With the tick and flea season approaching we thought it important to make you aware of tick paralysis. Although rare, it is more common than you think. If this did happen to your dog you would never suspect a tick. Tick paralysis is caused when a tick gets stuck on the dog. The females of the Dermacentor variabilis, and D. andersoni,
ticks secrete a toxin that affects the nervous system of mammals. It produces a flaccid (weak, with no muscular tone) paralysis.
In some animals, only the hind limbs are affected. In others, the condition can ascend up the body and affect the front limbs and sometimes even the muscles required for respiration.
The first signs are weakness and incoordination in the hind legs. It looks like the dog is drunk and staggering. Several hours after the signs in the hind limbs start, the front legs are affected and soon the animal can not move any of his legs. Difficulty with breathing, chewing, and swallowing can be seen. The animal generally has no fever. Death can occur within hours from respiratory failure due to paralysis of the muscles necessary for respiration.
The diagnosis is based on the sudden onset of paralysis, the rapid worsening of the condition, the season of the year, presence of ticks, and rapid recovery when the ticks are removed.
The treatment for tick paralysis is basic ~ Remove the Tick. Most animals will quickly recover. If an animal is severely affected, supportive care and artificial respiration may be needed. There is an antitoxin that can be given if it is available and can be procured quickly.
Not all ticks carry this toxin and not all dogs are affected, hence the disease is only occasionally seen.
