our food is super, it’s not that super. Diet alone does not prevent ticks or treat tick paralysis. 

Incorporating a daily tick search into your dog's routine however can be a lifesaver, especially in tick-prone areas. Turn meal times into a reward by offering their food as a treat after a thorough check, helping to prevent tick paralysis while reinforcing good behavior.

Scientific research** indicates our dental treats are pawfect for this!

**Labrador-y testing sponsored by your dog



References

[1] Atwell, R., The Merck Veterinary Manual, in Overview of Tick Paralysis. 2014, Merck & Co., INC., Whitehouse Station, NJ, USA 

[2] Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (2023) Canine ehrlichiosis guidelines for dog owners https://www.agriculture.gov.au/biosecurity-trade/pests-diseases-weeds/animal/ehrlichiosis-in-dogs/dog-owners 

[3] Gribbles Veterinary Pathology, Multidrug resistance (MDR1) gene test https://www.gribblesvets.com.au/veterinarians/our-tests/companion-animals/tests-by-dept/molecular/multidrug-resistance-gene-mdr1-test/ 

[4] Zenner, L., et al (2006) Evaluation of four manual tick-removal devices for dogs and cats. Vet Rec, 159(16), 526-9

[5] National Tick Paralysis Forum 1 (1999) Bulletin #1 Tick Poisoning in Dogs and Cats, Ixodes holocyclus, a unique Australian parasite. Merial Australia Limited.

[6] Lowchen Australia (2009), The Paralysis Tick of Australia http://www.lowchensaustralia.com/pests/paralysis-tick/index.htm