Tick Paralysis Life Cycle
The Australian paralysis tick is a three-host tick. There are 4 distinct stages of the life cycle of the Australian Paralysis Tick – egg, larva, nymph, adult. The life cycle takes approximately 1 year to complete (minimum 135-437 days)
Female adult ticks lay up to 3000 eggs in litter, of which x amount survive to complete the life cycle. They are laid in leaf litter from MONTH-MONTH. They will remain as eggs for 40-60 days before hatching to become Larvae.
Larvae have 6 legs. Upon hatching, they immediately begin to search for a host so they can have a blood meal. They feed for 4-6 days, before falling off the host and undergoing a moult to become nymphs. We see this stage of the life cycle from MONTH-MONTH.
Nymphs have 8 legs. Upon moulting they will have a second blood meal on a second host. We see this stage of the life cycle from March to August. Nymphs can cause paralysis if a large number is present on a single host.
Upon moulting, adult paralysis ticks will find a host. Female ticks require a host for a blood meal, whereby a male tick uses the host to find a female tick in order to mate and feed from her. Males pierce the cuticle with their mouth parts and feed on the haemolymph of the female. The female ticks then fall off and lay eggs to complete the life cycle.
How Are Ticks Transmitted
Bandicoots, possums and echidnas are the most common hosts which transmit paralysis ticks. Due to continuous exposure to the toxin, they have built up resistance over time and are usually immune to its effects.
What Does A Paralysis Tick Look Like
There are at least 73 species of ticks in Australia and adult paralysis ticks can be difficult to identify. Body colour can be affected by feeding so is not reliable to use to accurately identify different species of ticks. Adult females have exceptionally long mouthparts, different coloured first and last set of legs (darker) and no coloured markings on the dorsal shield. Male ticks have much shorter mouth parts.
Methods To Find A Tick On Your Pet
The most reliable ways to locate a tick is to run your fingers through the coat with enough pressure to feel for any lumps or abnormalities. Although most ticks are found around the head and neck (78%), they can be found anywhere on your pet so it is important to perform a thorough examination. Check in the beard, ears, wound the eyes, between toes and around the anal area. 10% of patients will have two or more ticks, so its important to keep searching even if you find one.
CHAPTER 5
Treatment for paralysis involves a stay in hospital of usually a few days and the administration of an anti-serum.
The sooner an affected pet is brought in for treatment, the more effective that treatment is. If your cat or dog displays any symptoms described in this article, they may have tick poisoning.
Don’t delay if in doubt and bring them into Northside Emergency Veterinary Services for quick, professional treatment. Call us now on (02) 9452 2933 or contact us online for more information.
During the warmer months, our emergency vet hospital treats up to 100 pets per week for tick poisoning and up to 40 cases over a single weekend. The weather patterns of the Northern Suburbs of Sydney are ideal for ticks and vigilance is required to prevent tick poisoning.
In the event of an emergency, the qualified and dedicated staff at NEVS will administer expert paralysis treatment at our after-hours vet clinic in Sydney.
While each case is individual, our veterinarians will typically:
All animals are individuals and react differently to the stresses of toxin. Young, old and weaker pets are more vulnerable. We will likely have to keep your pet for 2 to 3 days in the hospital.
Recovery Of Tick Paralysis In Pets
Recovery is a slow process and takes on average between two and nine days. Affected animals require supportive care including oxygen, IV fluids, antibiotics, anti-nausea medication, bladder expression and lubrication of the eyes.
Why are Paralysis Ticks so dangerous?
After attaching, the tick feeds on the host’s blood, injecting small amounts of saliva into the dog or cat. The tick’s saliva contains a toxin that disrupts the connection between the nerves and the muscles of the body, causing weakness and paralysis. Not only does this affect muscles that help the animal stand and walk, but it can also affect muscles used for breathing and swallowing, leading to serious and life threatening conditions.
If ticks are attached near the eyes they can paralyse the eye lid, preventing the animal from blinking, which can cause eyes to dry out and become damaged. Because the tick toxin also causes paralysis of the oesophagus (food pipe), affected dogs and cats may choke, retch, or regurgitate their food, water or just frothy fluid. One serious complication of this is aspiration of fluid or food into the lungs, which causes pneumonia. Tick paralysis also often causes difficulty breathing. If the paralysis becomes too advanced and the muscles involved with breathing become too weak, the dog or cat may not be able to breath sufficiently, or at all.
Tick paralysis is progressive and potentially fatal and mechanical ventilation in a veterinary hospital may be required.
Tick Paralysis “Help! My dog can’t walk!”
Tick paralysis is a potentially deadly condition caused by the Paralysis Tick (Ixodes holocyclus) parasite, that can affect dogs and cats.